Matsuri Guide

Name in Japanese and English

• かなまら祭
• Kanamara Matsuri, the fertility festival (festival of the "steel phallus")

History

The Kanamara Matsuri（かなまら祭, Kanamara Matsuri）is the major annual festival of the Kanayama Shrine（金山神社, Kanayama-jinja）, a shrine located within the precincts of the Wakamiya Hachimangū Shrine（若宮八幡宮, Wakamiya Hachimangū）in Kawasaki（川崎, Kawasaki）, Kanagawa Prefecture（神奈川県, Kanagawa-ken）. The shrine is dedicated to the divine couple Kanayama-hiko（金山比古神, Kanayama-hiko-no-kami）and Kanayama-hime（金山比売神, Kanayama-hime-no-kami）, historically associated with metal, forging, and the protection of ironworking trades.

Over time, local devotion also turned towards prayers related to fertility（子授け, kozazuke）, safe childbirth（安産, anzan）, couple bonds（縁結び, en-musubi）and, notably, protection against sexually transmitted diseases（性病除け, seibyō-yoke）. Tradition tells that during the Edo period（江戸時代, Edo jidai）, in the post town of Kawasaki-juku（川崎宿, Kawasaki-juku）, people connected to the transit districts came to pray for health and protection. Today, the festival has become one of the most internationally known spring matsuri, while remaining, for the shrine, a full-fledged ritual festival（例祭, reisai）.

Location and Date of the Event

• Location: Kanayama Jinja Shrine（金山神社, Kanayama-jinja）, within the precincts of Wakamiya Hachimangū（若宮八幡宮, Wakamiya Hachimangū）, Kawasaki（川崎, Kawasaki）, Kanagawa Prefecture（神奈川県, Kanagawa-ken）.
• Address: 〒210-0802 神奈川県川崎市川崎区大師駅前2丁目13-16（若宮八幡宮境内）金山神社
  2-13-16 Daishi-ekimae, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 210-0802 (Wakamiya Hachimangū precincts).
• Date: early April, with the main celebration on the first Sunday of April（4月第1日曜日, shigatsu dai-ichi nichiyōbi）and, depending on the year, a eve（宵宮, yoimiya）on Saturday.

Schedule

The festival is experienced as a Shintō (神道, shintō) celebration that is both very popular and highly codified: people come to pray for prosperity（商売繁盛, shōbai hanjō）, fertility（子授け, kozazuke）, childbirth（安産, anzan）, or protection（厄除け, yaku-yoke）, in a joyful atmosphere, very crowded, with many stalls.

The typical timeline is as follows: Saturday: eve rituals and highlights such as the daikon carving ceremony（大根削り神事, daikon kezuri shinji）then the eve festival（宵宮祭, yoimiya-sai）. Sunday: main rituals including the fire rite（御火取祭, ohitori-sai）, the annual ceremony（例祭, reisai）and especially the mikoshi procession（神輿渡御, mikoshi togyo）, often accompanied by a menkake gyōretsu（面掛行列, menkake gyōretsu）depending on the year.

The most spectacular moment is the departure of the mikoshi, of which three are emblematic: Kanamara Ōmikoshi（かなまら大神輿, Kanamara ōmikoshi）, Kanamara Fune Mikoshi（かなまら舟神輿, Kanamara fune mikoshi）and the iconic Elizabeth Mikoshi（エリザベス神輿, Erizabesu mikoshi）. As souvenirs, one often finds amulets（お守り, omamori）, goshuin（御朱印, goshuin）and the famous “kodakara-ame”（子宝飴, kodakara ame）.

Practical Tips

Photos

To capture the atmosphere without suffering the crowd, aim for early morning (before the density rises) and position yourself either at the entrance of the precinct (arrival of groups), or on a curve of the route (best angles on the mikoshi). A small zoom (50–85 mm equivalent) helps isolate scenes amid the crowd. If you want “clean” images, favor the eve (less crowded) or moments of pause.

Weather

Early April in Kawasaki, expect mid-season weather: cool mornings, milder afternoons, with a possible shower. Bring a light layer + a windbreaker jacket, and especially comfortable shoes (standing, slow walking, sometimes damp ground).

Transport

The easiest is to arrive via the Keikyū line (京急, Keikyū) then the Daishi branch (大師線, Daishi-sen) to Kawasaki-Daishi（川崎大師駅, Kawasaki Daishi-eki）. Trains can be packed on the day: leave early and allow extra time for the return. On site, follow the flow on foot, and keep in mind that some streets may be slowed during the procession.

Visitor Tips

Best time slot: arrive before 10 a.m. to enjoy the site before the peak. For the procession, pick a fixed point and do not try to “catch up” with the parade (tiring and often impossible). On site, adopt a simple attitude: do not block the carriers, let officials pass, and ask for a photo if you frame someone closely (a small “ すみません ” sumimasen is enough).

What to Bring

Cash, power bank, small towel, water bottle, poncho or compact umbrella, hand sanitizer, and a bag to protect purchases, goshuin and souvenirs. If you are sensitive to crowds, add earplugs (noise + density).

Sources & References

• 若宮八幡宮🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️金山神社（かなまら様）公式（X）

  Official shrine account: program announcements, schedules, instructions (procession, access, goshuin), updates from year to year.

• 令和7年かなまら祭（programme 202