Kanayama-jinja Shrine, Yokohama

Eastern Japan's most well known shrine dedicated to fertility is Kanayama-jinja. The enshrined deities are Kanamarahime and Kanamarahiko, holy patrons both of reproduction and of blacksmiths. As the area is a center for metal production, workers related to this industry attend annual rituals at the shrine. On the second floor of the shrine office is a collection of fertility artifacts of which the phallus is the prevalent motif—wooden, ceramic, netsuke, stone. On the shrine grounds are also various images of phalli. In April the popular Kanamara festival attracts many visitors. This annual event dates to the Edo period when Kawasaki was a post town, a time when many of the local prostitutes took part. It should be noted that these days the Kanayama festival includes prayers to thwart AIDS. Admission is free

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