Futanari
Futanari ( Japanese ふ た な り , more rarely: 二 形 , 双 形 , literally: 'two kinds of forms', 二 成 , 双 成 , literally:' two things') is the Japanese word for ' hermaphroditism ', which in a broader sense also means' Androgyny 'is used. Beyond Japan, the term is used to denote a pornographic genre of computer games , comics and animation in which characters, equipped with vulva and penis at the same time , appear as actors. These figures are also called Futa (s) for short .
In today's colloquial language, the term 'futanari' is used almost exclusively for people who have a female face and female body shape. Likewise, works of this genre are sometimes generally referred to as futanari .
origin
As in many other cultures, various fantasies arose in Japanese folk beliefs regarding gender characteristics . In traditional chants there are indications that a change of gender has not been ruled out, as well as the worship of gender as a symbolization of deities - the dosojin , whose gender was not always clearly determined. It was also widely believed that some people could change their sex depending on the moon phase . The term hangetsu ( 半月 ) , for example, was coined accordingly , which can literally be translated as 'half a month' or 'half moon' and was used for those beings. As a possible reason for this assumption, traditional clothing is mentioned, through which men and women could not be distinguished as clearly as in other cultures and epochs. The guards were instructed to carry out appropriate controls, as women were not allowed to go to certain places. At the same time, there are indications that the security personnel in particular liked to joke about this topic. Whether anatomical anomalies such as clitoral hypertrophy or "rare cases in gender determination" were the starting point is not clear.
What is certain is that from the 12th to the 14th centuries, i.e. towards the end of the Heian period , dances were performed by the Shirabyōshi ( 白 拍子 ). These were women disguised as men who performed traditional dances to amuse the imperial court. Nevertheless, the roots should lead back much further into the beginnings of Buddhism . After all, its deities are not necessarily assigned to a gender.
Onna ka to mireba
otoko no Manosuke
futanari taira no
kore mo omokage
Looks like it could be a woman
[but it is] Manosuke the man
His face is androgynous, too
[man and woman]
After the Battle of Sekigahara at the beginning of the 16th century, a certain negligence was noticed within the military way of life, which was perceived by the population as effemination . On this basis, a designation as a female person was equated with discrimination. However, this was not generally the case. The feminine side of actors or the masculine appearance of women was even rated positively within certain limits. This culminated in the Edo period , when there was a keen interest in androgyny and the futanari in both the ranks of the samurai and the population . For example, the actor Shimada Manosuke was honored for his qualities in the performance of female roles with a poem that had the wording opposite.
While nudity was often a taboo in Western society , this notion first emerged in Japan in the Meiji period with the westernization of the country. However, this shift ensured that Japanese legislation was confronted with transsexual issues, in line with which rumors about futanari persisted. In 1872, for example, Article 266 was passed, which made homosexual intercourse and related rape ( 強姦 , Gōkan ) a criminal offense. As a result, about twenty such cases became known in the 1870s and 1880s. Unusual was the case of 26-year-old Inaba Kotoji, who after his arrest in 1881 revealed that he had had anal intercourse since childhood . It was also recorded that he gave himself the female name Okoto and wore women's clothing. For these reasons, the court classified him as a person "to whom the normal rules for men do not apply". Ultimately, he was sentenced to a comparatively mild sentence because his behavior did not correspond to the typical hierarchy of rape - after all, like a woman, he would have offered himself for penetration. As a side effect of the process, the rumor spread that it was a Henjō Danshi or Futanari. This did not only affect men, but also women who appeared masculine. In Tokyo, for example, the terms otoko-onna / onna-otoko (dt. 'Man woman') were widespread and relationships between these people and other women were observed with suspicion.
Article 266 is also named as the first law in which Japanese jurisprudence was influenced by European norms and moral concepts, although it was strongly based on the Chinese model. Laws passed in the following years bore a much more pronounced Western or European signature, in accordance with which numerous censorship laws (compare: Japanese Pornography - Section: Censorship Laws ) were passed. Accordingly, it was forbidden to show sexual characteristics including pubic hair . However, these laws were not deeply rooted in the previously very permissive society. Historically, the religious and social taboo against nudity was weaker in Japan than in the West: " pillow books " describing sexual acts in detail were often sold in the Edo period. Even after the Meiji Restoration , women and men often worked naked and bathed in public. In the period that followed, various underground movements developed, within which the works continued to be passed on uncensored. Meanwhile, the entertainment industry tried to limit the censorship to the bare minimum , which made the notorious censorship bars and pixelation smaller and finer. It was not until 1991 that these regulations were relaxed again, so that at least adults could again be offered uncensored works.
As a result, numerous new genres emerged during the censorship that made it possible to circumvent the regulations. This led to curiosities such as the tentacle rapes ( 触手 強姦 , Shokushu Gōkan ) or the genre of the Lolicon . After the lolicon genre had already become a determining factor in the Japanese entertainment industry in the 1980s, futanari was able to influence the market in a comparable way in the 1990s and became mainstream . There are various theories as to why the genre became popular at this point in time. The proximity to the Yuri genre is often cited as a possible cause, as it was an extension of this topic. The playful nature of a lesbian relationship can be combined with hard sexual intercourse, which makes the act depicted appear more pleasant. At the same time, it offers the male audience the opportunity to find their way into what is happening better than into a purely feminine relationship. Likewise, the partially abolished censorship should have contributed significantly to this.
