In Japan the traditional
can coexist with the modern in the most astonishing ways. In the city
of Kawasaki the most unusual religious procession that we've ever
participated in takes place. Once a year the devotees of the local
Shinto shrine carry on their shoulders its sacred objects, which are
... hmmm... three large phalluses.
The most remarkable is the big
pink one...
though the most venerated is a meter long 'Kanmara-Sama'
(literally 'Iron Big Penis Lord').
Although, it all looks surreal, it
is really happening and there is seriously a religious context to it.
To understand better what's going on, a short introduction to
Japanese religious beliefs is necessary. Most of the Japanese declare
themselves to practice Shinto and Buddhism at the same time. Buddhism
does not require much explanation, though what is important to know
in the Japanese context is that Buddhism is an 'imported' religion.
For a long time it was practiced by higher classes of the society.
Shinto (literally – The way of Gods) is a Japanese traditional and
indigenous religion (or rather system of beliefs). Shinto for
centuries has been practiced by ordinary Japanese. Using European
vocabulary, we could describe Shinto as pagan - there are many
deities that are worshiped, some of them have human features, some
others are just pure forces of nature, actually almost anything can
have devine powers - even the penis. Shinto is not institutionalised
and there are no formal rituals to become part of it (like Baptism in
Christianity). The main Shinto ritual is 'matsuri' - the local
festival where the sacred object/the shrine is taken away from the
temple and carried around the streets once a year. Everyone can take
part in it.
Looks like super Mario was there :)
The holy thing passes through 'Torii' the gate of the shrine.
In front of the shrine the rituals take place
The prayers to the holy thing are made
There are several legends
why the penis is worshiped. One says that local prostitutes prayed to
it to seek protection from the sexually transmitted diseases. The
other, more colorful one, has it that a demon got infatuated with a
local girl. He was rejected by her and when he found out that she was
going to get married he secretly crawled into her. On the night of
the wedding when the groom tried to perform his marital duties a
shocking surprise waited for him - the demon's sharp teeth bit off
... you know what. The girl got married again and the horror story
repeated itself. The villagers gathered for a meeting and decided
that enough is enough – something needs to be done. A local
blacksmith came up with a brilliant idea – he would cast an iron
phallus. The iron thing was made and tested, the demon broke its
teeth on it, the girl got freed, married the blacksmith and they
lived happily ever after. And the object that chased the demon away
has been enshrined and venerated ever since. It is our suspicion
though that as the time went by, the liberating phallus has grown a
little bit, too :). Or maybe in this photo you can catch a glimpse of the original one :)
These days the festival became a tourist
attraction and part of the revenue brought in by tourists (especially from sale of various gimmicks) is used to
finance HIV research,
so in a way, the big penis indeed contributes
to protecting us from venereal diseases.
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