REFERENCES

Hentai being the top search term on Pornhub

"2024 Year in Review" Pornhub. 2024. https://www.pornhub.com/insights/2024-year-in-review 

Hentai Google Trends chart

"Google Trends - hentai, anime, manga, sushi, karaoke" Google Trends. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=hentai,anime,manga,sushi,karaoke&hl=en 

Most of the history from the first half of this video is from this article

McLelland, Mark. "A Short History of 'Hentai'" Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context. Jan 2006. Issue 12. http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue12/mclelland.html 

I didn't cite anything directly from this video, but it did inform a lot of it

Rito, Kimi. "The History of Hentai Manga: An Expressionist Examination of EroManga" ‎ FAKKU. Dec 10, 2021.

Ogai and Vita Sexualis

McLelland, Mark. "Bishōnen" Japanese Media and Popular Culture. Apr 25, 2020. https://jmpc-utokyo.com/keyword/bishonen/

Vita Sexualis banned by the government

Keene, Donald. “Dawn to the West: A History of Japanese Literature” Columbia University Press. 1999. p. 25.

QUOTE: Mark McLelland about hentai and jotai

Pflugfelder, Gregory. quoted by McLelland, Mark. "A Short History of 'Hentai'" Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context. Jan 2006. Issue 12. http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue12/mclelland.html 

Censorship of ero guro and the Newspaper Law of 1909

Lackney, Lisa. "Ero-Guro-Nansensu: Modernity and its Discontents in Taishō and Early Shōwa Japan" Vanderbilt University. 2020. p. 237.

Newspaper Law of 1909 article

"新聞紙法" Wikipedia. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E7%B4%99%E6%B3%95 

Number of books in Japan increasing from 10k to 30k

Abel, Jonathan E. "Redacted: The Archives of Censorship in Transwar Japan" University of California Press. 2012. p. 45.

Censorship of sexual studies in Japan

Fruhstuck, Sabrine. "Colonizing Sex: Sexology and Social Control in Modern Japan" University of California Press. 2003. p. 15. https://books.google.ca/books?id=77gwDwAAQBAJ 

Edogawa Ranpo's connection to ero guro nansensu

Thacker, Eugene. "Defining J-Horror: The erotic, grotesque 'nonsense' of Edogawa Rampo" The Japan Times. Jan 7, 2017.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/01/07/books/defining-j-horror-erotic-grotesque-nonsense-edogawa-rampo/ 

https://archive.ph/0Y7z0 

Gurotesuku magazine and its founder, Umehara Hokumei

Lackney, Lisa. "Ero-Guro-Nansensu: Modernity and its Discontents in Taishō and Early Shōwa Japan" Vanderbilt University. 2020. p. 256.

Sato’s list of banned books in Gurotesuku

Abel, Jonathan E. "Redacted: The Archives of Censorship in Transwar Japan" University of California Press. 2012. p. 44.

QUOTE: Takahiro Tachibana talking about the three ROs

Tachibana, Takahiro. quoted by Abel, Jonathan E. "Redacted: The Archives of Censorship in Transwar Japan" University of California Press. 2012. p. 94.

Basic history of Shunga

"Do You Want to Explore the Secrets of the Japanese Erotic Art of Shunga?" Shunga Gallery. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://shungagallery.com/what-is-shunga/ 

Comprehensive history of Shunga

Evans, Tom. Evans, Mary Anne. "Shunga: The Art of Love in Japan" Paddington Press. 1970. https://archive.org/details/shungaartoflovei0000evan_f8u7/page/70

History of Shunga I mostly used

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016.

Everyone reading Shunga

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 30.

Women reading Shunga

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 30.

Brides being gifted shunga for their wedding

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 29.

Sexual discussions being open in Japan

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 2.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa article

"The Great Wave off Kanagawa" Wikipedia. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa 

Hokusai's Lesbian Awabi Divers

Kruijff, Marijn. "The Mesmerizing Lesbian Abalone Divers By Hokusai" Shunga Gallery. Oct 15, 2016. https://shungagallery.com/hokusais-lesbian-awabi-divers/#lesbian_couple 

Hokusai's Horny Widow

Kruijff, Marijn. "'The Insatiable Horny Widow'-Shunga"  Shunga Gallery. Sep 25, 2016. https://shungagallery.com/shunga-print-horny-widow-hokusai/ 

The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife article

"The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" Wikipedia. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_of_the_Fisherman%27s_Wife 

Dark woodblock print art

Schreiber, Mark. "Eimei nijuhasshuku: Twenty-eight plebeian verses about the constellations of glorious figures. The social and cultural roots of news nishikie" Yosha Bunko. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://www.yoshabunko.com/nishikie/articles/MS_Eimei_nijuhasshuku.html 

Tokugawa shogunate banning books that criticized them

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 2.

