What is "dosojin"

is a generic name for a type of Shinto kami popularly worshipped in Kantō and neighboring areas where, as tutelary deities of borders, they are believed to protect travelers and villages from epidemics and evil spirits. Also called , or , they are often represented as a human couple, by carved male or female genitals, large stones or statues, or even tall poles along a road.

Dōsojin can sometimes be enshrined in small roadside Shinto shrines called hokora. When shaped like a phallus, they are associated with birth and procreation, and therefore marital harmony.