Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
5 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Nagato Mara Kannon

Mara Kannon

This phallic temple was erected in the forest to honor the tragic death of a samurai lord's son.

Nagato, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The stone phalluses were gifts from other temples and towns.   melvil
The stone phalluses were gifts from other temples and towns.   melvil
The interior.   melvil
Mara Kannon   melvil
Hundreds of votive phalluses.   melvil
Jizo (Ksitigarbha) statues at the Mara Kannon temple.   melvil
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

About half a mile away from the hot springs town of Tawarayama, the small temple of Mara Kannon stands alone in the forest. Mara is a Buddhist demon and a euphemism for the penis in Japanese, and as its name suggests, the temple is known for its phallic theming. It's surrounded by an array of phallic objects and, while phallic temples aren't uncommon across Asia, this one is notable for its tragic background.

In 1551, during the Warring States period, samurai lord Ōuchi Yoshitaka was betrayed by his vassal and was forced to commit seppuku. His eldest son, also named Yoshitaka, was captured and killed at the age of seven, while his youngest son Kanjumaru successfully fled to the mountains disguised as a peasant girl. In 1552 however, enemies found the five-year-old Kanjumaru and murdered him at the same site as his brother. It's said that they cut off his penis as proof that he was the son of Ōuchi. 

Feeling pity for the ill-fated brothers, nearby villagers erected a temple at the site of their deaths and dedicated it to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Eventually, the temple became a place where people prayed for fertility and health, often offering votive tokens in the form of a phallus.

Additionally, the temple is believed to benefit those who pray inside with romantic luck, a good marital relationship, and safety in childbirth. Inside the temple are hundreds of porcelain phallic statues, which can be purchased in the town of Tawarayama. Writing your wishes on one such sculpture, as well as patting the stone phalluses outside the temple, is said to bring visitors good luck. 

Related Tags

Temples Phallic History & Culture
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

November 26, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Mara Kannon
Nagato, 759-4211
Japan
34.296081, 131.097023

Nearby Places

Akiyoshido Cave

Mine, Japan

miles away

Ganryū-jima

Shimonoseki, Japan

miles away

TOTO Toilet Museum

Kitakyushu, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Nearby Places

Akiyoshido Cave

Mine, Japan

miles away

Ganryū-jima

Shimonoseki, Japan

miles away

TOTO Toilet Museum

Kitakyushu, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Related Places

  • The city pillar

    Vientiane, Laos

    Hor Lak Muang

    The site of an ancient city pillar that was lost and rediscovered.

  • My Son Santuary temple

    Duy Xuyên District, Vietnam

    My Son Sanctuary

    Showcasing some of the best-preserved temples of the Champa Kingdom.

  • Rawalpindi, Pakistan

    Hindu Temples of Rawalpindi

    Hidden among Rawalpindi’s modern buildings are the remains of dilapidated Hindu temples.

  • Pune, India

    Parvati Nandan Ganpati Temple

    This 17th-century temple gave the area of Ganeshkhind its name.

  • Hall of Edification

    Tainan City, Taiwan

    Tainan Confucius Temple

    The first Confucian temple in Taiwan, founded by the son of a pirate lord, doubled as the island's first state-sponsored school.

  • Pune, India

    Sapindya Mahadev Temple

    An ancient temple of Lord Shiva was rediscovered in an excavation in 2003.

  • The Standing Buddha

    Bangkok, Thailand

    The Standing Buddha

    This statue took 60 years to complete.

  • Maruti Temple

    Panaji, India

    Maruti Temple

    An iconic temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman resides atop a hill in the heart of Panaji.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.