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.[2][3] The festival has received large amounts of attention.[2]
It is near Ōagata Shrine which has a similar yonic festival the Sunday before this festival.[4][1]: 6
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.[1]: 6
Harvest Festival (豊年祭, Hōnensai) is a fertilityfestival celebrated every year on March 15 at the shrine.[2][3]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 (御歳神, Mitoshi-no-kami) and female deity Tamahime (玉姫命, Tamahime-no-mikoto). Mitoshi is the son of the Shinto male deity Toshigami (年神) or known by local as Ōtoshi (大歳神, Ōtoshi-no-kami) and grandson of the Shinto deity Susanoo. Tamahime is a princess and the daughter of Ō'arata (大荒田命, Ō'arata-no-Mikoto), the matriarch of Owari clan (尾張氏) of her husband Takeinadane [ja] (健稲種命, Take'inadane-no-mikoto) who were blessed with two sons and four daughters. After her husband's death, she returned to his hometown Arata (situated close to Komaki), encouraged to cultivate with the help of her father Ō'arata, honor and achieved his achievements.[5]
the shrine of the Youbutsu (陽物, lit. "the male object") or ō-owase-gata (大男茎形, lit. "the grand Phallus shape/ object")
In Inuyama City, there is another festival Sunday before at Ōagata Shrine (大縣神社). This festival includes floats shaped like a vulva, which complement the phallic-shaped mikoshi used in the festival.[4]
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