 Image search results - "tagata" |
Way to Tagata Shrine from Tagata Jinja-mae Station. Shrine famous for numerous phallic objects used as offerings to the gods. The 1500-year-old shrine worships a deity called Tamahime-no-Mikoto who was a daughter of a powerful local lord from the 5th c.The Honen-sai or Honen (Hounen) Matsuri is held by Tagata Jinja on March 15 to pray for an abundant harvest. "Honen" literally means "Year of abudant harvest." Since a giant penis is used as an offering, it is popularly called the "penis festival."
The shrine is near Tagata Jinja-mae Station on the Meitetsu Railways' Komaki Line. From Shin-Nagoya Station or Shin-Gifu Station, go to Inuyama Station and transfer to the Komaki Line.
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Tagata Jinja-mae Station on Meitetsu Railways' Komaki Line, a few stops from Inuyama Station. The shrine is a 10 min. walk from the train station.
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Festival spectators come by the busload, including people from US military bases such as Yokota.
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Tagata Shrine torii and entrance 田縣神社
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Entering Tagata Shrine, dedicated to Tamahime-no-Mikoto (daughter of a local feudal lord) and Mitoshi-no-Kami (deity of harvests).
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Tagata Shrine stone marker
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Various entertainment is staged within Tagata Shrine up until the procession starts at 2 pm.
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Mikuji paper fortunes for love and romance, marriage, and childbirth.
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Schedule of events and procession route. In odd-numbered years (like 2007), the procession starts from nearby Kumano-sha Shrine. In even-numbered years, the procession starts from Shinmei-sha Shrine.
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Tagata Shrine Honden main hall. Komaki, Aichi Pref.
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People line up to rub the sacred balls. Penis rock in the foreground.
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Tagata Shrine Honden main hall which worships shrine worships a deity called Tamahime-no-Mikoto who was a daughter of a powerful local lord from the 5th century.
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Sacred Balls. Put in money and rub the left and right ball for family safety, business prosperity, safe childbirth, etc. 珍宝窟
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Torii to Oku-no-miya Shrine, next to the Honden main hall.
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Stones and Oku-no-miya Shrine
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This is what you see inside Oku-no-miya Shrine. A giant wooden phallus offering.
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Oku-no-miya Shrine also has many other phallic objects presented as offerings. There even one which you can touch...
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Apparently it can become erect too. (Compare with previous photo.)
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Phallic objects
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Note that the phallus is not the object of worship. It is an offering to the god.
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Votice tablets written with people's wishes for love, sex, and babies.
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Place to rub the sacred balls. 珍宝窟
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Rub the two balls.
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Put in money and it will make a "chin" sound. (From the word "chinpo" for penis.)
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Phallic fence posts.
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Phallic rock. There are several phallic rocks donated by various people. Apparently they are either natural or carved.
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Best-looking phallic rock.
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Female and male rocks.
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Behind the rocks are two trees bonded together.
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Another pair of trees bonded together.
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And another...
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Worst-looking phallic rock. That's stretching the imagination a little too much.
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Votice tablet with illustration of the Honen Festival.
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Phallic souvenirs.
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Portable shrine for Takeinadane-no-Mikoto
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The route is short, but it's a slow procession with many short breaks. The procession lasts 1.5 hours.
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Takeinadane-no-Mikoto
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The first half of the route is quite narrow.
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Sake cart
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Salt sprinkler heads the procession to purify the way.
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Sarutahiko-no-Okami, the deity who led the descent of Amaterasu (Sun Goddess) from heaven to earth.
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Branches of the sacred sakaki tree.
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Not sure what this is.
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Drum
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Finally on the main road to Tagata Shrine. Half the road is blocked off for the procession.
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On the main road.
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By this time, all the men are filled with sake and gregarious.
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Entrance to Tagata Shrine crowded with people waiting for the procession to arrive.
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Tagata Shrine crowded with people waiting for the procession to arrive.
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Tagata Shrine crowded with people waiting for the procession to arrive.
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Salt sprinkler enters first.
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Sarutahiko-no-Okami
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The standard-bearer with a banner of shunga-style penis painting.
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Banner of shunga-style penis painting.
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Women spectators touch the penis for good fortune and to become fertile perhaps?
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The phallus is a symbol for themes of fertility.
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Palanquin for Deity of Harvests
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The giant penis also arrives at the shrine as it spins around behind the
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Giant phallus makes its way to the shrine.
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The giant phallus in front Tagata Shrine's Honden main hall.
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Portable shrine for Takeinadane-no-Mikoto
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Portable shrine for Takeinadane-no-Mikoto enters the Honden main hall.
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Now comes the giant phallus heading for the shrine's main hall.
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Penetration successful. This is 3:30 pm.
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Carried by men singing kiyari laborers' songs, the smaller wooden phallus also goes to enter the shrine's main hall.
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Installed inside the shrine's Honden main hall, the new giant penis will replace the old one.
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Tagata Shrine grounds during the Honen Festival.
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Tagata Jinja banners.
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Ema votive tablet with giant penis portable shrine. 500 yen.
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At 4 pm, the festival's final event is the mochi-nage or rice-cake tossing. First, they warn eveyone that the shrine won't be liable for any injury you might incur from this. And the elderly and children should avoid this mochi-nage.
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A large crowd tries to catch numerous mochi which are hard and can be dangerous if it hits you on the face or head. To avoid injury, do not look down and don't try to pick up mochi on the ground. You can get trampled, and most injuries occur this way.
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Pregnant women also attend the festival. As well as mothers with a young baby coming to give thanks.
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The usual penis souvenirs on sale.
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Sake flask
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Demure-looking woman figurine looks deceiving until you look at the bottom...
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The bottom of the woman figurine. Naughty, naughty...
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Senbei crackers
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Lollipops
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