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Cemeteries Death + Art / Architecture Death + Humor

No Sexy Time Allowed in Japanese Cemeteries

Nude Cemetery Photos Result In Charges
Renowned Japanese photographer faces up to six months in prison
Associated Press (May 20, 2010)

What is it about cemeteries, coffins, and all manner of death objects that makes people want to rock the sexy time? I know I know. I’ve read plenty of Freud and Lacan too, but still…What I like about this story is that the Japanese photographer in question has taken the ‘I admit that I messed up’ route and that he will pursue other venues for his creative expression.

I haven’t seen the calendar in question, this would be the calendar that the models were posing for, but this entire story reminds of a post Meg posted in February. That particular news item involved a series of ‘Sexy Coffin’ calendars from Italy and Poland. The Italian calendar is particularly (in)famous and has been around for a while. I actually own a few years worth but keep them hidden in a discreet brown paper bag….

But this Japanese incident also reminded me of the photography work by Spencer Tunick, who creates massive tableau shots featuring hundreds of naked bodies. What I admire about Tunick is that he keeps coming up with new ways to make his photos interesting.

So the lesson, I think, for Japanese photographer Kishin Shinoyama is that he should have brought 300 nude models to the cemetery thereby using the sheer force of nakedness to shut down any complaints. Ok…this isn’t really a feasible plan but I’d be curious what hundreds of naked people in a cemetery might look like in a photograph.

3 replies on “No Sexy Time Allowed in Japanese Cemeteries”

I don’t get the connection between sex and death either. I once met an academic who did. I didn’t get his explanation, but it was very clear that he go off on it bigtime himself. So it has its groupies.

The juxtaposition of nakedness and coffins I found intriguing. Lindner sent me a couple of calendars together with some casket key rings. They were the better part of the deal. I gave the calendars away to a lesbian embalmer and a page-three admiring undertaker.

Shinoyama is a brilliant photographer. I hope the recognition of that will keep him out of jail.

One of the My Last Song contributors officiates at funerals. He certainly thinks there’s a link between sex and (some) funeral ceremonies due in large part to the tight, short black dresses worn by younger females attending. Also, the heightened emotions give off interesting signals as does the obvious lesson that we are not here for ever so we might as well enjoy it while we can.
BTW, the May photograph on the calendar commissioned by the Italian coffin makers puts a smile on the face.

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