Representation variants and marginal areas of the definition
Depending on the origin and characteristics of the genital organs, several variants can be described. So there exist hermaphrodites in the strict sense, which means that they have both male and female sexual organs. They make up the majority of the illustrated figures and are characterized by a mostly lush feminine appearance that is based on the ideal image of a woman. The representation of the sexual characteristics, however, varies. So the testicles can also be left out, but this generally has no influence on the predicted fertility . Many of the representations of this type incorporate elements of the yuri . A lesbian love relationship is in the foreground, but this is expanded to include the aspect of "empathizing" by the male observer. At the same time, relationships with male partners can be found, whereby they usually determine what happens and are not deterred by the erect member.
Women with a penis-like enlarged clitoris can also be found. However, these fall in the marginal area of the definition and there is no clear demarcation as to whether this variant is classically referred to as a futanari, as it originates from a Chinese popular belief. Nevertheless, such representations can also be found in current works. An example of this is the anime La Blue Girl , in which the swelling clitoris is used as a weapon by a female ninja even in sexual combat.
For works that take the manga iconography use Western elements, are in the English world, the terms dickgirl, Shemale - which, like the German-language name Schwanzweib are considered vulgar - and New Half widespread. However, these have also been included in the Japanese vocabulary. The Dickgirl is a variant that is only equipped with a penis instead of the vagina . In the meantime, there is no complete agreement within the scene as to whether the dickgirl should also be counted among the Futanari. After all, it has a more masculine appearance and often takes on the dominant role in relationships with men and penetrates them. New Half or Shemale , on the other hand , refer to trans women who have undergone hormone treatment, but no gender reassignment surgery . They are also known as futanari in Japanese colloquial language, but are considered outside of the genre.
Tendency to exaggerate
In many works that can be assigned to hentai , the option is used to depict gender-determining features and processes in a particularly conspicuous manner. This peculiarity is also enforced in images of Futanari, so that the penis can sometimes assume absurd, anatomically impossible dimensions. The representation of the autofellatio is not uncommon, although the drawn figures do not have to bother to do so. Regardless of the size of the penis and testicles, some futanari are able to release incredible amounts of sperm in scenes like this. In Student Life, Lucy Moore describes hentai in general with pictures, saying that in such scenes the characters would be able to cover entire rooms with their sperm. In the drawings this is partly expressed in the way that the figures are barely visible.
“In a common hentai video, the viewer will notice a few things: larger than possible — even with plastic surgery — breasts on women (Bakunyū), whale-sized penises on males and transsexuals, tentacle projections used in erotic performance, incredible amounts of sperm often covering whole rooms, hermaphroditic characters with enlarged female and male parts (futanari), and / or Lolita / amateur characters (lolicon). "
“In a typical hentai video, the viewer will notice a couple of things: Impossible large - even with plastic surgery - breasts in women (Bakunyū), whale-sized penises in men and transsexuals, images of tentacles in erotic performances, incredible amounts of sperm that often fill entire rooms, hermaphrodite characters with enlarged female and male genitals (Futanari) and / or Lolita / amateur figures (Lolicon). "
In addition, there are also works in which Futanari have several penises, which is also used to depict sexual intercourse with several partners or double penetration by one person.
Works
Since futanari is a genre that is primarily aimed at an adult audience and is deeply rooted in pornography, futanari are rarely found in works that are intended to appeal to a broad audience. In addition, it is mainly only popular in Japan and only reached an interested foreign audience with the spread of the Internet. Nevertheless, some works already gained wide recognition in the run-up to this development. They include the manga La Blue Girl and its adaptations. He tells of a female ninja who has to fight against demons, where fights cannot be decided by pure violence. Instead, sexual confrontation is the method of choice, with the one who loses his or her strength who first has an orgasm . Here the protagonist Miko Midō uses her strongly swelling clitoris, which gives her an advantage, especially in combat against female opponents. Also widespread in America and Europe is the manga Hot Tails , which, according to Jason Thompson, is probably the best-known work to a western audience with Futanari in the lead role.
Recently , the computer game Nier caused a stir, as the character Kainé was recognized as a hermaphrodite and was confirmed as such by the producer upon request. According to him, this is precisely what is interesting about the figure and explains its unusual behavior. Another well-known representative of computer games outside of Japan is Bible Black and its adaptations. This series doesn't focus on futanari as a genre, it's just a by-product.
Despite some well-known works, the majority of the Futanari can be assigned to the Dōjinshi , whose external impact is limited to the scene. If only because, strictly speaking, many of the dōjinshi are copyright infringements , which are largely tolerated. However, there are some better-known groups of artists or individual artists with original works. They include Behind Moon , Aizo (Kesson Shōjo) or AskRay (Bosshi) .
Futanari are much more common in eroges . However, this form of computer game seldom reaches a foreign audience, since the publishers take too long to translate them compared to animes and manga. Due to the financial risk, only a few translations are found.
