View source for Megumi Igarashi

{{Short description|Japanese sculptor and manga artist}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Megumi Igarashi
| image              = Loz roku1.png
| alt                = 
| caption            = Igarashi in 2016, with a toy depicting her character ''Manko-chan''
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1972|3|14|df=y}}
| other_names        = Rokudenashiko ({{langx|ja|ろくでなし子 / 碌でなし子}} "Little Reprobate")
| occupation         = [[Japanese sculpture|Japanese sculptor]] and [[manga artist]]
| known_for          = {{unbulleted list
                         | Using her vulva in works of art
                       }}
| notable_works      = {{bulleted list
                       | "Deco Man", a series of decorated vulva molds
                       | "Manko-chan", a cartoon vulva character
                       | "Man-Boat", a kayak modeled on a 3D scan of her own vulva
                       }}
}}

{{nihongo|'''Megumi Igarashi'''|五十嵐恵|Igarashi Megumi|born 1972}}, who uses the pseudonym {{nihongo|'''Rokudenashiko'''|ろくでなし子 or 碌でなし子}}, is a Japanese sculptor and [[manga]] artist who creates works that feature female genitalia and are often modeled after her own [[Human vulva|vulva]].<ref name="Asahi Shimbun 16 July 2014">{{cite web|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201407160054 |title=Artist denies obscenity charge: 'My vagina is like my arms and legs' |date=16 July 2014 |website=asahi.com |publisher=[[Asahi Shimbun]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719044406/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201407160054 |archive-date=July 19, 2014 }}</ref> Rokudenashiko considers it her mission to reclaim female genitalia as part of women's bodies and demystify them in Japan's male dominated society, where she believes that they are "overly hidden" and marginalized as “[[taboo]]” and “[[Obscenity|obscene]]” in comparison to [[Phallus|phallic]] imagery.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Mōri|first=Yoshitaka|date=Winter 2014|title=Freedom of Expression and the Rise of Preventative Power|url=http://fivedme.org/|journal=5 Designing Media Ecology|language=en, ja|volume=02|pages=24–26}}</ref><ref name="The Guardian 15 July 2014">{{cite news|last1=McCurry|first1=Justin|title=Vagina selfie for 3D printers lands Japanese artist in trouble|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/15/vagina-selfie-for-3d-printers-lands-japanese-artist-in-trouble|access-date=2014-07-15|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=15 July 2014}}</ref> As such, the artist has created a variety of different representations of ''manko'', the Japanese slang for vagina or pussy, using representations of her own body as the raw material to emphasize as return to experience within art and manga.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=McKnight|first=Anne|title=Media Theory in Japan |date=2017-02-24|chapter=At the Source (Code): Obscenity and Modularity in Rokudenashiko's Media Activism|chapter-url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2333/chapter/920208/At-the-Source-Code-Obscenity-and-Modularity-in|language=en|pages=254–255|doi=10.1215/9780822373292-011|isbn=9780822373292 }}</ref> Rokudenashiko has been called an international symbol of “manko positivity.”<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Dunne|first=Carey|date=2016-05-30|title="Japan's View of Pussy Is Really Weird": Vagina Kayak Artist Releases Manga Memoir|url=http://hyperallergic.com/300194/japans-view-of-pussy-is-really-weird-vagina-kayak-artist-releases-manga-memoir/|access-date=2021-11-19|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[pseudonym]] Rokudenashiko translates to “good-for-nothing-girl,” a name the artist made up by combining ''rokudenashi'' (which translates to “good-for-nothing,” “bastard,” “ne’er-do-well”) and the diminutive feminine suffix ''-ko'' (usually translated as “girl” or “child”).<ref name=":1" />

