updated :Not for pulic, Kanamara Penis (Utamaro) Festival 2020
Announcement about scale-down of Kanamara Festival 2020
Kanayama shrine , the organizer of Kanayama (Utamaro) Fesitival, announced that the scale down of kanamara festival 2020 and no showing performance for tourist, over concern about the COVID-19 pandemic, on their twitter account.
This year, penis mikoshi parades , the performing, nor penis ravish carving will not be conducted. All event for tourist is not held. Few ritual service will be coundcted, but it is not for public nor tourist. It is only for few ritual people.
Kanayama shirine and Wakamiya Hachimangu shrine follow Japanese govenmental policy for COVID-19.
As local activity organizer around Kawasaki Daishi area, we KD tour also hope coronavirus will end soon, and hope Kanayama shirine would hold Kanamara matsuri on 2021.
If you have question, please leave message on this article.
Written by Mikiho(KD tour), 19th, March, 2020
What is Kanamara Maturi?
It is the most famous and most attractive event in KD area. It is translated " Festival" but it is a religious service.
The Shinto Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り, "Festival of the Steel Phallus") is held each the first April at the Kanayama Shrine (金山神社 Kanayama-jinja) in Kawasaki, Japan. The phallus, as the central theme of the event, is reflected in the illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decorations, and a mikoshi parade.
The Kanamara Matsuri is centered on a local penis-venerating shrine. The legend being that a jealous sharp-toothed demon hid inside the vagina of a young woman the demon fell in love with and bit off penises of two young men on their wedding nights. After that the woman sought help from a blacksmith, who fashioned an iron phallus to break the demon's teeth, which led to the enshrinement of the item. This legend in Ainu language was published as "The Island of Women" by Basil Hall Chamberlain
The Kanayama Shrine was popular among prostitutes who wished to pray for protection from sexually transmitted infections.
It is also said the shrine offers divine protections for business prosperity, and for the clan's prosperity; and for easy delivery, marriage, and married-couple harmony.
The festival started in 1969. Today, the festival has become something of a tourist attraction and is used to raise money for HIV research.--via wikipedia(kanamara matsuri)
History of Kawasaki City and Kanamara Festival
Kawasaki city was a post town in Edo-Era(around the 17th Century, Samurai period) who go out and come into Edo. The more population in Japan grows, the more travelers stay in Kawasaki post town, so more more inn opened.Competition between inns increased, some inn engaged in prostitution to attract travelers.
Inn hired women as "meal-serving woman", but in fact they worked as a prostitute. The beginning of the 18th Century, each inn was allowed to have 2 prostitutes by Tokugawa Shogun government.
They are exposed to sexually transmitted diseases(STD). So they visit Kanayama Shrine, that dedicated to a divine couple celebrated as the protectors of blacksmiths and of sexuality, and pray for avoiding STDs and their business success. It is called "Jibeta Festival", roots of Kanamara Festival.
Event timeline of 7th April 2019
It is started from around 10am until 17.
Other Service and item for souvenir
The Bracelet for Kanamara Festival
Goshuin (stamp book)
Candles
Tenugui（cotton hand towel）
Other event around this area at 7th April
If you will be around Tokyo, especially Haneda- Shinagawa, and Yokohama area (including Haneda airport flyover) , and if you want to local traditional customs, you should visit Kawasaki Daishi area.
