About half a mile away from the hot springs town of Tawarayama, the small temple of Mara Kannon stands alone in the forest. As its name suggests, mara is a Buddhist demon and a euphemism for the penis in Japanese. The temple is surrounded by an array of phallic objects and while phallic temples aren’t uncommon across Asia, this one is noted 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…
