Vulva: the Japanese comic book that breaks the taboo

Have you even seen a kayak, an Iphone case or a lamp in the shape of a vagina? If your answer is no, then you don’t know the creative Tokyo artist who designs these objects by making a mould of her sex then putting it through a 3D scanner. Incarcerated during six months for having broken Japanese law against obscenity, Rokudenashik is back, more determined than ever with a manga, The art of the vulva, an obscenity? which has one single purpose: breaking the taboos of representing the female sex. Here are good reasons to take a closer look at this very zany and controversial comic strip.

With her Manga translated all over the world and an international mediatisation since her arrest and her outspoken convictions, Rokudenashiko, who loves to scream loud and clear “pussy-pussy-pussy” to police officers who arrest her for obscenity, does not seem ready to stop then and there: deliciously rebel when facing Japanese law and order, the artist has sworn that she will fight to recuperate her confiscated creations. In this funny and clever Manga, the first Japanese woman condemned for “obscenity” retraces what happened during her absurd arrest, her terrible prison conditions and casts the light on the terrifying censure still existing in Japan. While a petition distributed world-wide contributed to her being liberated in 2014, the combat against “barbarism aimed at the representation of the female sex” is far from finished (in Japan, but also in the rest of the world). More badass than ever, Rokudenashiko is quite decided not to give up an ounce when it comes to her freedom of expression and continues drawing as many Mankos (vulva in Japanese) as she wishes: “if the police wants to use this Manga to get me down, my hand will hold onto my pencil even more firmly main.” Rokudenashiko: 1 - Police: 0.

Because most of you know how to draw a penis, but tend to be less inspired when they need to sketch a woman’s secret garden, Rokudenashiko decided to create her very own small mascot representing Manko. Easy to reproduce, this Manko, as cute as a small Disney character, has the merit of encouraging women to stand by their vagina and not be embarrassed about it. Quite to the point, since in France, a quarter of 15-year-old girls are not aware of the existence of their clitoris! Most of the time, teenagers (and even well informed adults) forget to represent their vulva when they draw a feminine sex and privilege inner organs (uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes). …

Qualified as a “so-called artist” by the Japanese media after her arrest Rokudenashiko was spied on by the police at least two months before she was arrested. And it was because the public had started to take a liking to her work (she was able to finance her 3D material thanks to a crowd-funding of curious onlookers) that the inspectors looked closely at her case, fearing a large distribution of her "Manko" in various shapes. Indeed, even more modern than Gustave Courbet and his Origin of the World, Rokudenashiko is an artist that is starting to really make a name for herself. You still have a doubt? Go take a look at her internet site where most of her creations are showcased: https://6d745.com/gallery/

The art of the vulva, an obscenity? Rokudenashiko, Presque Lune, €20

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