35°32′04″N 139°43′29″E / 35.53444°N 139.72472°E
| Kanamara Matsuri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observed by | Kanayama shrine, Kawasaki, Japan |
| Type | Religious |
| Date | First Sunday in April |
| 2023 date | April 2 |
| 2024 date | April 7 |
| 2025 date | April 6 |
| 2026 date | April 5 |
| Frequency | annual |
The Shinto Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り, "Festival of the Steel Phallus") is an annual Japanese festival held each spring at the Kanayama Shrine (金山神社, Kanayama-jinja) in Kawasaki, Japan. The exact dates vary: the main festivities fall on the first Sunday in April. The phallus, as the central theme of the event, is reflected in illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decorations, and a mikoshi parade.[1][2][3][4][5] The shrine is part of the Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine[6] and located near Kawasaki-Daishi Station.
The Kanamara Matsuri is centered on the Kanayama Shrine where the god Kanayama-hiko and the goddess Kanayama-hime are venerated. They are both gods of blacksmithing, metalsmithing, and metal works, and are also prayed to for easy childbirth, marital harmony, and protection from sexually transmitted infections.[6][7]
The festival started in 1969.[8] Today, it has become something of a tourist attraction and is used to raise money for HIV research.[9]
- ^ "Dammit, we missed The Festival of the Steel Phallus in Japan this weekend – Cosmopolitan". cosmopolitan.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ Dominique Mosbergen (7 April 2014). "Japan's Annual Penis Festival Is As Phallic As You'd Expect". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ Times Live. "Japanese festival celebrates the penis". timeslive.co.za. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "The World Today Archive – Japan's Festival of the Steel Phallus". abc.net.au. 2001-04-02. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "BBC – Travel – Slideshow – Ten events not to miss in April". Archived from the original on 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ a b "神奈川県神社庁／神社検索／若宮八幡宮". www.kanagawa-jinja.or.jp. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ "金山神社". jinjajin.jp. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
- ^ 世界も驚くニッポン旅行100: テーマでめぐる!47都道府県ローカル旅 PHP研究所, Jul 4, 2013
- ^ "Kanamara-Matsuri | World's weirdest festivals". Herald Sun.