Hōnen Matsuri

Overview

Hōnensai (Bountiful Harvest Festival) is an ancient agricultural festival held annually on March 15 at Tagata Shrine in Tagata-chō, Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture, dedicated to prayers for bountiful harvests, prosperity of descendants, and the flourishing of all living things. Internationally known as a Shinto ritual featuring a male symbol as its sacred object, the festival is recognized as a rare folk celebration preserving the primitive form of Japan's ancient veneration of life and agricultural beliefs, drawing numerous domestic and international visitors each year.

History

Tagata Shrine is an ancient shrine of Niwa District in Owari Province, recorded as a Shikinaisha in the Engishiki Jinmyōchō (Register of Deities) compiled in 927, enshrining Mitoshi no Kami and Tamahime no Mikoto. Mitoshi no Kami is the deity of bountiful harvests, while Tamahime no Mikoto is venerated as a goddess of prosperity of descendants, marital harmony, and the flourishing of all living things. The origins of Hōnensai are traced back to agricultural rituals of the Yayoi period, when offerings of the male-symbol sacred object "Ōowasegata" were made to pray for bountiful rice harvests and the renewal of the people's vital force. From the medieval period onward, the festival continued as a folk celebration through the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, and maintained its ancient form even after the Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism. It holds exceptionally high folkloric value as a festival transmitting the oldest stratum of Japan's reproductive veneration and agricultural beliefs.

Highlights

The festival's climax is the procession beginning around 2 p.m., in which men of the unlucky age (yakudoshi) shoulder a newly carved wooden sacred object (approximately 2.5 meters long and 280 kilograms in weight) and parade approximately 1 kilometer from Tagata Shrine to Kumano Shrine. A "miko procession" of local women carrying smaller sacred objects also takes place, along with a mochi-throwing ceremony. The precincts contain numerous similar sacred objects dedicated by worshippers, attracting visitors praying for marital harmony, fertility, and matchmaking. Widely reported internationally as the "Penis Festival," the event also draws many overseas tourists.

Event Details and Access

The venue is Tagata Shrine (152 Tagata-chō, Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture). Access is approximately 5 minutes on foot from Tagata-Jinja-mae Station on the Meitetsu Komaki Line. The festival is held annually on March 15 (fixed date, regardless of day of the week), from around 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Worship and viewing are free of charge, and participation in the mochi-throwing ceremony is open to all.

Surrounding Attractions

Komaki City features tourism resources for experiencing the history and culture of the Owari region, including Komaki Castle, the Komaki-yama Historic Park, and nearby Inuyama City's Inuyama Castle (a National Treasure), Meiji-mura open-air museum, Little World, and the Inuyama Hot Spring resort. As a counterpart festival to Hōnensai, the "Hōnensai (Bonten Festival)" held at Ōagata Shrine in neighboring Inuyama City—featuring a female-symbol sacred object and held on the Sunday closest to March 15—is traditionally visited as part of a paired sightseeing tour.

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