The Kanamara Matsuri

The Kanamara Matsuri is also known as Festival of the Steel Phallus. It is, an yearly Shinto fertility festival held in Kawasaki, Japan in spring. The word Shinto ("Way of the Gods") was adopted from 2 Chinese words, meaning gods or spirits and "to" or "do" means study . The exact dates vary: the main festivities is usually on the first Sunday in April. The “penis” is the main theme of this festival that is reflected everywhere including candy, carved vegetables, decorations, a mikoshi parade and in illustrations.

This festival is once popular among prostitutes who wished to pray for protection against sexaully transmitted diseases. But for now, it is said that it also provides protections also in business prosperity and the clan’s prosperity, easy delivery, marriage, and married couple harmony.

There is also a legend of a sharp-toothed demon that hid inside the vagina of a young girl and castrated two young men on their wedding nights with the young girl before a blacksmith fashioned an iron phallus to break the demon's teeth, leading to the enshrinement of the item.
Today, the festival has become somewhat of a tourist attraction and is used to raise money for HIV research.