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Japan 'vagina artist' arrest sparks debate

joker44

In the wind

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28323…


This handout picture taken by Rokudenashiko and Marie Akatani on 19 October 2013 shows artist Megumi Igarashi paddling a kayak designed to be the shape of her own vagina in Tokyo.

Ms Igarashi's project involved making a kayak in the shape of her vagina using a 3D printer

The arrest on obscenity allegations of a woman who makes art based on her vagina has sparked debate in Japan.

Tokyo-based artist Megumi Igarashi, 42, was arrested on Saturday for sending data that could be used to create 3D models of her vagina.

She had sent it to people who had donated money for a project to make a vagina-shaped kayak using a 3D printer.

The arrest made headlines in national media and triggered discussion on Japan's obscenity laws.

Ms Igarashi also goes by the moniker Rokudenashiko, which means "no-good girl" in Japanese.

A police spokesman told AFP news agency she had distributed data that could "create an obscene shape".

On her website, Ms Igarashi says she has made several pieces of art based on her genitals using a silicone mould, saying she wants to make vaginas "more casual and pop".

The vagina "has been such a taboo in Japanese society... (it) has been thought to be obscene", while penises are regarded as "part of pop culture", she said.