KANAMARA MATSURI
2018-2019
Held every year near Tokyo since 1969 the Kanamara Matsuri, or Festival of the Iron Penis, comes from a legendary tale.
The legend says that a demon with razor sharp teeth fell in love with a beautiful young women, and as he was jealous of her lovers he hid in her vagina and cut their penises off.
To get rid of the him, the woman asked a blacksmith to craft an iron penis to break the demon’s teeth. This phallus is now a sacred item (there are three revered phallus actually) displayed during the festival.
The shrine where the festival is held was popular among sex workers and the event helps raising funds against STDs.
Today the attendance is a mix of locals and tourists as the festival grew to become a very popular and fun event.
