KOMAKI, Japan — It's springtime in Japan and that means one thing.
Actually, two things. Penis festivals and vagina festivals.
Since more than 1,500 years ago, the population of Japan has conducted spring ritual that is unique, the festival of penis and vagina. Cultural tradition rooted in agriculture is a sense of gratitude for a successful crop and livestock produce many offspring.
The festival is able to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
Through this annual festival is the Japanese government hopes to increase awareness of families with children by helping to ease the burden of raising children. The Japanese government offered a monthly stipend of U.S. $ 280 per child after the country’s lowest population growth in the sunrise.
It may sound like a sophomoric gag. But these are folk rites going back at least 1,500 years, into Japan's agricultural past. They're held to ensure a good harvest and promote baby-making.
Maybe they should hold more such festivals. Japan has one of the world's lowest birthrates (1.37 children per woman), which experts blame on stagnant incomes and changing gender relations.
The center-left government that came to power last year hopes to make child-rearing more affordable with a $280 monthly stipend per kid.
Meanwhile, the festivals provide an economic shot in the arm for host cities, a party for foreign tourists and expats, and a chance for locals to let loose, too.
The original name of this festival is 豊年祭(hounen matsuri) , but it is often called チンコ祭 (chinko matsuri),which means penis festival. It is held in Aichi prefecture every year at 15March. Please don't have a weird image about this festival when you see its name!When I told a friend about this festival,he asked me,"does everyone has to show his penis during the festival?!" Of course no!! It's just a traditional festival in Japan which Japanese pray so they can have children and also blessing for the family .. You can see many parents bring their children to that festival..just like any other ordinary festivals in Japan.
One of the best-known penis festivals is at Komaki City's Tagata shrine, about 45 minutes outside Nagoya, every March 15. In a neighboring village, a vagina festival is held the Sunday before that. This year, that was the 14th — meaning rare, back-to-back genital worship days.
At the Hime-no-miya grand vagina festival, parents dress up their kids, pray for healthy babies, and celebrate with sake, beer and snacks galore.
In the morning, children carry a small vagina to the Ogata shrine. Later, some 40 grown men strain under the weight of a massive vagina while carrying it to the shrine in the main parade. They're followed by two smaller vagina litters.
At the end of the day pink and white mochi (glutinous rice ball treats) are hurled into the crowd.
The penis festival the following day drew far more foreign and Japanese tourists — some 100,000, according to a festival brochure. Festival foreplay included much posing with wooden and candy penises. The main event is the parading of a two-foot by six-and-a-half foot long phallus carved from Japanese cypress.
Teams of men strain under the weight, stopping to spin the penis around a few times amid yelling, cheering and jostling. The work is so hard that teams rotate during the one-and-a-half hour procession.
This phallus parade is rooted, says the brochure, in "an ancient Japanese belief that for the growth and development of all things, the mother, earth, has to be impregnated by the father, heaven."
"People come here when they want to have a baby," said festival volunteer and Komaki resident Katsuragawa Noboru. "If it works, they have to come back the next year to thank the gods."
It worked for Katsuragawa, twice: He has a son and a daughter now, he said with a laugh.
Lucy Glasspool, who researches gender and pop culture as a visiting scholar in Nagoya, was helping out at the information booth. It was her first penis festival.
"I heard about this a long time ago and I'm not sure I believed it," she said. "But now I'm here and it's everything I thought it would be. I highly recommend the penis-shaped candy."
She gave English-language updates on the penis' progress through a microphone, and passed out detailed information in English on the history and significance of the rite. But most Western tourists seemed happy enough just to drink beer and make endless penis jokes.
Vendors sell penis- and vagina-shaped candies and chocolate-covered bananas, wood penis sculptures and penis earrings, adding to the mirth. Eavesdropping was a riot.
Said one American woman into a cell phone, in a southern twang: "We just found an ashtray that's in the shape of a vagina that you need to buy."
"It's smaller than last year's," one jaded female expat loudly complained, as the phallus approached.
One American woman, reviewing a photo of her friends posing with penis-candy-sucking Japanese, said, "Oh my God. This one is so going on Facebook."
Ok,after some introduction..let's look at the pictures!!
Remember: It takes ALL KINDS to make a world!
Today's lesson is about Japan.
Why Japan?
Because - as everyone might want to know - today is "National Penis Day" in Japan !
Tagata Shirine - the shrine where this festival is held.
This huge thing is being worshipped inside the shrine...
An uncle is selling wooden crafted souvenirs.. seems like nobody wanted to buy...
We are measuring the size of its head.
She is a bit shy...
This rock looks marvellous!!
It is well crafted I think ...what do u think?
So many people there!
We are choosing some souvenirs.. I have bought a sake bottle set.
Nice?
