Setsumikka, the World's Shortest Playful Erotic Literature: A Fragment of the Light Sexual Expression Culture of the 1970s

Setsumikka, the World's Shortest Playful Erotic Literature: A Fragment of the Light Sexual Expression Culture of the 1970s
Suezumika, which appeared in magazine culture in the 1970s, was a small project that was introduced as the world's shortest collection of erotic haiku, consisting only of the last few phrases of willow poems. The idea of leaving the reader's imagination to the imagination, with a hint of sexiness and implication in just a few words, is a good example of the light and sophisticated sense of eroticism that urban culture had at the time. The expression of creating the maximum amount of space with the minimum amount of words was a style typical of the 1970s, where mature laughter and a playful spirit coexisted.
The name Suezumika has a number of overlapping historical contexts. In the Edo period (1603-1867), a collection of valeried phrases on the themes of love and amorous laughter, called "Sotsuzumika" was published, and it became so popular that sequels were made to the first edition in 1776. It is also known as the name of an unattractive princess in the Tale of Genji, and its comical and melancholy flavor was later converted into the title of an erotic willow. In the Showa period (1926-1989), the name "Gendai suetsumika" (Modern Suetsumika) was published as a book of erotic willow poems, and the name became a cultural symbol of wry sexuality.
Building on this lineage, the magazines of the 1970s developed a minimalist erotic project that was both a tribute to tradition and a reinterpretation of modern sensibilities. At that time, regulations and liberalization of sexual expression were at odds with each other, and there was a strong sense of chic in hinting rather than being explicit, and short, humorous expressions were accepted. The shortness of suetsumika was also a way to show cultural sophistication while avoiding censorship, and reflected the mature aesthetic sensibilities of city dwellers.
As a result, suetsumikka became a condensation of the genealogy of Japanese eroticism from the Edo period to the Showa period and to postwar magazine culture, a small cultural legacy that conveys the atmosphere and playfulness of the 1970s.