In 2014, Rokudenashiko was arrested following the creation of ''Man-Boat'' (short for ''manko'' boat), a [[kayak]] with an opening attachment modeled after a 3-D scan of her own vulva, for which she drew financial support from an online [[Crowdfunding|crowdfunding platform]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=McKnight|first=Anne|title=Media Theory in Japan |date=2017-02-24|chapter=At the Source (Code): Obscenity and Modularity in Rokudenashiko's Media Activism|chapter-url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2333/chapter/920208/At-the-Source-Code-Obscenity-and-Modularity-in|language=en|pages=268–269|doi=10.1215/9780822373292-011|isbn=9780822373292 }}</ref> Accused on the grounds of posting the downloadable [[3D scanning|3-D scanned]] digital data of her vulva for the public as part of her crowdfunding campaign, Rokudenashiko became the first woman in Japanese history tried on the grounds of obscenity.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite book|last=McKnight|first=Anne|title=Media Theory in Japan |date=2017-02-24|chapter=At the Source (Code): Obscenity and Modularity in Rokudenashiko's Media Activism|chapter-url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2333/chapter/920208/At-the-Source-Code-Obscenity-and-Modularity-in|language=en|pages=251–252|doi=10.1215/9780822373292-011|isbn=9780822373292 }}</ref> The ensuing legal battle attracted a lot of media attention in Japan and internationally, where the artist amassed public support and became the subject of online protests about Japan's inconsistent obscenity laws.<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|last=Mōri|first=Yoshitaka|date=Winter 2014|title=Freedom of Expression and the Rise of Preventative Power|url=http://fiveme.org/|journal=5 Media Ecology|volume=02|pages=34–36}}</ref> In 2016, Rokudenashiko was fined 400,000 yen (around US$3,660) for making the data publicly available.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|last=Voon|first=Claire|date=2016-05-10|title=Court Rules Artist May Print Models of Her Own Vagina but Can't Share Data|url=http://hyperallergic.com/297743/court-rules-artist-may-print-models-of-her-own-vagina-but-cant-share-data/|access-date=2021-11-19|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Education and early career ==
Rokudenashiko studied [[Philosophy]] at the [[Kokugakuin University]] in [[Tokyo]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-04|title=ろくでなし子の現在！デコまん逮捕・旦那との結婚や子供まとめ|url=https://newsmatomedia.com/rokudenashiko|access-date=2021-11-19|website=MATOMEDIA [マトメディア]｜芸能・ゴシップ・事件まとめ|language=ja}}</ref> After graduation, she began to work in the manga industry and was awarded a new artist award from the publisher Kōdansha in 1998.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=McKnight|first=Anne|title=Media Theory in Japan |date=2017-02-24|chapter=At the Source (Code): Obscenity and Modularity in Rokudenashiko's Media Activism|chapter-url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2333/chapter/920208/At-the-Source-Code-Obscenity-and-Modularity-in|language=en|pages=261–262|doi=10.1215/9780822373292-011|isbn=9780822373292 }}</ref> Despite this achievement, the artist was discouraged by the industry's competitive dependency on reader surveys, and eventually found work at a publisher that specialized in the genre of “experiential reportage” (体験ルポ, taiken rupo), also known as reality manga.<ref name=":4" /> The artist has explained that this work has formed the basis for her sculptural artworks—the genre relies on life experience as the source material for manga, using first person voice to depict real events through the eyes of the writer.<ref name=":4" /> Rokudenashiko has described her work as "literally putting real experiences into manga.”<ref name=":4" />