Kyoho Reforms ban not stopping shunga production

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 31.

Bans on shunga not being enforced strictly by authorities

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 32.

Meiji Era starting a cultural shift that made shunga taboo

Redjou, Rachael. “Shunga: Erotic Art in the Tokugawa Era.” Western Washington University, 2016. p. 32.

1880 Japanese Civil Code being based on the Napoleonic Code

"Section 3: Establishment of the Civil Code" Modern Japan and France. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://www.ndl.go.jp/france/en/part1/s1_3.html 

Ishiki kaii jorei

Wetherall, William. "Tokyo's 1872 Ishiki kaii jōrei: Policing public order, safety, hygiene, and morality" Nov 18, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20250117211342/https://www.yoshabunko.com/anthropology/Ishiki_kaii_jorei.html 

A copy of Japan's 1907 Penal Code

"PENAL CODE (Act No.45 of 1907)" Government of Japan. May 28, 2006. https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/hourei/data/PC.pdf 

QUOTE: Japanese bodies

Igarashi, Yoshikuni. “Bodies of Memory: Narratives of War in Postwar Japanese Culture, 1945-1970”. Princeton University Press. 2000. p. 48, 52.

Kasutori magazines

Gowers, Rob. "Strange, Sexy and Salacious – Exploring Japan’s Post-War Kasutori Magazines" Grimoire of Horror, May 3, 2022. https://www.grimoireofhorror.com/the-yurei/kasutori-magazines/ 

QUOTE: Kasutori magazines being a reference to the alcohol (This is even referenced in the Wikipedia here)

McLelland, Mark. "A Short History of 'Hentai'" Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context. Jan 2006. Issue 12. http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue12/mclelland.html 

Aku to Kuro's first issue contains a story by Edogawa Ranpo. Very hard to find a full copy

"創刊号". 赤と黒. September 1946. Vol 1. Issue 1.

History of Kinbaku and rope bondage

Rodrigues da Costa, Alexandre. "Ito Seiu: The Art Beyond Pleasure and Pain - Part I" Shunga Gallery. Jul 25, 2023. https://shungagallery.com/ito-seiu-hojojutsu/ 

Kita Reiko bondage artwork for Kitan Club

Kruijff, Marijn. "The Sublime Japanese Bondage Art of Kita Reiko" Shunga Gallery. Dec 15, 2021. https://shungagallery.com/kita-reiko/ 

The popularity of shibari and kinbaku from Kitan Club

https://cherwell.org/2019/02/24/taboo-the-work-and-legacy-of-nobuyoshi-araki/ 

Article about Kita Reiko

https://www.kinbakutoday.com/minomura-kou-legendary-bakushi/ 

Most of the history of the video, from the mention of Tezuka onward

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021.

QUOTE: Polymorphous perversity from Tamaki Saito

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 51.

Gekiga magazines reaching 80 to 100 copies a month, and 5 million in circulation

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 51.

Tezuka being held back by publishing guidelines and parent groups

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 53.

Rental magazines (gekiga) having a large crossover readership with manga

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 54.

The origins of etchi

"'H' does not mean 'hentai'" Kagami. Archived Mar 17, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030317120606re_/http://home.attbi.com/~kagamix2/H_does_not_mean_hentai/ 

QUOTE: "Ara etchi yo" incident + the term evolving to become less lewd over time

McLelland, Mark. "A Short History of 'Hentai'" Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context. Jan 2006. Issue 12. http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue12/mclelland.html 

Tezuka’s daughter finding his erotica in a locked drawer

Baseel, Casey. "Daughter of Osamu Tezuka, God of Manga, discovers his stash of hand-drawn sexy mouse artwork" Sora News 24. Mar 29, 2014. https://soranews24.com/2014/03/29/daughter-of-osamu-tezuka-god-of-manga-discovers-his-stash-of-hand-drawn-sexy-mouse-artwork/ 

Japan removing publication censorship (per the US military, which I'm sure is an unbiased source of information)

"U.S. Army Area Handbook for Japan" U.S. Government Printing Office. 1964. p. 536. https://books.google.ca/books?id=eVGI2_xMcT4C

History of the 1960 Anpo and 1968 student protests

Andrews, William. "Dissenting Japan: A History of Japanese Radicalism and Counterculture, from 1945 to Fukushima" C. Hurst & Co. 2016. 

Gekiga having political themes

Galbraith, Patrick W. "Lolicon: The Reality of ‘Virtual Child Pornography’ in Japan" Image & Narrative. 2011. Vol 12. p. 93.

Gekiga being allowed to cross lines, as long as it was erotic

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 65.

Japan's 1969 election results

"1969 Japanese general election" Wikipedia. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Japanese_general_election 

QUOTE: Defeat in the student protests elevating gekiga

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 60.

