Only on Asia: Temple where they worship the Male Genitalia (P*NIS)

The shrine our reporter visited is the Yuge Shrine, located in Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan. Once you arrive at the shrine, you first need to purify yourself before you can properly pay your respects to the penis god. In Japanese shrines, there is usually a washing area called a cho-zuba (手水場) where you’ll find a water basin within a small pavillion-shaped structure.

Why worship the penis? 

All hail the mighty phallus — Experience penis worship at unique shrine in South Japan

On first thought, you may be tempted to call the whole concept behind this place a joke. It’s not entirely surprising after all, if you find it hard to take a shrine that glorifies the male genital organ seriously. But in truth, this is a place of worship where people come to pray for a happy marriage without (or at least, as little as possible of) the tribulations of spousal infidelity, many healthy children and even bountiful harvests, all in the spirit of honoring fecundity.

Make a wish on an ema board 

All hail the mighty phallus — Experience penis worship at unique shrine in South Japan

These wooden plaques known as ema are also something you can find at virtually every Japanese shrine. The ema plaques are usually colorfully illustrated on one side and blank on the other, for visitors to write a wish on. Ema plaques are sold at shrines so you can write your wish right there on the spot and hang them in a designated area as a way to ask the shrine deity to grant your most fervent desires. The name ema, which literally means “picture horse”, is said to have come from the past practice of offering an actual horse to the gods as a gift when praying or making a request, but because this wasn’t exactly practical, worshipers in recent times understandably began to offer wooden plaques with horses drawn on them instead.

So, that completes our tour of the unusual penis shrine. We certainly hope you enjoyed it! Do you now feel like bowing to the great penis god? And if you’re in the mood for a bit more action than visiting a shrine, there’s always the awesome Kanamara Festival held in early April each year in Kanagawa Prefecture, where you can express your reverence for the male member to your heart’s content. But if a little quiet penis worship is what you’re looking for, then the Yuge Shrine is the place for you!



SOURCE