Art and Style | March 22, 2009 | 19 comments

The First Hentai

source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Dream_of_the_fishermans_wife_hokusai.jpg

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DeliaTheArtist
The First Hentai

“Hentai” literally means “change” or “metamorphosis” in Japanese. In Japan it’s used to refer to sexual perversions or “abnormal people.” Outside of Japan it’s associated with pornographic anime- but this ain’t your grandmamma’s porno. Hentai frequently features a wide range of strange, perhaps disturbing scenes of forced sex, fetishes, demons and the ever popular “tentacle rape”.

Yes, I did indeed say tentacle rape- monsters, robots, plants and a diverse mix of other multi-appendage wielding creatures have shown up in hentai to fill unwilling orifices. But this bizarre concept is not entirely new to Japanese art- in fact, it’s almost 200 years old!

The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife is a woodcut created in 1820, during the Edo Period. Inspired by Shinto’s use of animal symbolism and the importance of the ocean in Japanese life, the image shows a women involved in a hot and heavy Octopi threesome. This theme of Octopus-On-Woman action is repeated in other Japanese art work known as “Shunga”- a word that means Spring but is a euphemism for sex in Japan. Many small sculptures called “Netsuke” also share images of Octopi embracing women- often boasting a ninth tentacle.

The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife has become an visual icon, representative of sexual artwork throughout the ages. Hentai today picks up where Shunga left off, exploring the outlandish side of sex, art and our societal taboos.
  1. groups:
    Art and Style,   Sex,   Otaku
  2. tags:
    Art and Style,  Sex,  Japan,  Arcticspirit's Darkside of LIfe,  7 more
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