The Story of the "Shimabari" of Shihtatami Fusuma and the Japanese Government Officials "Caught in the Act"-Mid-1970s

The Story of the "Shimabari" of Shihtatami Fusuma and the Japanese Government Officials "Caught in the Act"-Mid-1970s
The uproar over the "Yonjohan Fusuma no Shimabari" in the mid-1970s reflects a typical example of the shaky "obscenity" regulations of the time and the oversensitive reaction of the Japanese authorities. The content of the work itself, in retrospect, was not so provocative as to be considered a problem, and it is even said that it "did not constitute a motor vehicle violation," but the authorities immediately jumped on the superficial "obscenity" of the work and took a hasty stance to expose it. This rapid response was symbolic of the discrepancy between the cultural situation and the power structure of the time. In the background was the unclear delineation of what constituted obscenity that had continued since the Chatterley trial, and although laws existed, the criteria for judgment were vague, making it easy for the police and prosecutors to act arbitrarily. While urban culture diversified through rapid economic growth and sexual expression entered everyday life, public p
olicing remained based on old values and failed to keep pace with cultural changes, resulting in repeated overreactions. The phrase "I'm so surprised I got caught up in it," which appears in conversation, is a good example of the sense of laughing off this displacement. At a time when youth culture and underground expression were gaining momentum, the movements of government officials themselves became the object of satire, and the comment "it's political criticism" also illustrates that the reaction of state power was a valid critique. This case is a small drama born of the gap between culture and power, and it conveys the social atmosphere of the time.