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The Tochio Penis Festival
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| Janette, Sachi, Megan and Kirsten riding the Hodare. |
Every winter in the small town of Tochio, about 30 minutes away from my city of Nagaoka, they have a Shinto festival for fertility called the "Hodare" festival. "Hodare" in English literally means "penis," so intrigued foreigners for miles around come to Tochio to experience something that would never, ever happen at home: A penis festival.
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To see photos and video from the festival, go to the
Tochio Hodare website by clicking on the photo above.
The site is in Japanese, so have fun! What happens at the Tochio Hodare Festival? The Tochio Hodare website explains the festival as follows:
"Hodare in English is "male genitals", but if the character HODARE are used, the meaning then becomes "the ripening of rice plants". HODARE festival is a very unique festival in Japan. It is held every year at Shimoraiden on the second Sunday of March. Shimoraiden is a village of Tochio City. Originally, the main symbol of the HODARE festival - a wooden PENIS, 2.2m in length, and weighting 600kg - was made of wood. This symbol had special religious significance for many people who believed that praying to or touching the symbol would ensure a good marriage, fertility, or good fortune. Today, it is the biggest of its kind in Japan. "
At the festival, women who have been recently married are blessed by a Shinto priest. Then, a group of men move the wooden penis out of its shrine and put it on a frame. The women climb on the penis and ride it (to put in a Texan comparison) like a cowboy riding a bull.
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