Kanamara Matsuri Honors Steel Phallus

Japan's Kanamara Matsuri, or "Festival of the Steel Phallus," takes place each spring at Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki. According to legend, a sharp-toothed demon hid inside a young woman's vagina and castrated two young men on their wedding nights. The woman sought help from a blacksmith, who forged an iron phallus that shattered the demon's teeth. Since 1969, the annual festival has featured phallus-shaped candy, decorations, and portable shrines while raising money for HIV research.

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