==Manga and decorative works==
{{See also|Vagina and vulva in art}}

Growing up in Japan, where women's genitalia are censored and stigmatized, Rokudenashiko has described how she had never seen other women's genitalia and did not know what they should look like, and was therefore concerned from a young age that her own vulva was abnormal.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Rokudenashiko — Artists At Risk Connection|url=https://artistsatriskconnection.org/story/rokudenashiko|access-date=2021-11-19|website=artistsatriskconnection.org|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> She decided to make a [[plaster cast]] of her own vulva to understand what it looked like and started to make related artworks using this mold.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|last=Kleine|first=Charlotte|date=2020-11-16|title=Who is afraid of vulvas?|url=https://artgateblog.altervista.org/who-is-afraid-of-vulvas/|access-date=2021-11-19|website=Art Gate|language=en-US}}</ref> She claims that women should be able to speak about their bodies without shame, the artist arguing that the vulva should be a "part of the body...no different from arms or legs".<ref>{{Cite news
| url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/08/09/national/media-national/ah-vaginas-defense-taboos/
| title = Ah, vaginas! In defense of taboos
| last = Hoffman
| first = Michael
| date = 2014-08-09
| newspaper = The Japan Times Online
| language = en-US
| issn = 0447-5763
| access-date = 2016-02-27
}}</ref> She hopes to make the vulva something that is "casual and [[Pop art|pop]]," declaring that in Japan, the "vagina is treated like it's something underground and hidden, so I want to industrialize and mass-produce it."<ref name="vice.com">{{Cite web
| url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/ae5pvk/in-the-studio-with-japans-controversial-vagina-artist
| title = In the Studio With Japan's Controversial Vagina Artist
| website = Vice
| date = 14 August 2015
| language = en-US
| access-date = 2016-02-27
}}</ref>

When Rokudenashiko first began to use a mold of her vulva to create artworks, she treated the idea light-heartedly. However, after receiving a lot of criticism and backlash, she began to use her art as a statement and form of [[protest]].<ref name=":6" /> In her book documenting her legal battles (see section below), she wrote: “Since I’ve started my work in manko art, I’ve been fighting back against the old men who complain about it…I’ve decided to keep making even more ridiculous work, with all seriousness. Though this was kind of a joke at first, now I am joking around with every ounce of my body and soul.”<ref>{{Cite web|last=Frank|first=Prsicilla|date=2016-07-08|title=The Unbelievably True Story Of An Artist And Her Revolutionary Vagina|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vagina-kayak-artist-rokudenashiko-book_n_577ed882e4b0c590f7e8b097|access-date=2021-11-19|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref>

Many of Rokudenashiko's artworks have been [[Confiscation|confiscated]] during police raids in 2014 and 2015, but photographs document her body of work.<ref name="vice.com" />

=== ''Deco Man'' sculptural work ===
[[File:BattleFieldManko.jpg|thumb|Photo of the "Battlefield Manko" sculpture by Megumi Igarashi]]
Since Rokudenashiko was not exposed to many realistic depictions of women's genitalia, she decided to mold a plaster cast of her own vulva to understand the reality of what it looked like.<ref name=":7" /> Rokudenashiko felt that the [[Plaster mold casting|plaster mold]] was too plain so she began to decorate them, creating an ongoing series she refers to as ''Deco Man'' (a play on “decoration” and “''manko”'').<ref name=":7" /> She has used the mold to create many casts of her vulva, including a series of [[diorama]]s that draw on 19th century [[landscape painting]]s by turning the form of her own genitalia into the grounds for various landscapes—[[moonscape]]s, beaches, golf courses, [[Stream bed|riverbeds]], as well as rustic [[cottage]] and church settings, among others.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|last=McKnight|first=Anne|date=2017-02-24|title=At the Source (Code): Obscenity and Modularity in Rokudenashiko's Media Activism|url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2333/chapter/920208/At-the-Source-Code-Obscenity-and-Modularity-in|language=en|pages=264–267|doi=10.1215/9780822373292-011}}</ref> In these tediously crafted dioramas, Rokudenashiko brings the vaginal form out of its hidden setting, positing it as a setting for the world.<ref name=":8" />

The artist has created many more vulva-themed works, including dioramas, a chandelier, lampshades, tissue covers, a [[Radio-controlled car|remote control car]], necklaces, iPhone cases. She creates a variety of these ''Deco Man'' objects under the category of ''nado'', or etcetera.<ref name=":8" />

