Evaluating fertility "penis" festivals in Japan

You could have heard of Japan’s so-called “penis” festivals (sure, plural) – essentially the most well-known being the Kanamara Matsuri, visitable simply from Tokyo. However what are these really about?

Attending festivals (祭り, matsuri) is a nice method to make use of your Japanese language expertise and take part within the tradition. I visited two throughout my years dwelling in Japan: the Kanamara Matsuri in Larger Tokyo and Honen Matsuri in Larger Nagoya. On this article, I’m going to inform you all about these two festivals, what occurs, and consider which one I want. (Needless to say particulars are all the time topic to vary.)

Earlier than I’m going into this subject an excessive amount of, in Japan, these occasions are literally thought-about to be family-friendly. They’re fertility festivals, not “Japanese intercourse festivals.” However remember that there are some reasonably express photographs beneath.

Additionally, right here is the vocabulary I’ll go over on this article:

Japanese	Romaji	English
祭り	matsuri	pageant
神道	Shintou	Shintoism
仏教	Bukkyou	Buddhism
神社	jinja	shrine
お寺	o-tera	temple
草食	soushoku	grass-eating (referring to a inhabitants passive about intercourse)
お神輿	o-mikoshi	moveable shrine
絵馬	ema	wood prayer tablets
朱印	shuin	commemorative stamp from a shrine/temple
餅	mochi	rice cake
大根	daikon	a big Japanese radish

The place to Attend a Penis Pageant in Japan

So first off, let’s go over what Japanese cities have a penis pageant.

The Kanamara Matsuri takes place in Kawasaki (川崎市, Kawasaki-shi), the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture (神奈川県, Kanagawa-ken), which is nearly half-hour outdoors downtown Tokyo. Particularly, it takes place at Kanayama Shrine (金山神社, Kanayama Jinja). This one is the extra well-known one, most likely on account of its proximity to Tokyo and Yokohama, the 2 greatest cities in Japan.

The Honen Matsuri takes place within the city of Komaki (小牧市) due north of Nagoya (名古屋). You’ll go to Tagata Shrine (田縣神社, Tagata Jinja) for this one. However don’t be fooled – that is additionally a really well-attended pageant! Additionally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend you additionally go to Ogata Shrine (大縣神社, Oogata Jinja), a “Vulva Shrine,” whilst you’re within the space.

When to Attend the Penis Festivals in Japan

So, when is the penis pageant in Japan?

The 2 are literally solely separated by a few weeks. The Kanamara Matsuri takes place on the primary Sunday of April every year, and the Honen Matsuri happens on March 15. Technically they’re each related in origin – fertility festivals, so it’s no coincidence that they each happen firstly of spring.

Truly, there are a couple of extra fertility festivals in Japan, however these are the 2 most important ones.

The Language of These Two Fertility Festivals in Japan

Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り, Kanamara Matsuri) is all the time written in hiragana, certainly one of Japanese’s phonetic alphabets, so with out the kanji it’s a bit troublesome to make certain in regards to the etymology of the identify. Kana presumably comes from a studying of 金, which suggests “gold.” Mara may come from the Buddhist time period of the identical pronunciation 魔羅, which suggests an “impediment to Buddhist follow.” That is really a vulgar slang time period for “penis.”

On the flip aspect, the Honen Matsuri (豊年祭, Hounen Matsuri or additionally Hounen-sai) is written in kanji, so the which means is obvious. It actually means “bountiful yr pageant.”

As you may see, simply by trying on the names, the vibes for the 2 festivals–as scandalous as we foreigners (and plenty of Japanese as properly these days) may even see them to be–appear to be fairly completely different.

Earlier than I’m going into the meat of this put up, I actually do want to provide a brief briefing about what is taken into account “scandalous” and “erotic” and “regular” within the Japanese context. We actually want to have a look at pre-Westernized Japan to place this into context. That’s up subsequent!

What’s a Japanese Fertility Pageant?

A Japanese fertility pageant is a standard Shinto celebration that honors fertility, copy, and abundance. They sometimes characteristic parades with phallic symbols (Japan’s patriarchal tradition signifies that you’ll have grand penis festivals reasonably than vulva festivals), shrine rituals, and varied actions aimed toward selling good harvests and wholesome offspring.

