Masturbation+in+Japan


 * by Elise Becher**

**Japanese religion as a guide for living**

On the whole, religion in Japan is a mixture of ideas from Shinto and Buddhism. Japanese religion is unlike most Western religions in that it is not practiced in the form of a group gathering with a leader who prescribes a certain style of worship, nor as a particular doctrine of thought. Japanese religion is a more private experience than that of its Western counterparts. Events featuring public worship or group religious observation are largely absent in Japanese culture. Religion is separate from the state; there are neither religious prayers nor religious symbols at political events or school ceremonies. Religion is not openly discussed with any regularity, and most Japanese do not consider themselves religious. (“Shinto, buddhism”)

Japanese religion is similar to a moral code which determines the way to run one’s daily life and manage one’s affairs and relationships. Japanese social and cultural values are infused with ideas found in both Shinto (seek harmony with nature - everything in the natural world contains gods) and Buddhism (be concerned with the state of the soul and its afterlife). In extremely general terms, Shinto practice informs the Japanese how to live in this life, and Buddhism has a great deal to say about what happens after. (“Shinto at a glance,” 2011)

**Buddhism, Shinto, and Masturbation**

Basic buddhist principles emphasize the importance of self-control, and urge students to develop mastery over their cravings. Many Buddhist teachers recommend that practitioners keep track of desire, how and when it comes and goes. Sometimes, choosing not to act on an impulse, such as the urge to masturbate, helps to demonstrate that desire will dissipate if one does not give in to it right away. Another key teaching of Buddhism is that desire causes suffering, which can thereby inhibit spiritual growth (Hardy). Failing to control and manage desire therefore encourages additional suffering. So while masturbation may not be viewed as “sinful” the way it is by many religions in the West, it is seen as an act that will ultimately bring about continued suffering. And for that reason, it is undesirable. Buddhist nuns and monks are forbidden from practicing masturbation.

Shinto has no concept of original sin, nor does it see human beings as inherently bad or misbehaving. Shinto teaches physical cleanliness - in the interest of mastering self-control and obtaining purity. Masturbation is therefore considered impure, but as with Buddhism, not necessarily “sinful.” (“Shinto at a glance,” 2011).

On the whole, while Buddhism and Shintoism are not proponents of masturbation, neither do they frame the question in the stark terms of good vs evil.

**Historical References**



Shunga is the traditional term for Japanese erotic art that had its heyday largely in the 18th century, Translated literally, the word shunga means “picture of spring,” and spring is a common euphemism for sex. Shunga were largely produced using woodblock prints, to which color was added after printing until full color printing emerged in the middle of the century (“Shaking up,” 2015). The pictures depicted a wide variety of sexual activity, most often featuring heterosexual couples, but sometimes including two men or two women, or one or more people engaged in masturbation. Women masturbating were generally depicted with a wooden phallus, either held by hand or tied to the heel of the foot (Walthall, 2009). The people in the shunga were almost always fully clothed, with only their exaggerated and graphically detailed genitalia exposed. Nudity was not considered inherently erotic in this period in Japan, and the clothing helped to identify the class and station of the participants and to lend focus to the exposed genitalia and the sex acts in which they were engaged (“Shaking up,” 2015). One of the proposed functions of shunga is that it was intended for use as erotic stimulus to aid with masturbation. And depictions of scenes of masturbation in the art appear to have become increasingly common as time wore on, with the greatest number found in 19th century prints (Hockney, 2000). In the eyes of scholars, Japanse erotic art has therefore included masturbation as both a subject matter and as an intended result of viewership for centuries.

Early Japanese sex manuals also included masturbation as subject matter. Given Japanese society’s significant history of gender inequality, some interesting and consistent findings emerge: female masturbation scenes focused on use of dildos; women assisted each other with dildos, but never touched each other without a dildo mediating the contact; masturbation for women was shown to be for women who lacked access to men (e.g. widows, servants), and the prevailing belief was that women clearly preferred masturbation with dildos to any other method of practice (Walthall, 2009).

Clear differences between Japanese and western attitudes about masturbation are evident. Those who did not have access to intercourse were encouraged in early manuals to masturbate in order to promote good physical and mental health. And many manuals attempted to teach both men and women how to achieve satisfaction through masturbation (Walthall, 2009).