=== ''Deco Man'' manga ===
In 2012, Rokudenashiko published a reportage style [[manga]] entitled ''Deco Man'' that documented the complicated relationship she has with her own body and the artist's process of starting to create her vulva-themed artistic creations.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|last=McKnight|first=Anne|title=Media Theory in Japan |date=2017-02-24|chapter=At the Source (Code): Obscenity and Modularity in Rokudenashiko's Media Activism|chapter-url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2333/chapter/920208/At-the-Source-Code-Obscenity-and-Modularity-in|language=en|pages=263–264|doi=10.1215/9780822373292-011|isbn=9780822373292 }}</ref> The manga is structured as seven fairy tales in the mode of a [[shōjo manga]], documenting Rokudenashiko's own artistic formation through the main character's struggles with body insecurity and inadequacy that pushed her to get plastic surgery on her labia.<ref name=":9" /> The main character comes to the conclusion that many other women are plagued with the same anxieties, and starts to help herself and other women by creating ''Deco Man'' sculptures and leading workshops for making manko art.<ref name=":9" />

=== ''Manko-chan'' ===
[[File:Manko-chan display in the permanent exhibition at the Vagina Museum at its Victoria Park Square location.jpg|thumb|A figurine of ''Manko-chan'' made by Igurashi on display in the [[Vagina Museum]] in London.]]
Rokudenashiko also created her signature cartoon character ''Manko-chan'' (the effeminate suffix ''-chan'' added as an endearing way to refer to the manko, often translated into English as Miss [[Pussy#Female genitalia|Pussy]] or Cute Little Pussy).<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7" /> ''Manko-chan'' is a cute, personified manko with two legs and a [[labia]] articulated like a mane around a simple yet expressive face that includes a characteristic yellow clitoral “third eye.”<ref name=":5" /> ''Manko-chan'' is featured on the cover of Rokudenashiko's 2016 book ''What is Obscenity?'', and has been featured in the artist's [[newsletter]], website, as well as the [[autograph]]ed photos she passes out at [[book signing]]s and other events. ''Manko-chan'' is also purchasable as a sticker set for her fans, and has been made into plastic figurines, a [[Stuffed toy|plush doll]], and a full-size costume.<ref name=":5" /><ref name="vice.com" />

===Web museum===
[[File:6d745MuseumMovie.gif|thumb|Rokudenashiko's virtual museum]]
In February 2023, Rokudenashiko established 6d745 Software, a company aimed at creating art pieces utilizing AI and web technologies. Later in June of the same year, she unveiled the "Rokudenashiko Museum", a web-based [[virtual museum]] accessible via browsers, at an exhibition in Art Lab TOKYO. <ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title='It's not here - Considerations on Reality as Virtual Universe|accessdate=2023-09-09|url=https://artlab-tokyo.com/exhibition/detail.html?part=part2&id=20230525122357}}</ref>
Within the museum, visitors can interact with characters in a 3D environment to view and comment on art pieces. Additionally, the museum offers a role-playing experience titled "Detention Game", which is based on her personal experiences. 
Rokudenashiko has expressed that her goal is that the "Museum provides a fun and cutting-edge alternative to the art industry's existing bias towards physical-world museums" <ref>{{Cite web|title='Open from 13th June 2023, The Rokudenashiko Museum blends art, humour, virtual space and AI.|accessdate=2023-09-10|url=https://sw.6d745.com/news/6Gxqy4Iu}}</ref>

==''Man-Boat'' (2014) and legal battle==
{{See also|Pornography in Japan|Censorship in Japan|Vagina and vulva in art}}
[[File:Manko-Kayak.jpg|thumb|Photo of the "Manko kayak" sculpture by Megumi Igarashi]]
In 2013, Rokudenashiko was inspired to make a larger sculptural work through the use of 3-D printing.<ref name="vice.com" /> She considered making a door and a car, before settling on a [[kayak]], inspired by the connection between [[Human female sexuality|female sexuality]] and the sea.<ref name="vice.com" /> She decided to create ''Man-Boat'' (short for ''manko'' boat), enlisting help from the public via the [[Crowdfunding|crowdfunding platform]] “Campfire” to create an attachment to mount on the cockpit of a 2-meter yellow kayak modeled from a 3-D scan of her own [[Human vulva|vulva]].<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kendall|first1=Philip|date=18 July 2014|title=Here's that "vagina kayak" Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi made with the help of crowdfunding|url=http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/07/18/heres-that-vagina-kayak-japanese-artist-megumi-igarashi-made-with-the-help-of-crowdfunding/|website=RocketNews24|publisher=SOCIO CORPORATION|access-date=25 December 2014|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104044743/http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/07/18/heres-that-vagina-kayak-japanese-artist-megumi-igarashi-made-with-the-help-of-crowdfunding/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The crowdfunding platform was online from June 18 - September 6, 2013 and raised ¥100 million (194% of its total goal) from 125 people.<ref name=":5" /> With their support, Rokudenashiko went forward with her project, spending the rest of the year creating ''Man-Boat'', the process of which she documented in detail on her blog.<ref name=":5" />

