Traditional Japanese Sex

This article is based on extracts from a very interesting and colourful book: Jina Bacarr The Japanese Art of Sex – How to Tease, Seduce & Pleasure the Samurai in your Bedroom, Berkeley CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2004

Modern Japanese porn, both gay and straight, is so widespread (no pun intended), given the reach of the internet. Names like Maria Ozawa and Coat define the genre for many males (and females!). Did you ever wonder how the Japanese did it in the days of yore? Perhaps you have seen shunga or have heard of the grandmaster Katsushika Hokusai. What in the world are shunga or Hokusai? Below are some that I have seen on the web.

© “Shigenobu – Man and woman making love – 2”. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shigenobu_-_Man_and_woman_making_love_-_2.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Shigenobu_-_Man_and_woman_making_love_-_2.jpg

© “Shunga-Keisai Eisen” by Keisai Eisen – http://www.ukiyoe-paintings.com/Untitled-se7.html. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shunga-Keisai_Eisen.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Shunga-Keisai_Eisen.jpg

However, traditional Japanese sex was not confined to the Edo-version of Penthouse. According to Bacarr, traditional Japanese sexuality was subtle. She notes that the Japanese geisha embodied many of the characteristics that defined Japanese sexuality. How?

1. Confidence: The geisha exuded confidence in their own sexuality which is the first step in seduction. They were not shrinking violets but were not nymphomaniacs either. They would cast subtle glances, and exchange eye contact. They would even go as far as to turn around carefully, to make a man think she had fallen in love with him. This is oddly similar to ‘cruising’ for gay men.
2. Posture: The geisha was careful about posture. Their clothing, along with mental and physical discipline, was just as important as maintaining their body posture. Translation: Slouching was/is not sexy.
3. Poise: Related to posture, the geisha never rushed or was out of breath. There was a certain elegance to their movement, folding their legs elegantly when they sat down.
4. Iki: Iki is a characteristic that is associated with. It embodies making an impact but at the same time not deliberately trying to be so. Bacarr notes that iki’s aim is to achieve a “simple, striking elegance of inner character” that is mirrored outwards in how you dress and carry yourself. The geisha flirted but with a controlled eroticism. How does this translate into sex? The geisha wore clothes that hinted as to their eroticism, an ‘accidental’ slip of a dress, the flash of a bare leg perhaps. For us modern times, this could be wearing erotic lingerie for your man. The geisha always spent hours dressing, doing her makeup in accordance with her own personal style.
5. Rapport: Geisha knew how to interact with their clients. They allowed them to talk about their interests, playing on an inherent need of many men to talk about their views on a subject. They bantered with the men on the topic of the conversation, fearless in putting forward their point of view. This captured the attention and ultimately the hearts of men, which often led to something further.
6. Sexual positions: Ok, enough about the teasing. Let’s talk about sexual positions. Bacarr introduces a number of suggestions, too many to include here. One called ‘Fish Eye to Eye” is where the lady and man lie facing one another, sucking each other’s lips and tongues. The lady raises one leg above his body while he spreads his legs slightly. With one hand supporting the lady’s upraised leg, the man enters the lady.
7. Playing together: Sex manuals from the Edo era introduced the double dildo, which was designed to work in simultaneous penetration. (For the uninitiated, the double dildo is shaped in the form of two penises joined together, pointing at opposite points). The lady can insert one end of the double dildo while the other end enters the man/ lady vaginally or anally whichever is preferred. Wonderful for threesomes.

Bacarr’s book is certaintly full of imaginative ideas for sex and sexuality (both straight and LGBTI) and is certainly worth a read.

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