Pornography in Japan

Japanese pornography has some unique features which separate it from pornography in other countries, especially Western pornography. The most common theme in Japanese porn are schoolgirls who are sexually submissive and often bound.[1] It is quite common and frequently translated and exported to Western cultures because of its large spectrum of themes and media. Japanese erotica has a reputation in the West as being sado-masochistic and youth-centered.

The concept of "pornography" may have emerged in the Edo period when every form of popular culture flourished. All forms of pornography flourished, with the sole exception of figures and statues. This does not mean there were no earlier works of erotica; these early works were by highly literate nobles and were often considered works of art. Japanese mythology, later formulated into the system known as Shinto, makes multiple references to sexuality, but almost always in a positive manner.[2]

In the Edo period, pornography flourished due to the unique characteristic of the city of Edo.[citation needed] In this period, men (who were the only consumers of pornographic material at that time) made up well over 60% of the population.[citation needed] These men came from all over Japan to work, and remained there for years before returning to their hometown to have a wife arranged for them, having learned valuable skills like reading, writing, and crafts[citation needed]. With a disproportionate amount of the population being male, state-controlled prostitution districts like Yoshiwara and pornography were needed[citation needed].

There were many pornographic materials. Shunga or pornographic wood-block pictures were printed with all imaginable situations. These often took the form of a book with sentences to describe verbal utterances of the partners, as well as to offer brief descriptions of a scene. Near the end of the Edo period when foreigners became widely known and seen, even interracial sex acts with foreign males were drawn and sold, not to mention acts with animals, demons (both male and female), and deities. The actual uses of shunga in the period are still debated, but probably resembled modern uses of pornographic materials, including masturbation and shared viewing with a lover. According to some accounts, called into doubt by recent scholarship, shunga were even packed by the parents of a wife for use in her marriage. Shunga could also be borrowed from a rental book shop. In 1808, there were 656 such shops in Edo, 300 shops in Osaka. This means that there was about one shop for every 1500 people in Edo. Non-pornographic materials were also available from these shops. These included woodblock pictures of celebrities like kabuki actors and geisha, clothed in kimono.

After the Meiji restoration in the second half of the 19th century, the publication of pornographic materials declined under government pressure, specifically the fear that such an openly sexual culture would be seen as a sign of backwardness by European countries. Yet even as Shunga production slowed, shunga were being exported and peddled as "erotic arts" to foreign markets. Pornographic novels were still produced underground, though the language barrier prevented them from becoming widely known abroad. Pornographic arts (now including photography) were still produced by popular demand, but these came to be viewed as low arts.

20th century

In the late Taishō period and early Shōwa period, an artistic movement called Eroguronansensu, lit. erotic-grotesque-nonsense, occurred influenced by decadence works of Europe. These words were used because they had an air of a new and modern feeling. Until the 1950s, pornography were still very limited in production. Open sexual expressions were permitted in novels and manga but a strict control was applied on photographs and films. During World War II, pornographic materials were banned altogether.

Influenced by magazines like Playboy, pornographic magazines were printed soon after World War II. These magazines quickly branched to cover all genres and featured pornographic novels as well as pictures. Playboy itself, however, did not succeed in Japan. Its articles were about the American lifestyle; women were mostly non-Asian, interviews were with people largely unknown in Japan, and fashion and sport were American. Instead, it spawned a fetish and a genre known as Yomono, lit. Western things. Playboy revamped its articles and style in the early 2000s in Japan by having Japanese writers write exclusively about Japan and dropping most of the original content.

In the early 1960s, several movie studios began producing "pink movies" to be exclusively viewed in an adult-only movie theater. With censorship laws prohibiting genitals from being seen but otherwise free to express anything, these movies quickly diversified to fill all genres, including rape and bondage. Throughout the 1960s, the "pink films" were mainly produced by low-budget, independent filmmakers such as Koji Wakamatsu. In 1971, the major studio Nikkatsu entered the pink film genre with its higher production values through its Roman porno (lit. romantic porno) series. From the 1960s to the late 1980s, ambiguous censorship laws resulted in hundreds of cases regarding erotica and pornography. At midnight, television stations mostly aired soft-core pornographic movies until their ratings dropped due to the pornographic movies.

Homosexually-oriented magazines began to appear, starting with Barazoku in 1971, which continued publishing until 2004. Homosexual magazines tend to be tailored to particular segments of the population, such as Badi which features younger adult males, Samson, devoted to chubby men, and G-men, featuring muscular men. The websites of these magazines also feature videos produced featuring these respective body types.

Sub-genres of Japanese porn

The pornographic culture of Japan is enormous. Encompassing dozens of different genres only found in Japan, it has become an important part of life for most Japanese males. To satisfy the demand for more arousal, many genres have popped up over the decades.

Aka-Chan Pure: ("baby play"): This genre involves going back to the "baby days" where they had no responsibility and could depend on their mothers to take care of everything.

Baacharu Deito: ("virtual date"): Shot from the point of view of the boyfriend, the porn actress takes him on a "date" which ends in a sexual scene.

Broken Dolls: This is a subgenre based on the popular medical fetish and involves young girls in hospital beds, covered in casts, splints, gauze, and fake bruises. It usually involves rape and forced bondage.

Burusera ("bloomers"): Fans of this genre collect panties, urine, socks and uniforms of actual schoolgirls.

Chikan ("groper"): It involves usually males, who pay extras to sit in a stage constructed to look like a train car and act submissive while being groped.

Enjo Kosai ("compensated date"): Although available on video, this genre mainly applies to the market for girls 13–18 years of age. Girls are told they are going on a date, which, due to Japan's age of consent of 13, is not illegal. Virgins demand a very high premium, and many girls will get their hymen reattached although most men involved in compensated dating will take the hymen with them as a memento[citation needed].

Goukan Pure ("rape play"): This genre involves simulated rape.

Lolicon (short for "lolita complex"): This genre involves prepubescent and adolescent girls.

Ningyou ("dolls"): Some fans of animation like to play with dolls of their favorite characters.

Studios

* Alice Japan
* Atlas 21
* Bauhaus
* Big Morkal
* CineMagic Co.
* Dogma
* Garomage - nude photography videos
* Giga
* h.m.p. - publishes Tiffany label
* Indies Media
* Japan Home Video
* Kasakura Shuppansha
* Kuki Inc. [1]- major studio
* Kurisutaru Eizou
* Lahaina Tokai
* Moodyz
* Next 11
* Prestige
* Reddo Totsugekitai
* S1 No. 1 Style
* SexiA [2]
* Shai Kikaku
* Soft On Demand - former indie studio turned major, I Energy is one of their labels
* Take Shobou
* Total Media Agency
* Uchu Kikaku - major studio associated with Eichi Shuppan publishers
* Yellow Box

Genres

* Bukkake
* Futanari
* Gokkun
* Group sex
o Gang bang
* Hamedori
* Japanese bondage
* Lesbian
* Lotion play
* Sexual fetishism
o Foot fetishism
* Roshutsu
* Tamakeri
* Zenra
* Nakadashi

See also Category:Japanese pornographic film actors

* Ai Iijima
* Aika Miura
* Anna Ohura
* Azumi Kawashima
* Bunko Kanazawa
* Chocoball Mukai
* Keiko Nakazawa
* Sakura Sena
* Sora Aoi
* Maria Ozawa
* Yuka Koide
* Hikaru Koto
* Yohko Chousokabe
* Yui Matsume