In March 2014, Rokudenashiko successfully sailed ''Man-Boat'' down the [[Tama River]] in Tokyo (the artist referred to it as the Ta-manko River).<ref name=":2" /> That same month, the artist emailed the [[Downloadable content|downloadable]] 3-D scanned data of her vulva to the 65 crowdfund supporters who had contributed ¥3,000 or more to her campaign, and gave a [[CD-ROM]] with the data to 17 others.<ref name=":14">{{Cite news|date=2016-02-01|title=Tokyo prosecutors seek fine in trial against 'vagina artist' Megumi Igarashi|language=en-US|newspaper=The Japan Times Online|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/02/01/national/crime-legal/tokyo-prosecutors-seek-fine-in-trial-against-vagina-artist-megumi-igarashi/|access-date=2016-02-27|issn=0447-5763}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> She claimed that she distributed this data to encourage people to use the data to make their own original genitalia artwork.<ref name=":1" />

=== First arrest ===
On July 12, 2014, Rokudenashiko was arrested for alleged violation of Article 175 of the criminal code for distributing obscene data, becoming the first woman in Japanese history tried on the grounds of [[obscenity]].<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":2" /> She spent a week in a Tokyo women's prison for the alleged violation of obscenity laws.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=McNeill|first=David|title=Japanese artist jailed over 'obscene' kayak design|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/japanese-artist-jailed-over-obscene-kayak-design-1.2036319|access-date=2020-03-09|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref><ref name="The Guardian 15 July 2014" /> Her arrest launched a frenzy of media attention about Rokudenashiko, her work, and images of the artist sailing the Man Boat in question down the Tama River; this surge in press led to an international outcry of support for the artist.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":2" /> More than 21,000 people worldwide signed an online petition on [[Change.org]] urging the government to free her immediately.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":11" /> She was released on July 18, 2014, after having successfully appealed her detention.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tokyo vagina artist released by police|url=http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/tokyo-vagina-artist-released-by-police|access-date=2014-07-20|work=[[Japan Today]]|date=19 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> Following her release, Rokudenashiko created a manga that [[Satire|satirized]] the police after her first arrest. After her second arrest, she suggested “[the police] trumped up some charges and arrested me in December” for releasing the work.<ref name=":5" />

