Kanamara Matsuri

Kanamara Matsuri is held the first Sunday in April in Kawasaki, Japan during the cherry blossom season. It has its roots in the Edo period of Japan in the early 1600's. Kawasaki was a stop for travellers who were close to the capital and to completing their journey. Many tea houses were available for the weary travellers and the girls who served the tea often did not limit their service to tea. The ladies started to go to the Shinto shrine to pray for protection from sexually transmitted diseases. It eventually became the Kanamara Matsuri. It is the Festival of the Steel Phallus. There is a story that goes with the festival about the daughter of an innkeeper. She was about to be married when an evil demon heard the news. He decided to ruin things by crawling into her lady parts. The terrified girl stay silent and on her wedding night when her husband attempted to consummate the marriage the demon decided to snack on his penis. This happened again later to another suitor of hers. An wise blacksmith stepped in and cast an iron penis. The demon thinking he had another victim bit down sharply only to find the penis was made of iron. The demon fled and all lived happily ever after. What would the story of a festival be without a few pictures.

She seems happy to be riding the big woodie.