S P O T ／ SPOT-096

Taga Shrine Dekoboko Shindō (Phallic Folk Museum)

多賀神社凸凹神堂たがじんじゃでこぼこしんどう

In the coastal city of Uwajima, on Shikoku's western edge, a branch shrine of the great Taga Shrine of Ōmi maintains an adjoining 'Folk Cultural Property Museum' (Dekoboko Shindō, literally 'Hall of the Uneven Gods') devoted to the folk-religious symbolism of sexuality. The collection has been built up over generations by votive donation: Edo-period shunga (erotic woodblock prints) and ukiyo-e, carved wooden and stone phalli and vulvae, fertility folk-art from across Japan, ema votive plaques inscribed with prayers for conception and matrimonial harmony, and curiosities from foreign sex-cultures collected by previous priests. Taga is one of the few major shrines in Japan whose stated purview includes longevity, healing, childbirth, and marital fertility, and the museum exists to make that traditional purview material rather than coy. Entry is restricted to visitors over 18; the curation is matter-of-fact and the framing is anthropological rather than titillating. For visitors interested in the older Japanese view of human reproduction as religious rather than embarrassing, the Dekoboko Shindō is among the most concentrated collections in the country.