Yes, this festival is all about man's best friend and I'm not talking about dogs either. The festival is centered around phallic symbols both big and small, but with an emphases on the big. It is an ancient festival dated back to the 1600's known as the Edo period in Japan. The name is the Kanamara festival. Kana stands for metal and mara comes from the ancient symbol for man (which is no longer used in Japan). I couldn't help to sing 'Iron Man' in my head a little when I was there. There are two stories behind the festival one is fact one is fiction. Fact: Kawasaki was a stopping off point on the Tokaido line( an ancient road across Japan) where travels could partake in prostitutes. The prostitutes would go to this temple to ask for protection from disease and unwanted pregnancies. Other people would ask for things like painless child birth or a fertile marriage. (to each their own, right?) Fiction: There once was a beautiful girl who everyone fell in love with including a demon, but she thwarted his advances. One day when the demon found out she was about to get married he climbed into her must private of areas (yes, down there) and waited. After the wedding when the groom tried to consummate the marriage the demon to a big bite of ... well you know. The towns people want to help the poor girl (it was too late for the groom) and the blacksmith had a great idea. He made a metal phallus and when he inserted it into the beautiful maiden the demon bite down again but this time he lost all of teeth. The demon came out and ran away to tend to his wounds. The blacksmith married the girl and lived happily ever after. (with there big metal dildo)
Nowadays festival is quite popular with foreigners, but it's almost completely forgotten by Japanese. But if you are in Japan on the 1st Sunday of April. Head on down to the Kanamara festival and have a blast.
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