In a kink in the Shirakawa river next to an electricity plant there is a very curious shrine.
Driving home from the city the other day I realise I have time to explore somewhere new before it gets dark. I’ve been to all the main shrines in Kumamoto but have been thinking I should use my free time to get to know some of the lesser known ones too. After a quick look at Google maps I see that Yuge shrine is in an interesting location right on the banks of the Shirakawa river, thinking it could be a great sunset location I decide to stop by and take a look.
The shrine is not hard to find as it’s marked with a large stone torii gate on the main road, I drive past the gate and follow a narrow road past a small electricity plant and some apartment buildings for a couple of hundred meters. I’d been held up in the late afternoon traffic, so the sunset is gone and dusk is falling fast by the time I arrive. There is a carpark big enough for several cars and at first glance Yuge shrine looks pretty much like any other small, local shrine.
There is a short walkway with stone lanterns, a huge gingko tree and a couple of signboards…. but then in front of the prayer hall I spot a large wooden object on the right, I go closer to explore….
Yes, it is exactly what it looks like …
a very large, cracked wooden penis with every crack stuffed with paper good luck fortunes. Wow, I have obviously stumbled upon a fertility shrine. But what exactly are people praying for?!
(yes I have turned all comments off)
It is getting dark fast and I’m feeling intrigued but a little unnerved so I decide to go home and head back in the daytime to explore some more..
It’s not the only penis,,,
In the sunshine, with a group of elderly residents enjoying an early morning game of gateball in the shrine grounds, it feels a whole lot easier to look around and Yuge shrine is indeed very interesting.
On the left of the main shrine building there is a phallic altar addorned with three bright red shiny penises. I have now googled the shrine and it seems from the little information I can find that Yuge shrine is indeed a fertility shrine attracting many couples wishing for a child. A tradition is to bring a home made phallus as an offering to the shrine and leave it at this altar.
Another tradition is after praying for their fertility, a couple wishing to improve their chances of conception can then climb the steps and both sit astride the phallus…
The shrine doesn’t just improve human fertility, apparently you can also offer prayers for a fertile harvest of rice and other crops.
But then I notice something … in the back of the altar there are jumbled stacks of old and dusty pieces of wood pounded with nails. On the right of the altar behind wooden bars there is a storeroom containing even more. I had also read something online, badly translated but suggesting that this shrine is not only good for fertility. It is also is a shrine to come to if you want to prevent your partner from being unfaithful and that hammering nails into wood like this is the way to keep them from straying.
I’m presuming the square pieces of wood symbolise the female and the stick shaped pieces the male… ouch
Yuge shrine is not all about fertility or infidelity though, it can also cure a bad back! (which I suppose you may well have if you’ve been working on your fertility a little too much)
The cure is simple just place the mat down and then get on your belly and crawl through the torii gate and either your back will be magically fixed or you’ll be stuck under a stone torii gate until someone kindly rescues you.
It’s not all phallic symbols either, there is a femine looking stone object in front of the haiden too along with a big chunk of fossilised tree, but no-one seems to leave their fortunes there – poor stone vagina. There are also cute penis charms for sale for 700 Yen in the shrine shop. (It seems that usually the shrine shop is unmanned but there is a telephone number to call if you want someone to come and open up),
Behind the shrine is a gorgeous and obviously ancient Fuji (Wisteria) winding it’s way up a huge tree.
Kami Yuge Shrine 上弓削神社
No, that’s not a long necked turtle.
Just a few minutes drive from Yuge shrine on the opposite side of the Shirakawa river is Kami Yuge Shrine. It’s smaller and the shrine buildings and phallic symbols are not as impressive, but it is very obviously a fertility shrine too.
Fertility shrines like this are few and far between in Japan and as far as I know these are the only two fertility shrines in Kumamoto Prefecture so definitely worth a visit even if you’re not planning on making babies anytime soon.
How to get to Yuge Shrine
You can find Yuge shrine and Kami Yuge shrine in Yuge town, along the Shirakawa river heading out of Kumamoto City towards Kikuyou and Ozu. It’s between the Hikarinomori YouMe town shopping mall and the Kumamoto Prefectural Sports park. The nearest train station is Hikarinomori station and from there it would be around 25 minutes on foot.
