Originally posted July 15 2014
Tokyo artist Megumi Igarashi (aka Rokudenashi-ko, ‘good-for-nothing kid’) was arrested on Monday for ‘distributing’ 3D model data of her vagina, allegedly violating obscenity laws that ban the graphic depiction of genitals (that’s why J-porn ‘hides’ the details, kids). Igarashi denies doing anything wrong, arguing that the data is part of her art projects that have previously included gems like a vag-shaped kayak (see below) and (in)appropriately themed iPhone covers. An online petition for her release already has more than 6,000 signatures, and calls to overturn the hypocritical law have also been heard.
Before her arrest, Igarashi was working on creating the ‘MKBoat’, a cutesy pink vessel that gets its name from the Japanese word for vagina (manko). The crowd-funded endeavour was apparently proceeding as planned before Tokyo’s finest saw it necessary to intervene and put the clamps on this one-woman pussy riot. Perhaps what we really need now is for someone to kick off a ‘manko matsuri’, both to further this artist’s cause and to bring some much-needed equality to the traditional festival scene?
(Photos from Spoon & Tamago)