This unique hand-crafted dorei (clay bell) comes from the renowned Tagata Shrine (田縣神社) in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is a sacred site deeply rooted in fertility worship and agricultural prosperity.
Tagata Shrine is especially known for prayers for fertility, abundant harvest, and prosperity of descendants (life continuation). It hosts an annual festival on March 15 (豊年祭 / Hōnensai), which is very famous and somewhat notorious: during this festival, a large wooden phallus (male genital sculpture) is carried in a mikoshi (portable shrine) procession through the streets. The shrine grounds host many stone phallus motifs / male genital objects, considered sacred stones (男根の石) which tie into the shrine’s fertility symbolism.
Shaped in the symbolic form of a phallic figure (男根), this bell is not merely humorous or provocative, but a traditional emblem of vitality, creation, and good fortune. Tagata Shrine is famous for its annual Hōnensai (豊年祭) Festival held every March, where wooden phallic icons are paraded to celebrate and pray for bountiful harvests and fertility of all kinds, from the land to descendants.
Crafted in unglazed terracotta clay, the bell features a simple, earthy texture, enhanced by ceremonial paper charms (御守) and a purple braided cord. Inside, the small clay clapper produces a dry, soothing chime, a gentle echo of spiritual blessings.
Size: 5 x 5 x 9cm (bell)
7 x 10 x 5.5cm (Box)