The parade starts...wow...finally it comes!!
Another one is coming..hehe..
It is 2m long...
Nowadays, the festival focuses on the more general theme of sexual safety and sex worker safety. The festival is also used to raise money for HIV/AIDS research. Causes we all can get *ahem* behind.
Photos: Tourists pose with a large wooden phallus as part of the annual Utamaro Festival April 3, 2005 in Kawasaki, Japan. The Utamaro Festival is traditionally held when the cherry blossoms bloom in Kawasaki since the Edo era, 1630 to 1867, when people can seek to be blessed with children and for a good relationship between husband and wife.
Origins
This Shinto festival is not terribly ancient: it began sometime during the Edo period (1603-1867). It is based on a legend in which a sharp-toothed demon fell in love with a young woman and soon thereafter inhabited her vagina. Marriage after marriage, the demon would bite off the penises that dared to enter his residence. After one too many severed penises, the village blacksmith solved this annoyance by forging a steel phallus. The demon's teeth were broken upon insertion of this metallic object. Sometime thereafter this heroic conquering was officially recognized via annual celebration. Prostitutes would arrive at the local Shinto shrine to pray for security against venereal diseases.
Influence of Legend in the U.S.
The tale of a penis-biting demon is not exclusive to Japan; other cultures have had stories warning of the vagina dentata. For example, the U.S. film Teeth was released in 2007 depicting a modern teenager suffering from this ailment (her suitors undergo the true suffering, in my opinion). The official trailor can be viewed here.
The legendary vagina dentata is also referenced in Clerks 2, a more popular U.S. film. In one scene a character mentions to his coworker that his girlfriend has a "pussy troll" named Pillow Pants. This particular scene can be viewed here (I highly recommend using headphones if you are watching this clip in a public place).
Perhaps this illustrates vagina dentata (this is actually the sarlacc from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, but I'm sure you get the picture)
Precession
Three portable shrines, or mikoshi, are donated to the Wakamiya Hachimangu temple to transport three different phalli. First there is the traditional mikoshi, called the Kanamara Mikoshi. Then there is the boat-shaped Kanamara-bune Mikoshi. The third is called the Elizabeth Mikoshi, which is easily recognizable due to its bright pink color and also because it is carried by transgender Japanese citizens.
The head priest of the temple "transfers" the gods from the Kanayama Shrine to the portable shrine. Then it is the time to offer prayers to this god while being blessed by the head priest's sacred sakaki branch. Soon afterwards the three mikoshi are paraded around town crowded with spectators. The Kanamara-bune Mikoshi is the first to depart, then followed by the Elizabeth Mikoshi and the Kanamara Mikoshi.
The precession includes musical performances by taiko drummers as well as dancers doing the hula.
Kanayama Shrine
This shrine is located on the grounds of the Shinto temple Wakamiya Hachimangu. It was constructed to honor two Shinto deities: Kanayama Hikonokami and Kanayama Himenokami. These two are so special because according to Japanese folklore, they aided the wounded Izanami after she gave birth to the God of Fire (ouch!). They were thereafter known as the deities of childbirth and lower abdomen health. Eventually their roles transformed into protectors of venereal diseases and the safe keepers of marriages. Additionally they became the gods of bellows, which are used by blacksmiths to fan fire.
Next to the shrine is a phallic statue donated by a steel company in 1995. Thanks to this monument, no one is forced to wait for Kanamara Matsuri to pray to the gods.
Activities
One can partake in a wide variety of eccentric activities during Kanamara Matsuri.
Feeling hungry? Eat a penis or vagina shaped treat.
Penis Talk: East vs. West
Are the Japanese penis-obsessed? Are we uptight prudes? There does not seem to be a solid answer to either of these questions. While many Japanese people and visiting foreigners happily embrace Kanamara Matsuri, there are in fact citizens that refuse to openly recognize the festival's existence. Even with acknowledgment, they sometimes attempt to assure those who are curious that the festival was created for foreigners.
But what about the United States? Why do we not have a festival to celebrate the male sex organ? Here are just a few possible reasons in which I've been able to brain storm:
1. Japan > the U.S. (they do, after all, have square watermelon!)
2. Our culture is influenced by different religious views on human sexuality
I'd also like to point out that Kanamara Matsuri does not exclude any demographic from its celebrations. Meanwhile, talking about male genitalia seems to only be acceptable in private groups of young males (my male roommates, for example, are part of this little club).
One safe way to answer these questions is to simply acknowledge and value the cultural differences between Japan and the United States. We might as well accept the fact that we will not have commercials like this in the U.S. anytime soon.
After the parade ends, there is a 餅投げ event. The staffs there throw some mochis towards the crowds ..who is able to get the mochi will be blessed. However, I failed to get the mochi..