**Practice**

Perhaps in keeping with the longstanding gender inequality in Japanese society overall, survey data suggests that current masturbation practice differs a great deal between the sexes. The overwhelming majority of males (between 81 and 95% depending on the study) have masturbated before age 21, whereas a far smaller percentage of females (between 12% and 34%) have done so. In fact, the majority of Japanese females continue to ignore masturbation even after beginning to have penile-vaginal intercourse (Asayama, 1975; Francouer & Noonan, 2004). Recent data show that even once they reach pre and peri-menopausal ages, Japanese women remain unlikely to masturbate with any significant frequency; over 50% report never masturbating; 28% engage less than once per month; 15% once or twice per month, and only 7% masturbate at least weekly (Cain et al, 2003).

**Sex Education**

There is no consistent program of sex education in Japanese schools. The average number hours of sex ed is approximately three hours per year across the later elementary grades, middle school, and high school. Some reports estimate the percentage of sex ed classes that cover masturbation as a topic to be between 10% and 20% (Tashiro, Ushitora & Wantanabe, 2011). Other reports on the topics covered by Japanese sexual education classes do not even list masturbation as one of the possible topic to be discussed (Francoeur & Noonan, 2004).

**Current Cultural Phenomena**

__Tenga__

In 2005, Koichi Matsumoto, a disenchanted auto mechanic, created the Tenga corporation to produce and sell masturbation aids for Japanese men. The company sold 1 million units of its first disposable masturbation device, the Tenga “egg”, in its first year of business, and was up to 15 million units sold by January of 2013. Business is currently conducted throughout much of the world, with products in stores throughout most of Asia, significant portions of North America and Australia, some of Europe, and South America, and at least one country in Africa (South Africa). In addition to bricks and mortar sales, products are sold online throughout the world as well.

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Perhaps associated with the Japanese focus on cleanliness and propriety, emphasis at Tenga is placed on the aesthetics of design, and any resemblance between Tenga devices and products intended to visually simulate a human vagina is avoided. Advertising and packaging feature graphic design elements in red, white, black, and silver, and steer clear of any sexualized imagery.

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The Tenga company produces products in several categories, They continue to offer the disposable eggs, which are flexible, stretchy silicone polymer sleeves designed to hold a small quantity of lubricant and slide up and down the shaft of the penis. There are also a disposable "cup" series which is more sturdy and can be reused if washed properly, a “flip" series that splits open to be washed and reused, and accessories such as lubricants (referred to as lotions) and warmers to be used in conjunction with the devices. Japanese women have now also been included as targets for merchandising, with the company expanding to create a brand called iroha to sell a variety of hand-held vibrators.

One of the company’s employees, Masanobu Sato, enjoys folk-hero status as champion of the World Masturbatathon, a competition held annually in San Francisco. Before the category for longest masturbation session was discontinued in 2009, Sato achieved champion status by winning the category twice, the second time masturbating continuously for 9 hours, 58 minutes (“World champion’” 2011).

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Japanese fascination with technology and virtual reality has recently been taken to a whole new level. Illusion VR (virtual reality) has combined with the Tenga cup to produce a “virtual sex suit” inside which a straight male can experience sensations delivered via electrical impulse to simulate sexual activity with an animated female character, taking solo sexual experience to a whole new level (“Virtual sex’” 2016).

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__Love Joule__

In the fall of 2012, the Shibuya neighborhood in Tokyo became home to the first “female masturbation bar,” a place designed to reduce the stigma in Japan around the pursuit of female sexual pleasure. Men are not welcome at the bar unless they are accompanied by a female companion. At Love Joule, women can sit and have a drink with their friends and discuss masturbation and sex toys (mostly vibrators) used by women to pleasure themselves in a “safe” environment. On the wall behind the bar, where a proprietor would ordinarily line up bottles of liquor, a wide variety of vibrators, lubricants, and other sex toys are on display on well-lit shelves to stimulate conversation and discovery. The owner provides information to interested parties about local retail establishments where one can purchase the various items displayed (“Love Joule,” 2012; McCombs, 2013).



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__Declining Japanese Birthrate__

Perhaps coincidentally, the increasingly public emphasis on both male and female masturbation, including the rise of the Tenga company and the success of Love Joule, is happening contemporaneously with the onset of an alarming decline in Japanese birthrates. Almost 300,000 more people died in Japan in 2014 than were born there that year (Baer, 2015). Current estimates suggest that if these trends continue, the country could lose as much as one-third of its population by 2060 (Haworth, 2013).

