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Arrest of Tokyo vagina artist sparks free expression protest
Arrest of Tokyo vagina artist sparks free expression protest
Japanese police have arrested a Tokyo artist on obscenity charges for distributing data that allowed recipients to make 3D prints of her vagina, sparking protests over what supporters said was an attack on free expression.
Megumi Igarashi, 42, who calls herself Rokude Nashiko which roughly translates as "bastard kid", had been trying to raise funds online to pay for the construction of a kayak, using a 3D printer, modelled on the shape of her genitals.
Japan has a notoriously vibrant pornography industry that caters to a vast array of tastes. But obscenity laws still forbid the depiction of actual genitalia, which usually appear censored or pixellated in images and videos.
The artist -- who has created other genital-inspired artworks -- was arrested Saturday for "distributing data that could create an obscene shape through a 3D printer," a police spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/arrest-tokyo-vagina-artist-sparks-free-expression-protest-133745230.html#6m3dFuL
Japanese police have arrested a Tokyo artist on obscenity charges for distributing data that allowed recipients to make 3D prints of her vagina, sparking protests over what supporters said was an attack on free expression.
Megumi Igarashi, 42, who calls herself Rokude Nashiko which roughly translates as "bastard kid", had been trying to raise funds online to pay for the construction of a kayak, using a 3D printer, modelled on the shape of her genitals.
Japan has a notoriously vibrant pornography industry that caters to a vast array of tastes. But obscenity laws still forbid the depiction of actual genitalia, which usually appear censored or pixellated in images and videos.
The artist -- who has created other genital-inspired artworks -- was arrested Saturday for "distributing data that could create an obscene shape through a 3D printer," a police spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/arrest-tokyo-vagina-artist-sparks-free-expression-protest-133745230.html#6m3dFuL
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
No double-standard there!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/07/japan-penis-festival-kanamara-matsuri_n_5106378.html
Japan's Annual Penis Festival Is As Phallic As You'd Expect (PHOTOS)
Posted: 04/07/2014 3:27 pm EDT Updated: 04/08/2014 5:59 pm EDT
Each spring, people flock to Kawasaki, Japan, to celebrate Kanamara Matsuri, aka the "Festival of the Steel Phallus."
Held this year on April 6, the festival is a celebration of the penis and fertility. People parade gigantic phallic-shaped mikoshi (portable Shinto shrines) down the streets during the event, as revelers suck on penis lollipops, buy penis-themed memorabilia and pose with sculptures in the shape of -- you guessed it -- penises.
According to the BBC, the festival is believed to have roots in the 17th century, when prostitutes are said to have prayed for protection from sexually transmitted infections at Kawasaki's Kanamara shrine.
Today, the festival reportedly raises awareness about safe sex practices and fundraises for HIV prevention.
Scroll down to see the (somewhat NSFW) photographs of this year's Kanamara Matsuri:
<snip more photos>
Japan's Annual Penis Festival Is As Phallic As You'd Expect (PHOTOS)
Posted: 04/07/2014 3:27 pm EDT Updated: 04/08/2014 5:59 pm EDT
Each spring, people flock to Kawasaki, Japan, to celebrate Kanamara Matsuri, aka the "Festival of the Steel Phallus."
Held this year on April 6, the festival is a celebration of the penis and fertility. People parade gigantic phallic-shaped mikoshi (portable Shinto shrines) down the streets during the event, as revelers suck on penis lollipops, buy penis-themed memorabilia and pose with sculptures in the shape of -- you guessed it -- penises.
According to the BBC, the festival is believed to have roots in the 17th century, when prostitutes are said to have prayed for protection from sexually transmitted infections at Kawasaki's Kanamara shrine.
Today, the festival reportedly raises awareness about safe sex practices and fundraises for HIV prevention.
Scroll down to see the (somewhat NSFW) photographs of this year's Kanamara Matsuri:
<snip more photos>