This is a very special festival in Japan. I think you should visit it if you have a chance :)
Actually, two things. Penis festivals and vagina festivals.
Since more than 1,500 years ago, the population of Japan has conducted spring ritual that is unique, the festival of penis and vagina. Cultural tradition rooted in agriculture is a sense of gratitude for a successful crop and livestock produce many offspring.
The festival is able to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
Through this annual festival is the Japanese government hopes to increase awareness of families with children by helping to ease the burden of raising children. The Japanese government offered a monthly stipend of U.S. $ 280 per child after the country’s lowest population growth in the sunrise.
It may sound like a sophomoric gag. But these are folk rites going back at least 1,500 years, into Japan's agricultural past. They're held to ensure a good harvest and promote baby-making.
Maybe they should hold more such festivals. Japan has one of the world's lowest birthrates (1.37 children per woman), which experts blame on stagnant incomes and changing gender relations.
The center-left government that came to power last year hopes to make child-rearing more affordable with a $280 monthly stipend per kid.
Meanwhile, the festivals provide an economic shot in the arm for host cities, a party for foreign tourists and expats, and a chance for locals to let loose, too.
The original name of this festival is 豊年祭(hounen matsuri) , but it is often called チンコ祭 (chinko matsuri),which means penis festival. It is held in Aichi prefecture every year at 15March. Please don't have a weird image about this festival when you see its name!When I told a friend about this festival,he asked me,"does everyone has to show his penis during the festival?!" Of course no!! It's just a traditional festival in Japan which Japanese pray so they can have children and also blessing for the family .. You can see many parents bring their children to that festival..just like any other ordinary festivals in Japan.
One of the best-known penis festivals is at Komaki City's Tagata shrine, about 45 minutes outside Nagoya, every March 15. In a neighboring village, a vagina festival is held the Sunday before that. This year, that was the 14th — meaning rare, back-to-back genital worship days.
At the Hime-no-miya grand vagina festival, parents dress up their kids, pray for healthy babies, and celebrate with sake, beer and snacks galore.
In the morning, children carry a small vagina to the Ogata shrine. Later, some 40 grown men strain under the weight of a massive vagina while carrying it to the shrine in the main parade. They're followed by two smaller vagina litters.
At the end of the day pink and white mochi (glutinous rice ball treats) are hurled into the crowd.
The penis festival the following day drew far more foreign and Japanese tourists — some 100,000, according to a festival brochure. Festival foreplay included much posing with wooden and candy penises. The main event is the parading of a two-foot by six-and-a-half foot long phallus carved from Japanese cypress.
Teams of men strain under the weight, stopping to spin the penis around a few times amid yelling, cheering and jostling. The work is so hard that teams rotate during the one-and-a-half hour procession.
This phallus parade is rooted, says the brochure, in "an ancient Japanese belief that for the growth and development of all things, the mother, earth, has to be impregnated by the father, heaven."
"People come here when they want to have a baby," said festival volunteer and Komaki resident Katsuragawa Noboru. "If it works, they have to come back the next year to thank the gods."
It worked for Katsuragawa, twice: He has a son and a daughter now, he said with a laugh.
Lucy Glasspool, who researches gender and pop culture as a visiting scholar in Nagoya, was helping out at the information booth. It was her first penis festival.
"I heard about this a long time ago and I'm not sure I believed it," she said. "But now I'm here and it's everything I thought it would be. I highly recommend the penis-shaped candy."
She gave English-language updates on the penis' progress through a microphone, and passed out detailed information in English on the history and significance of the rite. But most Western tourists seemed happy enough just to drink beer and make endless penis jokes.
Vendors sell penis- and vagina-shaped candies and chocolate-covered bananas, wood penis sculptures and penis earrings, adding to the mirth. Eavesdropping was a riot.
Said one American woman into a cell phone, in a southern twang: "We just found an ashtray that's in the shape of a vagina that you need to buy."
"It's smaller than last year's," one jaded female expat loudly complained, as the phallus approached.
One American woman, reviewing a photo of her friends posing with penis-candy-sucking Japanese, said, "Oh my God. This one is so going on Facebook."
Ok,after some introduction..let's look at the pictures!!
Remember: It takes ALL KINDS to make a world!
Today's lesson is about Japan.
Why Japan?
Because - as everyone might want to know - today is "National Penis Day" in Japan !
Tagata Shirine - the shrine where this festival is held.
This huge thing is being worshipped inside the shrine...
An uncle is selling wooden crafted souvenirs.. seems like nobody wanted to buy...
We are measuring the size of its head.
She is a bit shy...
This rock looks marvellous!!
It is well crafted I think ...what do u think?
So many people there!
We are choosing some souvenirs.. I have bought a sake bottle set.
Nice?
The parade starts...wow...finally it comes!!
