‘Tens Of Thousands’ Of People In Japan Flocked To A Penis Festival

I stumbled across this in my Facebook feed– no real political news, but Facebook’s allowing me to see this kind of junk (pun intended)– and I can’t know about it alone.

“Tens of thousands” of people in Japan recently gathered in Kawasaki for their annual penis festival. It’s officially called the Festival of the Steel Phallus. Yes. This is A Thing, and yes. It’s a YEARLY thing.

Also known as the Festival of the Steel Phallus – or Willy Festival – the annual celebration is held on the first Sunday of April at the Kanayama Shrine. Penis-shaped floats are held aloft during the sreet parades while both the young and old enjoy phallus-themed candy, chocolate and lollipops and pose with penis-shaped sculptures.

Visitors also don penis beaks, carry giant penis purses and some even straddle a giant wooden phallus. The festival celebrates fertility and also raises awareness about safe sex practices and funds for HIV charities.

It focuses around a penis-shaped shrine that prostitutes used to pray under to ask for protection against sexually transmitted diseases. A huge iron dildo that sits in the Kanayama shrine is also a big part of the festival.

In case you’re wondering about the festival’s origin:

Its origins can be traced back to Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868), a time when Kawasaki was a bustling trade center with a busy nightlife and the Kanayama Shrine became a place of worship for sex workers needing protection from STDs.

The myth surrounding the festival’s origin takes an allegorical approach, but it doesn’t take too much imagination to discern the moral behind the metaphor. The tale tells the story of a toothed demon who began inhabiting a woman’s vagina after she rejected him to marry another man.

The demon twice bit off the husband’s penis when the newlyweds tried to consummate the marriage, so the woman went to a blacksmith to forge a steel phallus for her husband to break the demon’s teeth, forcing the evil spirit to leave her alone, according to the South China Morning Post.

Alllllllllrighty then.

Here are a few pictures, via Metro UK:

I know. This could EASILY be mistaken for a Women’s March protest. Actually, no. This is what it’d look like if DUDES got together and fought for “penis power.” As you can see, it’s just as skank and gross. Dressing up as vaginas and penises– both are very unbecoming. See? I don’t discriminate.

I really don’t know what to do with this information, other than to say that it’s A Thing that happened. I think it’s gross, but I also think feminists would be totally traumatized by all the phallic symbols, and that amuses me greatly.

Now you know. You’re welcome. Or I’m sorry. Either or.

h/t Metro UK