The history of censorship around Article 175

da Silva, Joaquín. "Obscenity and Article 175 of the Japanese Penal Code: A Short Introduction to Japanese Censorship" Oct 24, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20110715165520/http://redsiglo21.com/eiga9/articulos/obscenity.html 

American court saying "I know it when I see it" in major obscenity trial

"I know it when I see it" Wikipedia. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_it_when_I_see_it 

Japanese censorship focusing on genitals and pubic hair

Galbraith, Patrick W. "Lolicon: The Reality of ‘Virtual Child Pornography’ in Japan" Image & Narrative. 2011. Vol 12. p. 93.

Japanese Wikipedia for Eirin film ratings noting that Jackass 2 has uncensored male genitals

"映画倫理機構" Wikipedia. Accessed Apr 20, 2025. https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E5%80%AB%E7%90%86%E6%A9%9F%E6%A7%8B 

Women being discouraged from joining the protest movement

Evans, Sara M. “Sons, Daughters, and Patriarchy: Gender and the 1968 Generation” The American Historical Review. Vol 114, Issue 2. p. 338. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284329542_Sons_Daughters_and_Patriarchy_Gender_and_the_1968_Generation 

History of Japanese feminism

"A Brief Introduction to Japanese Feminism" The Postgraduate Gender Research Network of Scotland. Apr 11, 2018. https://pgrnscotland.wordpress.com/2018/04/11/a-brief-introduction-to-japanese-feminism/ 

Men reading shojo in the 1970s

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 55.

Bishojo meaning "cute" moreso than strictly beautiful

Galbraith, Patrick W. translating Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 39.

Garo and COM not having gendered readership

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 54.

Manga Erogenica is charged under Article 175

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 81.

Other erotic magazines and bookstores are charged and shut down

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 81-82.

QUOTE: Macho values beginning to break down in Japan

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 85.

QUOTE: Lolicon described as "Tezuka style cute characters having sex"

Galbraith, Patrick W. "Lolicon: The Reality of ‘Virtual Child Pornography’ in Japan" Image & Narrative. 2011. Vol 12. p. 95.

Lolicon stemming from Russell Trainer's The Lolita Complex

Galbraith, Patrick W. "Lolicon: The Reality of ‘Virtual Child Pornography’ in Japan" Image & Narrative. 2011. Vol 12. p. 94.

Clarisse from Castle of Cagliostro sparking a boom in lolicon

Galbraith, Patrick W. "Lolicon: The Reality of ‘Virtual Child Pornography’ in Japan" Image & Narrative. 2011. Vol 12. p. 97.

Comiket having initial attendance of 90% women, which then became 50/50 after the lolicon boom

Yi Lam, Fan. "Comic Market: How the World's Biggest Amateur Comic Fair Shaped Japanese Dōjinshi Culture" University of Minnesota Press. 2010. p. 236.

QUOTE: Lemon People and "I like cute things

Nagayama, Kaoru. "Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga" Amsterdam University Press. 2021. p. 87.

History of Comiket and attendees being 57% women today

"What Is Comic Market? A presentation by the Comic Market Committee" Comiket. Jan 2008. https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf 

Monkey Punch’s story in COM

Burchill, Baxter. "In Translation | "Play" by Monkey Punch" Tsundoku Diving. Jun 15, 2024. https://www.tsundokudiving.com/in-translation-play-by-monkey-punch/ 

Lolita Anime was not actually based on manga published in Lemon People. Lolita Anime and Cream Lemon are two separate lolicon OVAs that came out the same year. Cream Lemon's OVAs were largely based on Lemon People manga, but Lolita Anime's first OVA was actually based on "幼女と少女がもんちっち" ("A little girl and a young girl are a pair of monkeys") by Fumio Nakajima in Manga Erogenica. Fumio Nakajima would only go on to publish works in Lemon People a few years after this

@Taruby. translating 秋野宴. "ロリータアニメの創り手たち" ビデパル. Jan 1985. p. 82-84. https://varishangout.com/index.php?threads/lolicon-history-fusion-product-lolita-bishoujo-special-edition-translation.1003/ 

Clements, Jonathan. McCarthy, Helen. "The Anime Encyclopedia, Third Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation". Stone Bridge Press. 2015. p. 156, 479.

FURTHER READING

Crunchyroll's history of hentai video

Crunchyroll: Inside Anime. "The (Semi-NSFW) History of Hentai | Anime Explained" YouTube. Dec 4, 2019. https://youtu.be/7rY79tRvinc

History of ero guro nansensu, including a cameo from me

graylink. "A Deep Dive Into Ero Guro Nansensu" YouTube. Jun 25, 2024. https://youtu.be/MoI8g0TPppk