April 07 / Kanamara Matsuri - A Unique Festival

"Kanamara Matsuri" (かなまら祭り) is a unique festival or Festival of the Steel Phallus being held every year at the Kanayama Jinja 金山神社 ( Jinja means Shrine ) in Kawasaki on the first Sunday in April, or this year it's April 07 today..
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The festival dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867). There is a famous legend among locals that explains the origins of the festival.
Once there was a sharp-toothed demon who fell in love with a beautiful young woman. She wasn’t interested in the demon and when she decided to marry another man, the demon became very jealous. (The phallus, as the central theme of the event, is reflected in illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decorations, and "mikoshi" portable shrines parade)
He inhabited her vagina the night before the wedding. That way the demon bit off her husband's penis.
Everybody in the village was upset and so finally a blacksmith forged a steel phallus. With that they tricked the demon.
His teeth were broken and he left the girl’s vagina. This eventually led to the enshrinement of the iron phallus and the Kanamara Matsuri.
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The Kanayama Jinja 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.
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The festival originally started in 1977. It used to be a small festival, but it has become bigger and more popular.
Today, the festival has become something of a tourist attraction and is used to raise money for *** research.
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Kanayama Shrine is located on the grounds of Wakamiya Hachimangu Temple, near Kawasaki Daishi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa-ken.
The festival is held from 10 am to around 5 pm, however, this festival is getting so incredibly popular these days, it's already packed at 9am. So, it's recommended that you go early and head straight for the lollipops so you can avoid the long queues later.
The stalls remain opened and phallus items are around for more picture taking even after the parade finished.