Kanamara Matsuri, commonly referred to as the "Iron Penis Festival," is an annual event held in Kawasaki, Japan, typically on the first Sunday of April. The legend behind Kanamara Matsuri tells the tale of a young woman who fell victim to a jealous demon's curse. The demon, driven by envy, chose to hide within her vagina, armed with razor-sharp teeth. The demon bit off the penises of men she tried to have sex with.
In an act of desperation, the woman sought assistance from a skilled blacksmith who crafted an iron phallus to outwit the demon. As the demon attempted to bite down on the steel phallus, its teeth shattered, forcing it to abandon the woman's body. Consequently, the iron phallus triumphed over the demon, liberating the woman and allowing her to lead a normal life.
The festival commemorates this legend and celebrates fertility, love, and marital happiness. The centerpiece of the event is the Mikoshi parade, which features three large phallic-shaped shrines carried through the streets. The three portable shrines represent different aspects of the celebration: one is a black iron phallus, one is a wooden phallus, and the third is a pink phallus.
But there is one penis that's unwelcome in the celebration, an unofficial mascot in the form of a man dressed in a penis costume.
The Kanayma Shrines, which oversee the festival, have expressed their dislike for the man in the phallic costume:
As of March 2023, there is no official mascot character for the Kanamara Festival. The kigurumi called "Gachachin," which is treated as official on the Internet, has never been officially recognized by our company. The creator of the kigurumi performed without permission and then took it off and threw it away, so the shrine discarded it. (Deepl translation)
Dude, stop being a dick.