=== Second arrest ===
The artist was arrested again at an exhibition of her [[diorama]] manko works at a [[sex shop]] on December 3, 2014, alongside the owner of the shop, writer and [[Feminist activism|feminist activist]] Watanabe Minori (who uses the [[pseudonym]] of Kitahara Minori).<ref>{{cite news|date=4 December 2014|title=Manga artist arrested after displaying 'obscene' work in Tokyo shop|work=The Asahi Shimbun Company|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201412040068|url-status=dead|access-date=25 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231165238/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201412040068|archive-date=31 December 2014}}</ref> Watanabe was later released.<ref>{{cite news|date=8 December 2014|title=Writer released after arrest over displaying salacious objects at adult shop|work=The [[Japan Times]]|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/12/08/national/writer-released-after-arrest-over-displaying-salacious-objects-at-adult-shop/#.VJxcwAAAHA|access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> After almost a month in jail, Rokudenashiko was indicted on December 24 for three separate counts of violating Japan's obscenity law: "obscenity display", "obscenity electromagnetic record", and "obscenity electromagnetic recording medium distribution."<ref name="news.artnet.com">{{Cite web|title=Vagina Kayak Artist Moves On to Painting - artnet News|url=https://news.artnet.com/people/vagina-kayak-artist-megumi-igarashi-awaiting-trial-325792|access-date=2016-02-27|website=artnet News|date=26 August 2015|language=en-US}}</ref> &nbsp;She pleaded not-guilty and was released on [[bail]] on December 28.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite news|date=26 December 2014|title=「お酒を飲みたい」保釈されたマンガ家・ろくでなし子氏 自身のキャラクターを並べて記者会見に臨む|work=otapol|url=http://otapol.jp/2014/12/post-2208.html|access-date=26 December 2014|archive-date=26 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626123323/http://otapol.jp/2014/12/post-2208.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Trial ===
Rokudenashiko's trial began 14 April 2015 in Tokyo District Court.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":13" /> The trial served as a venue for the artist to challenge the [[double standard]] on representations of male bodies in comparison to female's bodies.<ref name=":10" /> The artist's defense was built around the claim that ''Man Boat'' was a work of art rather than a [[Pornography|pornographic]] or [[Eroticism|erotic]] image. As shared with the [[Advertising agency|creative agency]] MASSIVE in an interview, Rokudenashiko's &nbsp;full statement to the court was as follows:<blockquote>“I make fun, cheerful things that attempt to overturn prevailing perceptions of female genitalia. I’ve attempted to make things specifically for supporters of my work, but was then indicted and arrested, as you know. While I find the whole ordeal absurd, it is precisely because of my arrest that so many more people have been able to think more seriously about the perception of female genitals and of their right to a freedom of expression, which is ultimately a good thing. And yet, I have absolutely no idea what makes the three pieces for which I’ve been indicted, crimes of obscenity, why other works haven’t been deemed obscene.

It has become impossible to establish a standard (of so-called obscenity), and this case will shut down any opportunity I may have in the future, to create other similar work. I am also financially challenged. If there continues to be no fair criteria, museums will be less inclined to hang challenging art or work by similar artists, and the arts as an institution will become closed minded. I am convinced of my innocence and I believe the court is capable of viewing the situation with fairness. I beg of you consider my circumstances.”<ref name=":12" /></blockquote>''Man Boat'' (and many other artworks) were confiscated and held as [[evidence]] over the course of the trial.<ref name=":5" /> At its height, Rokudenashiko could have faced up to two years in jail and fines up to ¥2.5 million (around US$25,000), but the [[Prosecutor|prosecution]] later stated an intent to seek a fine of ¥800,000 (around US$7,800) and no jail time.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/15/japanese-artist-trial-vagina-selfies|title=Japanese artist goes on trial over 'vagina selfies'|last=McCurry|first=Justin|date=April 15, 2015|website=The Guardian (London, England)|access-date=2020-03-09}}</ref>

During the trial Rokudenashiko spoke out about her situation many times, explaining her perspective to the public and incorporating her legal battle into her artworks. This included attending a press meeting of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in a widely circulated address, as well as giving an address when she won the second place prize in the Tokyo Designers Week Art Fair.<ref name=":11" /> She playfully mocked the [[police]] in her address at the Art Fair, saying "If I had not been arrested, I could not have spread my activities in this way, I would not have been invited to this event and I could not have let the contemporary art world know the name of Rokudenashiko. I really appreciate all the police’s support."<ref name=":11" />

=== Verdict ===
On 8 May 2016, the court handed down a rare, mixed decision: Rokudenashiko was found ''not guilty'' of the charges related to the kayak, on the grounds that the sculpture, with its bright color and decoration, "did not immediately suggest female anatomy", in the words of the [[BBC]] report.<ref name=":15">{{Cite news|date=2016-05-09|title=Japan vagina artist cleared over kayak model but fined for data distribution|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36247459|access-date=2021-11-22}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> However, the artist was found ''guilty'' of the charges related to the 3D data, and was fined ¥400,000 (roughly US$3,660), about half what the prosecution had suggested was appropriate.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":15" /> Rokudenashiko and her legal team immediately vowed to appeal.<ref name=":10" />

