Tagata Shrine
Tagata Shrine is a small shrine located in Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, near Nagoya Airfield.
Tagata Shrine is famous for its Harvest Festival Hōnensai, a fertility festival that some foreign tourists have dubbed "penis festival", which is held annually on March 15. The festival has received large amounts of attention.
It is near Ōagata Shrine which has a similar yonic festival the Sunday before this festival.
History
The exact year of foundation for Tagata Shrine is unknown, but it is believed to be over 1500 years old. It is known for combining beliefs related to fertility and agriculture.It is listed as a Myojin Taisha in the Engishiki Jinmyocho.
Harvest festival
Harvest Festival is a fertility festival celebrated every year on March 15 at the shrine. Hōnen means prosperous year in Japanese, implying a rich harvest, while a matsuri is a festival. The Hōnen festival and ceremony celebrate the blessings of a bountiful harvest and all manner of prosperity and fertility.The venerated Shinto deities are Mitoshi and female deity Tamahime. Mitoshi is the son of the Shinto male deity Toshigami or known by local as Ōtoshi and grandson of the Shinto deity Susanoo. Tamahime is a princess and the daughter of Ō'arata, the matriarch of Owari clan of her husband who were blessed with two sons and four daughters. After her husband's death, she returned to his hometown Arata, encouraged to cultivate with the help of her father Ō'arata, honor and achieved his achievements.
In Inuyama City, there is another festival Sunday before at Ōagata Shrine. This festival includes floats shaped like a vulva, which complement the phallic-shaped mikoshi used in the festival.
Access
- About 5 minutes on foot from Tagata-jinja-mae Station on the Meitetsu Komaki Line.
Related pages
English websites
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Japanese websites
Category:Shinto shrines in Aichi PrefectureCategory:Gō-sha
Category:Myōjin Taisha
Category:Festivals in Japan
Category:Festivals in Aichi Prefecture
Category:March observances
Category:Sex festivals
Category:Sexuality in Shinto
Category:Buildings and structures in Komaki
Category:Owari clan