There has been much speculation about the potential reasons for the significant drop in numbers of births, with a great deal of attention paid to the phenomenon of the “herbivore man.” The Japanese press is abuzz with articles about increasing numbers of such men, who do not observe traditional cultural norms of hegemonic masculinity and are largely disinterested in sex and relationships (Charlebois, 2013). As the English translation of sex is //relationship in flesh,// these men are referred to as herbivorous.

Studies over the past 5 years show steadily increasing percentages of young men in Japan who express disdain for and disinterest in interacting in any significant way either emotionally or physically with potential romantic partners (Baer, 2015). Governmental agencies conducting a wide variety of surveys have found recent percentages of more than 35% of young men ages 16-19 reporting no interest in sex (“Japanese teens,” 2011), doubling the percentages identified just a few years ago. Almost half of all females aged 16-24 have expressed similar lack of interest in sexual contact, with more than a quarter of their male counterparts feeling the same way. Furthermore, approximately 50% of both men and women in Japan report not having had sex in the past month; over 40% of married people report not having had sex in the past month, and 50-60% of single men and women report not currently being involved in any kind of romantic relationship (Baer, 2015; Haworth, 2013; “Japanese teens,” 2011)).

Explanations for these numbers are undoubtedly multifactorial and complex and suggest the need for further exploration of Japan’s economic realities as they relate to cultural norms and expectations around sex, relationships, and marriage. It at least seems reasonable to conclude that lack of sexual interest and activity are likely to be contributing to the problem of Japan’s declining birthrates. But what of the relationship between the lack of interest in sexual intimacy and the recent rise of the Tenga company (and recent competitor market entries) and the new interest in destigmatizing female masturbation (the popularity of and fascination with Love Joule)? Is there perhaps a relationship between these cultural phenomena? The question seems worthy of future stud


 * References **

Asayama, S. (1975). Adolescent sex development and adult sex behavior in Japan. //The Journal of Sex Research, 11(2),// 91-112.

Baer, D. (2015, August 20). ‘Herbivore men’ could be the reason nobody’s having sex in Japan. //Tech Insider.// Retrieved from http://www.techinsider.io/herbivore-men-in-japan-are-not-having-sex-8-15

Cain, V. S., Johannes, C. B., Avis, N.E., Mohr, B., Schocken, M., Skurnick, J., & Ory, M. (2003). Sexual functioning and practices in a multi-ethnic study of midlife women: Baseline results from SWAN. //The Journal of Sex Research, 40(3),// 266-276.

Charlebois, J. (2013). Herbivore masculinity as an oppositional form of masculinity. //Culture, Society & Masculinities, 5(1),// 89-104.

Haworth, A.(2013, October 20). Why have young people in Japan stopped having sex? //The Guardian.// Retrieved from []

Hardy, J. Religion Library: Buddhism principles of moral thought and action. Retrieved from []

Hockley, A. (2000). Review: Shunga: Function, context, methodology. //Monumenta Nipponica, 55(2),// 257-269.

Francoeur, R. & Noonan, R. (2004). International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Japan. Retrived from []

Japanese teens, married couples losing sex drive: Report. (2011, January 14). //The World Post,// Retrieved from []

Love Joule, Japan’s first bar devoted to female masturbation, opens in Tokyo. (2012, October 1). //Huffpost Weird News.// Retrieved from []

McCombs, K. (2013, January 16)//.// My visit to Tokyo’s female masturbation bar [Web log post]. Retrieved from []

Shaking up the shunga taboo. (2015, Autumn). Retrieved from [] Shinto at a glance: A brief overview of Shinto, a traditional folk religion of Japan. (2011, October 7). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/ataglance/glance.shtml

Shinto, buddhism and the Japanese belief system.. Retrieved from https://www.insidejapantours.com/japanese-culture/religion/

Tashiro, M., Ushitora, K, & Wantanabe, D. (2011).The actual situation of sexuality education in Japan and its problems. //Journal of Saitama University, 60(1),// 9-22.

Virtual sex – This weird Japanese suit combines sex and virtual reality! (2016, April 7). Retrieved from http://www.ufunk.net/en/gadgets/illusion-vr-virtual-sex/

Walthall, A. (2009). Masturbation and discourse on female sexual practices in early modern Japan. //Gender & History, 21(1),// 1-18.

World champion masturbator, Masanobu Sato, expands on his favorite hobby. (2011, December 21). //Huffpost Weird News.// Retrieved from []