=== Appeal ===
The appeal of Rokudenashiko‘s ¥400,000 fine was unsuccessful, bringing an end to the case in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |date=25 April 2017 |url= https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/sliced-3d-printing-digest-pyrogenesis-etihad-airways-stratasys-canada-makes-penn-state-megumi-igarashi-111473/ |title= Megumi Igarashi obscenity charges upheld for 3D printed vagina |last=Clarke |first=Corey |access-date=15 September 2024 }}</ref>

== Domestic and international media attention ==
[[File:Queer Japan- Rokudenashiko Clip.webm|thumb|A clip from ''[[Queer Japan]]'' featuring Rokudenashiko discussing her art.]]
Rokudenashiko's case drew international attention. Many disputes about women's rights, artistic freedom, censorship, and double standards in Japan emerged due to Igarashi's arrests.<ref name=":0" /> After the announcement of the verdict for her second arrest, more than 1,000 tweeted expressing anger and questioning the logic of the court.<ref name=":0" /> Many felt that there was a blatant double standard in the manner in which Japan's obscenity laws functioned; a widespread example, especially among those living outside Japan, was that male genitalia are shown at shrines and festivals (such as the [[Kanamara Matsuri|Kanamara penis festival]]), while women's genitalia in an object as innocent as a kayak could be grounds for arrest.<ref name="vice.com" /><ref name="3dp" />  ''[[The Daily Show]]'' host [[Jon Stewart]] noted that in Japan, female reproductive organs remain taboo while there is a [[Kanamara Matsuri|festival dedicated to the penis]].<ref name="3dp">{{cite news|url=https://3dprint.com/58516/vagina-kayak-artist-asserts-innocence/|title=3D Printed Vagina Kayak Artist Asserts Innocence Again in Japanese Court|date=15 April 2015|access-date=13 May 2016|website=3Dprint.com}}</ref> An article in ''[[The Guardian]]'' inquired, "how can it be OK for [[Lolicon|comics to publish underage pornography]] but illegal to invite people to 3D scan your vagina?"<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2016/may/10/japan-megumi-igarashi-guilty-vagina-art|title=It's obscene that Japan found Megumi Igarashi guilty for her vagina art|date=2016-05-10|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-03-09|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The documentary film ''[[Female Pleasure|#Female Pleasure]]'' follows Igarashi during the trial. The film is about five women, including her, fighting social taboos regarding [[female sexuality]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=|first1=|title=Review: #Female Pleasure|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/358163|website=Cineuropa.org|access-date=6 March 2019|date=6 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Julian |first=Jordan |date=2019-10-14 |title=The Women Fighting to Shatter Taboos About Female Sexuality |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/female-pleasure-how-five-extraordinary-women-are-fighting-to-shatter-taboos-about-female-sexuality/?ref=scroll |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
The artist married [[Mike Scott (Scottish musician)|Mike Scott]], the frontman of Scottish folk rock band [[The Waterboys]], in October 2016. Their first child, a son, was born on 2 February 2017.<ref>{{cite news | title=On February 2, 2017, I Had a Healthy Baby Boy | work=Rokudenashiko (official website, in Japanese) | url=https://6d745.com/2017/02/08/2017年2月2日、元気な男の子を授かりました＼-%EF%BC%8F/ | access-date=26 June 2017 | date=8 February 2017 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525234711/https://6d745.com/2017/02/08/2017%E5%B9%B42%E6%9C%882%E6%97%A5%E3%80%81%E5%85%83%E6%B0%97%E3%81%AA%E7%94%B7%E3%81%AE%E5%AD%90%E3%82%92%E6%8E%88%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%EF%BC%BC-%EF%BC%8F/ | archivedate=25 May 2017 }}</ref>

