Kawasaki’s Kanamara Festival Parades Phallic Shrines to Combat Sex Stigma Amid Japan’s Record Low Birthrate

Kawasaki hosts the Kanamara festival to destigmatize sex and celebrate fertility as Japan reports a tenth consecutive year of declining birth rates.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 5, 2026, 7:15 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Straits Times

A Celebration of Fertility and Openness in Kawasaki

The streets of Kawasaki were filled with tourists and families on April 5 as the annual Kanamara festival brought a vivid display of sexual symbols to the public eye. Worshippers carried a trio of large, phallus shaped portable shrines, including a prominent pink version, through cheering crowds in a celebration that blends ancient Shinto tradition with modern social inclusivity. While the imagery is undeniably explicit, the atmosphere was described by international visitors as festive and wholesome, serving as a platform to promote sexual health awareness and protection from infections.

The Iron Dildo and the Teeth of the Demon

According to local lore, the festival’s origins date back to the Edo Period between 1603 and 1868, centering on a blacksmith who forged an iron phallus to defeat a demon. Legend suggests the demon, hiding within a woman’s anatomy, used its teeth to castrate men on their wedding nights until the blacksmith’s creation broke its hold. Today, this mythology is preserved at the Kanayama Shrine, where a one meter black steel phallus stands as a monument to the deities governing fertility and safe childbirth. Over time, the shrine transitioned from a site of pilgrimage for sex workers seeking protection to a broader community landmark.

Wrestling With a Decade of Demographic Decline

The festive spirit of the Kanamara celebration stands in stark contrast to the sobering demographic challenges facing the nation. In February, health ministry data confirmed that the number of births in Japan has fallen for ten consecutive years, with only 705,809 babies born in 2025. This represents a 2.1 percent decrease from the previous year, a figure that includes both citizens and residents living abroad. Chief priest Hiroyuki Nakamura indicated that the festival’s goal is to shift public perception, moving away from the idea that sex is inherently negative or shameful during a period of critical population decline.