Now, I wish to offer you a little bit of historic and cultural context. Earlier than the mid-1800s, when the US compelled Japan to have interaction with the skin world after over 200 years of just about complete isolation, Japan was comparatively fairly sex-positive – no less than compared to many of the Victorian-Period West.

Now, each of those festivals pertain to Shintoism (神道, Shintou), Japan’s native faith. By the way in which, we simply know this as a result of shrines (神社, jinja) are Shinto, and temples (お寺, o-tera) are Buddhist (仏教, Bukkyou). Shinto particularly was fairly open about sexuality and letting the inhabitants develop and be free and one with one another.

So in a lot of Japanese society, intercourse and sexuality was thought-about simply one other aspect of life. This openness was particularly prevalent in smaller villages, which is the place a few of these festivals and shrines originate.

There isn’t any denying that may be a clear paradox in trendy Japanese attitudes in the direction of sexuality. Japan’s intercourse trade aimed toward males is extremely worthwhile and receives worldwide consideration. Then again, the federal government is careworn about Japan’s quickly declining inhabitants and there’s a outstanding so-called “grass-eating” (草食, soushoku) male (and feminine) inhabitants disillusioned with and disinterested in intercourse.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that that is all, within the historical past of the traditional nation, a really current phenomenon and that the origins of those two festivals predate all of this.

Now, for the true crux of this put up: Which penis pageant is best?

What Occurs at a Japanese Penis Pageant?

The primary occasion at each the Kanamara Matsuri and the Honen Matsuri is the parade of the enormous penis.

The Honen Matsuri parade takes place alongside a sure pure setting resulting in shrine grounds (though the trail of the parade adjustments relying on whether it is an odd- or even-numbered yr). The trail is lengthy with ample open house for folks to assemble and watch the procession, which incorporates some shrine staff displaying very detailed penis flags, shrine maidens carrying wood penises the scale of infants (much more fortune to you when you get to rub these), and the primary hauling of the enormous, amazingly detailed wood phallus on a transportable shrine (お神輿, o-mikoshi). As soon as the penis is safely at its supposed vacation spot, jolly staff hand out free cups of sake.

On the Kanamara Matsuri, the parade strikes three phallic floats. Sadly, I missed the precise parade for Kanamara as a result of I used to be ready in a line for my good friend to get a collectible shrine stamp (朱印, shuin). By the point it began, I had additionally distracted myself with carving a penis into a big radish (extra on that beneath).

The Grounds of the Penis Festivals

Truthfully, the Honen Matsuri is best in these regards. Because it takes place in a small city proper outdoors a significant hub, there may be loads of house to maneuver round. The shrine itself is fairly small, and also you undoubtedly must get there early with a view to pat the penis and rub the balls on the most important shrine, nevertheless it has ample house.

Plus, the shrine itself isn’t gated, so it’s a very free, open house. The primary parade (described beneath) takes place in an open space lined with timber and grass, and whilst you might need to elbow a couple of folks, you will get viewing spot.

Then again, the Kanamara Matsuri tends to be densely packed. The shrine is tiny and gated, which means it is advisable to line as much as see a lot of it. Once I went, it merely had no house, and staff had been roping off areas to restrict the variety of folks visiting completely different sections of the shrine. I gave up shopping for souvenirs as a result of the traces had been continually so lengthy.

Positive, being proper outdoors touristy Tokyo makes it handy, however it’s troublesome and admittedly a bit hectic to maneuver round. Anticipate considerably longer traces to see facets of the shrine and festivities and to purchase souvenirs at Kanamara Matsuri.

What to Purchase on the Penis Festivals

Once more, I believe the Honen Matsuri does higher than the Kanamara Matsuri on this regard. For the Honen Matsuri, distributors greet you on the station and are dotted alongside the trail to the pageant space, at which rows and rows of stalls promoting meals and knick-knacks are lined up. You should purchase phallus-carved sticks, statuettes of women and men with ahem a shock to be revealed once you flip them over and look below their robes, and extra.