==Books==
* Rokudenashiko, ワイセツって何ですか？[''Waisetsu’tte nandesuka?'' What is Obscenity?] (Tokyo: Kinyōbi, 2015).
* Rokudenashiko, 私の体がワイセツ?!女のそこだけなぜタブー [Watashi no karada ga waisetsu?! Onna no soko dake naze tabū, My Body Is Obscene?!: Why Is Only My Lady Part Taboo?], (Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 2015).
* Rokudenashiko, ''What is Obscenity? The Story of a Good for Nothing Artist and Her Pussy'' ([[Koyama Press]], 2016), English Translation by A. Ishii ({{ISBN|978-1-927-668-31-3}})

== Exhibitions ==

'''2012'''
* ''Deco Man Exhibition'', Ginza Vanilla-Mania, Tokyo, Japan

'''2014'''
* ''Let's play with Manko! Manko Exhibition'', Shinjuku Ophthalmologist （Ganka）Gallery, Tokyo,  Japan <ref>{{Cite web|title=Let's play with Manko ! Manko Exhibition|accessdate=2023-09-09|url=https://www.gankagarou.com/show-item/201405rokudenashiko/}}</ref>

'''2016'''
* ''Feminism Fan in Japan and Friends'', Youkobo Art Space, Tokyo <ref>{{Cite web|title=FEMINIST FAN IN JAPAN AND FRIENDS|accessdate=2023-09-09|url=https://www.katejust.com/feminist-fan-in-japan-and-friends}}</ref>

* ''SCHAM 100 GRÜNDE, ROT ZU WERDEN'', DHMD Museum of Art, Dresden, Germany <ref>{{Cite web|title=SCHAM 100 GRÜNDE, ROT ZU WERDEN|accessdate=2023-09-09|url=https://www.dhmd.de/fileadmin/user_upload/DHM/Presse/Pressemappen/2016-11-24_Scham_Pressemappe_final.pdf}}</ref>

'''2020'''
* ''BURST Generation : Death and SEX'', Shinjuku Ophthalmologist （Ganka）Gallery, Tokyo, Japan  <ref>{{Cite web|title=BURST Generation : Death and SEX|accessdate=2023-09-09|url=https://www.gankagarou.com/show-item/202007burst/}}</ref>
* COMIC SALON, Museum for Communication Berlin, Berlin, Germany
* COMIC SALON, Erika Fuchs Haus, Schwarzenbach an der Saale, Germany

'''2021'''
* ''Bijyutsu VAGINA'', Kyoto KUNST ARZT, Kyoto, Japan <ref>{{Cite web|accessdate=2023-09-09|title=Bijyutsu VAGINA|url=http://kunstarzt.com/VvK/355BVAGINA/BijyutsuVAGINA.htm}}</ref>

'''2022'''
* COMIC SALON ERLANGEN, Erlangen, Germany <ref>{{Cite web|accessdate=2023-09-09|title=Vorbilder*innen Feminismus in Comic und Illustration|date=22 May 2021 |url=https://www.comic-salon.de/de/vorbilderinnen}}</ref>

'''2023'''
* ''It’s not here - Considerations on Reality as Virtual Universe'', ArtLabTokyo, Tokyo, Japan <ref name="auto"/>

== See also ==
* [[Feminist art]]
* [[Jamie McCartney]], an artist known for the ''Great Wall of Vagina''
* [[Vulva activism]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Rokudenashiko}}
* {{official website|http://6d745.com/}} {{in lang|ja|en}}

{{authority control (arts)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Igarashi, Megumi}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1970s births]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese women artists]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese artists]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese women artists]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese artists]]
[[Category:Japanese sculptors]]
[[Category:Japanese feminists]]
[[Category:Feminist artists]]
[[Category:Japanese pop artists]]
[[Category:Japanese multimedia artists]]
[[Category:Manga artists]]
[[Category:Vagina and vulva in art]]
[[Category:Women and sexuality]]
[[Category:Sexuality in arts]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in comics]]
[[Category:Anime and manga controversies]]
[[Category:Obscenity law]]
[[Category:Nude art]]
[[Category:Japanese women sculptors]]
[[Category:21st-century women sculptors]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese sculptors]]
[[Category:Japanese erotic artists]]
[[Category:People convicted of obscenity]]