Another one is coming..hehe..
It is 2m long...
Nowadays, the festival focuses on the more general theme of sexual safety and sex worker safety. The festival is also used to raise money for HIV/AIDS research. Causes we all can get *ahem* behind.
Photos: Tourists pose with a large wooden phallus as part of the annual Utamaro Festival April 3, 2005 in Kawasaki, Japan. The Utamaro Festival is traditionally held when the cherry blossoms bloom in Kawasaki since the Edo era, 1630 to 1867, when people can seek to be blessed with children and for a good relationship between husband and wife.Origins
This Shinto festival is not terribly ancient: it began sometime during the Edo period (1603-1867). It is based on a legend in which a sharp-toothed demon fell in love with a young woman and soon thereafter inhabited her vagina. Marriage after marriage, the demon would bite off the penises that dared to enter his residence. After one too many severed penises, the village blacksmith solved this annoyance by forging a steel phallus. The demon's teeth were broken upon insertion of this metallic object. Sometime thereafter this heroic conquering was officially recognized via annual celebration. Prostitutes would arrive at the local Shinto shrine to pray for security against venereal diseases.
Influence of Legend in the U.S.
The tale of a penis-biting demon is not exclusive to Japan; other cultures have had stories warning of the vagina dentata. For example, the U.S. film Teeth was released in 2007 depicting a modern teenager suffering from this ailment (her suitors undergo the true suffering, in my opinion). The official trailor can be viewed here.
The legendary vagina dentata is also referenced in Clerks 2, a more popular U.S. film. In one scene a character mentions to his coworker that his girlfriend has a "pussy troll" named Pillow Pants. This particular scene can be viewed here (I highly recommend using headphones if you are watching this clip in a public place).
Perhaps this illustrates vagina dentata (this is actually the sarlacc from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, but I'm sure you get the picture)
Precession
Three portable shrines, or mikoshi, are donated to the Wakamiya Hachimangu temple to transport three different phalli. First there is the traditional mikoshi, called the Kanamara Mikoshi. Then there is the boat-shaped Kanamara-bune Mikoshi. The third is called the Elizabeth Mikoshi, which is easily recognizable due to its bright pink color and also because it is carried by transgender Japanese citizens. The head priest of the temple "transfers" the gods from the Kanayama Shrine to the portable shrine. Then it is the time to offer prayers to this god while being blessed by the head priest's sacred sakaki branch. Soon afterwards the three mikoshi are paraded around town crowded with spectators. The Kanamara-bune Mikoshi is the first to depart, then followed by the Elizabeth Mikoshi and the Kanamara Mikoshi.
The precession includes musical performances by taiko drummers as well as dancers doing the hula.
Kanayama ShrineThis shrine is located on the grounds of the Shinto temple Wakamiya Hachimangu. It was constructed to honor two Shinto deities: Kanayama Hikonokami and Kanayama Himenokami. These two are so special because according to Japanese folklore, they aided the wounded Izanami after she gave birth to the God of Fire (ouch!). They were thereafter known as the deities of childbirth and lower abdomen health. Eventually their roles transformed into protectors of venereal diseases and the safe keepers of marriages. Additionally they became the gods of bellows, which are used by blacksmiths to fan fire.
Next to the shrine is a phallic statue donated by a steel company in 1995. Thanks to this monument, no one is forced to wait for Kanamara Matsuri to pray to the gods.Activities
One can partake in a wide variety of eccentric activities during Kanamara Matsuri.
Feeling hungry? Eat a penis or vagina shaped treat.
Penis Talk: East vs. West
Are the Japanese penis-obsessed? Are we uptight prudes? There does not seem to be a solid answer to either of these questions. While many Japanese people and visiting foreigners happily embrace Kanamara Matsuri, there are in fact citizens that refuse to openly recognize the festival's existence. Even with acknowledgment, they sometimes attempt to assure those who are curious that the festival was created for foreigners.
But what about the United States? Why do we not have a festival to celebrate the male sex organ? Here are just a few possible reasons in which I've been able to brain storm:
1. Japan > the U.S. (they do, after all, have square watermelon!)
2. Our culture is influenced by different religious views on human sexuality
I'd also like to point out that Kanamara Matsuri does not exclude any demographic from its celebrations. Meanwhile, talking about male genitalia seems to only be acceptable in private groups of young males (my male roommates, for example, are part of this little club).
One safe way to answer these questions is to simply acknowledge and value the cultural differences between Japan and the United States. We might as well accept the fact that we will not have commercials like this in the U.S. anytime soon.
After the parade ends, there is a 餅投げ event. The staffs there throw some mochis towards the crowds ..who is able to get the mochi will be blessed. However, I failed to get the mochi..
This is a very special festival in Japan. I think you should visit it if you have a chance :)
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