In addition to the representations in drawn works, there are also pornographic films with 'Futanaris' in the main role. The actors are usually women who are equipped with a dummy penis that looks as real as possible .
Related genres
While Futanari find mostly only in pornographic works, in the not have Hentai attributable manga and anime the related genres of gender bender and cross-dressing enforced. They are supplemented by androgynous characters whose gender is not mentioned and is also deliberately not clearly recognizable. The main difference to these is that the characters always have only one or no gender, while futanari have both at the same time.
As gender bending (lit., Geschlechtsverbiegen ') is referred to an active form of gender role change, which is also reflected in the visual representation. A corresponding counterpart to a figure is created that does not have to be aware of it, but can. This phenomenon can be found in numerous works and adaptations by fans. It is mainly used as the basis for humorous scenes, as the characters are confronted with an unfamiliar social role. Two typical examples are the Ranma ½ or Fighters franchises , in which the main characters repeatedly change their gender from male to female and this creates numerous problems. Outside of the professional environment, for example, the character Kyonko developed , who is a female adaptation of Kyon , although in the original work Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu he was always male.
At the same time, both forms of cross-dressing and transvestism can be found in a certain part of the productions . With the former, the disguise is mainly intended to serve as a comedic argument. An example of this is the Manga and Anime Working !! , in which the male protagonist in the environment of an employee who suffers from androphobia (the fear of men) is forced to dress up as a woman. Unfortunately for him, the other servants find this extremely attractive and repeatedly force him to wear the costume. Transvestites, on the other hand, are regularly portrayed as extremely moving "father figures". A prominent example is the anime film Tokyo Godfathers by Satoshi Kon .
There are also androgynous figures whose gender remains open or cannot be recognized at first glance. One example of this is Hideyoshi Kinoshita from Baka to Test to Shōkanjū , who sees himself as a man, but is often mistaken for a woman by the other characters because of his appearance and clothing. This goes so far that he is sent to the ladies' locker room to change, which he rightly always refuses to do. Ultimately, he is sent to his own cabin because "he is a very special gender". In fan circles, such figures are referred to as traps , because they look feminine at first glance, but the viewer, on closer research, must discover that he has fallen for a man. For the opposite case, the term reverse trap is used .
literature
- Friedrich Salomon Krauss , Tamio Satow, Hermann Ihm, G. Prunner: Japanese sex life . Treatises and surveys on the sex life of the Japanese people; folkloric studies. Schustek, 1965.
- Gary P. Leupp: Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan . University of California Press, 1997, ISBN 0-520-20900-1 .
- Gregory M. Pflugfelder: Cartographies of desire: male-male sexuality in Japanese discourse, 1600-1950 . University of California Press, 1999, ISBN 0-520-20909-5 .
- Jason Thompson: Manga: the complete guide . Editor: Pennsylvania State University. Ballantine Books / Del Rey, 2007, ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8 .
Web links
- Essay on the effects and target audience of Futanari ( Memento from February 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ).
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Gary P. Leupp: Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan . University of California Press, 1997, ISBN 0-520-20900-1 .
- ^ A b Friedrich Salomon Krauss , Tamio Satow, Hermann Ihm, G. Prunner: Japanese sex life . Treatises and surveys on the sex life of the Japanese people; folkloric studies. Schustek, 1965, p. 79 ff .
- ↑ Gregory M. Pflugfelder: Cartographies of desire: male-male sexuality in Japanese discourse, 1600–1950 . University of California Press, 1999, ISBN 0-520-20909-5 , pp. 158 ff .
- ^ A b Jason Thompson: Manga: the complete guide . Editor: Pennsylvania State University. Ballantine Books / Del Rey, 2007, ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8 , pp. 452 ff .
- ↑ Robert van Gulik : Erotic color prints of the Ming period: with an essay on Chinese sex life from the Han to the Ch ʼ ing Dynasty, BC 206-AD 1644 . BRILL, 2004, ISBN 978-90-04-13664-9 , pp. 59 .
- ↑ a b Lucy Moore: Internet of hentai. In: Student Life. Washington University Student Media, Inc., August 29, 2008, accessed June 11, 2010 .
- ^ Q&A: Square Enix's Nier Combines Fighting, Farming. In: Wired . March 3, 2010, accessed July 8, 2010 .
- ↑ Oren Ronen: Otaku Immersion - The Depiction of the Protagonist in Visual Novels. (PDF; 497 kB) Tel Aviv University , March 29, 2008, archived from the original on July 23, 2011 ; accessed on September 16, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Jorge Leite Jr: Labirintos conceituais científicos, nativos e mercadológicos: pornografia com pessoas que transitam entre os gêneros . In: Cadernos Pagu . No. 38 , 2012, ISSN 0104-8333 , p. 99–128 , doi : 10.1590 / S0104-83332012000100004 ( scielo.br [accessed August 9, 2012]).
- ↑ a b Timothy Perper, Martha Cornog: D. Sex, Love, and Women in Japanese Comics. In: The Continuum Complete - International Encyclopedia of Sexuality. The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, archived from the original on May 11, 2012 ; accessed on August 29, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