Eat your choco-banana with the tip barely carved and little cookie balls caught on the underside, your “grilled valuable treasure” (their particular time period for a scorching canine), and penis- (and some vagina-) formed arduous candies:

On the Kanamara Matsuri, the distributors had been few. Just one was promoting phallic-shaped arduous sweet, and there have been solely about 5 different tents throughout the grounds promoting something.

What Do the Penis Festivals Look Like?

Once more, I want the Honen Matsuri over the Kanamara Matsuri when it comes to ornament. It’s very in-your-face that it’s a fertility shrine as a result of totally it’s embellished with penises of all sizes. They show the phallus o-mikoshi earlier than the parade. As well as, there may be one other smaller (however nonetheless massive) phallus statue and a few massive stone balls which can be mentioned to deliver you good luck when you rub them.

The shrine has a humorousness. Even the ema (絵馬) – embellished wood boards on which you write a want – are ostentatiously true to the theme:

In distinction, the Kanamara Matsuri was a lot much less daring. You possibly can see their bubblegum-pink penis on the float on the shrine grounds. And actually, in comparison with the Honen Matsuri’s float, it’s a bit missing in particulars. However in any other case, the shrine is surprisingly nearly genital-free.

Their construction to hold the ema had a couple of penises protruding from below the eaves, however the ema had been much less daring:

Nevertheless, I did see the basic “see no evil, hear no evil, communicate no evil” monkey trio with two additions: “transmit no evil” and “obtain no evil” (referring to STIs), which was a pleasant contact.

Further Actions and Occasions on the Japanese Penis Festivals

As you might be able to inform, I used to be getting fairly annoyed on the Kanamara Matsuri once I went. However the pageant actually shone on this remaining analysis.

Moreover consuming and watching the parade, the ultimate most important occasion of the Honen Matsuri was the annual mochi (餅, rice cake) throwing. As Wikipedia describes it, “Everybody then gathers within the sq. outdoors Tagata Jinja and waits for the mochi nage, at which period the group is showered with small rice muffins that are thrown down by the officers from raised platforms.” As I describe it: A horde of individuals desperately push and shove one another to get a brick of arduous, dried mochi, that are dangerously pelted from meters (or yards, whichever you favor) above you. You possibly can’t escape when you’re corralled within the mochi throwing ring, and when you’re not aggressive or sufficiently big, good luck getting your arms on one. It was actually scary and never value it for my part.

Then again, on the Kanamara Matsuri, there was slightly previous girl who made my day. She was sitting with an enormous pile of daikon (大根, massive Japanese radishes) carving them into – you guessed it – penises. And whereas I can’t assure that she is there yearly, she informed me she’s been doing this for 30 years.

I had simply occurred to return throughout her whereas ready for my good friend to get ever nearer within the shuin line, and I assumed you needed to wait in a big line or pay some price to make a carving, or that possibly she carved them for you. Nicely was I fallacious, as a result of she shouted out to me to carve one at no cost. She not solely requested, however she actually pushed that anybody round her little territory carve one, as she shouted out time after time at startled Japanese and foreigners in an enthusiastic mixture of damaged English and Japanese that “this isn’t simply an occasion to observe–you need to take part!” Bless.

I made a decision to provide it a go and waited for a couple of phrases of instruction. Nevertheless, it appears to be towards each fiber of her being to provide directions concerning how one can carve a penis from a radish.

“The place do I lower it from?” I requested of the radish prime. “Wherever you want,” she mentioned with a wink. (Later she took the inexperienced tops and introduced that they appear like pubes, demonstrating how proper she was by sticking the radish tops and placing them over her crotch space. Bless her once more.)

Her solely recommendation? I’ll quote immediately what she mentioned to a few foreign-looking girls as they took up their radishes after me: “You! Boyfriend!” [Commence a lot of hand whirling and swirling above the head to convey “use your imagination/memory.”]

*Me with my completed carving. FYI, she steered this pose.*

What occurs to the daikon after they’re carved, it’s possible you’ll be questioning? “We are going to take this pile and provide them to the primary shrine,” she defined. “Then they may flip into gods!”