Who would have thought that the Japanese, who are considered to be very reserved in matters of the flesh, would celebrate their own Penis Day. And process through the streets on Kanamara Matsuri with überdimensional penis statues? You can find out what this is all about in this article.
History of the Kanamara Matsuri Festival
Kanamara Matsuri, better known as the Festival of the Iron Phallus, is celebrated every year on the first Sunday in April. The festival is held at Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki, which is just south of Tokyo.
The origins of the festival go back to an old Japanese legend. Legend tells that a beast-like dragon hid in the vagina of a young woman after falling in love with her. So great was the dagger’s jealousy that it bit off the penises of two young men in two separate wedding nights. After this cruel ordeal, the woman sought help from a blacksmith. Who made an iron phallus to break the teeth of the dagger. The phallus made by the blacksmith was, or is, kept in the Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki.
In the following years, the Kanayama shrine became a popular destination for couples who wanted to pray for fertility and happiness in their marriage. From the 17th to the 19th century, sex workers also made pilgrimages to the shrine. To ask for protection or healing from sexually transmitted diseases.
At this time, the first festivals on the theme of sexual health were also held there. But this tradition fell asleep again towards the end of the 19th century. It was not until 1970 that Hirohiko Nakamura, then high priest of the shrine, decided to revive the event. At first, this was done on a small scale and at night. In 2012, when TV star Matsuko Deluxe, a committed advocate of sex positivity and LGBTQ rights, mentioned the festival by name, its popularity soared. A permanent fixture on the festival calendar, Kanamara Matsuri attracts around 50,000 visitors every year.
Japanese use festival as “escape” from strict daily routine
Festivals in Japan are used as welcome opportunities to forget the many restrictions of their daily lives for a short time. Drinking, dancing and general looseness tend to be taboos in Japanese culture that have no place in public life.
Although there is a tradition of karaoke and drinking sessions with the boss in the evening (called nomikai) or a lively LGBTIQ* community, these are practised at a distance from public life. For example, the Shintoism-derived Kanamara Matsuri, also known as the Festival of the Steel Phallus, is meant to address sexual oppression.
Although it is officially considered unacceptable in Japanese society to discuss one’s sex life publicly or even admit to having one, the Kanamara Matsuri sees entire families exuberantly celebrating sex, fertility and the creation of life. The festival is a fun day of cross-dressing, penis-shaped lollipops. And, of course, giant phalli carried through the streets in processions. Especially in view of the otherwise discreet and privacy-conscious Japanese, the loud celebration of male genitalia is quite surprising.
Revival of a long tradition
The Kanamara Matsuri Festival had long disappeared from the schedules before resurfacing in 2019. And has since become a staple of the festival calendar. One reason for the forced revival could be that Japan is facing an unprecedented demographic challenge due to falling birth rates. Like Germany, Japanese society is also ageing. The Japanese government has been making efforts to counteract this for a long time. The efforts range from child benefits to official speed dating. It also seems to be the perfect time to revive an old fertility festival.
Kanamara Matsuri as a statement on trans issues
But there is also a very pragmatic reason for the new popularity of the Kanamara Matsuri Festival. It has become an outlet for certain marginalised LGBTQ groups in Japan. This refers to people with fluid gender identities. They often have to conceal or hide their queer identity. According to the already famous Japanese proverb: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered in”. Kanamara Matsuri is an opportunity to celebrate fluid gender identities and sexualities across the spectrum. The most visible sign is the groups of trans men and trans women carrying one of the portable phallic shrines during the parades.
What to see at Kanamara Matsuri
As with most Japanese festivals, the main event is a procession with so-called mikoshi (portable shrines). The main difference from religiously motivated events is that the shrines contain a lot of huge phalli that can be seen bobbing up and down over the crowds as they are carried through the crowded streets.
If you want a good view of the various mikoshi, arrive very early in the day. The procession goes down the street to Kanayama Shrine and starts around noon. Each mikoshi is carried by a group of people in traditional dress. The main attractions are the Kanamara Fune Mikoshi, the Big Kanamara Mikoshi and especially the Elizabeth Mikoshi. First two are floats (processional floats) in the traditional style, although they house giant penises made of steel and wood respectively.
The Elizabeth Mikoshi was donated by Elizabeth Kaikan, a drag bar in Tokyo’s Asakusabashi that has been around since the 1980s. It houses a large pink phallus draped in ropes (shimenawa) and folded paper (shide). Both indicate a sacred object in Shintoism. It is carried by a group of fresh-faced men in bright pink kimonos, make-up and wigs. They form the centre of the celebration of queer culture.
All the mikoshi start and end the procession at the entrance to Kanayama Shrine. The entire parade lasts well over an hour. So there is plenty of time and opportunity to take a photo with participants before and after the parade. However, you should not forget to ask for permission.
Delicacies and activities of a special kind
Another quite delicious speciality are special lollipops sold at Kanamara Matsuri. They are shaped like a vagina or a phallus, which regularly causes the eyes of the lollipops to light up and the giggles of the people eating them (read correctly, not intercourse).
After you have licked your phallus or vagina lollipop and had a drink, there are some equally challenging and fun activities. For example, you can try your hand at carving by using a knife to turn a daikon radish into a reasonably handsome penis. Laughs from bystanders are bound to ensue!
An absolute must is a photo with a wooden phallus. These are placed all over the grounds of the shrine. If you want, you can also go shopping and do some good work at the same time. There are numerous themed products, from keys to candles. The proceeds go to various charitable causes.
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