Japan’s Pink Film Genre
Dear readers, I hope you're all in the pink of health today because we're about to delve into what is considered one of the most extreme sub-genres of exploitation cinema - pink films.
Originating from Japan, pink films, known in Japanese as pinku eiga, is a genre of film that unashamedly explores eroticism and nudity (hence the term, "pink"); lust and desire; extreme violence, including sexual violence; and sexual taboos and fetishes.
Coined by Japanese journalist, Murai Minoru in 1963, pink films were initially called "eroduction (erotic production) films" or "three-million-yen-films" in reference to their content and low budget. The term, "pink film" did not catch on among the general populace on until the late 1960s when the genre gained traction among cinemagoers and began dominating Japanese cinemas.
The pink film genre is considered unique to the Japanese film industry and while there is no true Western equivalent, the closest Western genres would be "exploitation", "sexploitation", "soft-core porn" or "erotica".
Origins and History
Pink films were a product of declining domestic box office sales in Japan following a rise in personal TV ownership and consumption. To revive the profits of struggling cinemas across the country and breathe new life into the local film production companies, pink films were produced and introduced. The allure and illicit nature of such productions proved just the ticket to seduce people back to the silver screens and subsequently, pink films made up half of Japanese film production within 3 years of its inception.
By the late 1970s, up to 80% of Japanese films released in cinemas were pink films, spawning the erection - heh - of "pink cinemas" in many Japanese cities. These cinemas of course specialized in screening pink films, hence its moniker.
What was supposed to be a fad and temporary fix for struggling cinemas and a vapid film industry ended up spanning two decades and immortalizing itself as a genre unique to Japanese cinema as sushi is to Japanese cuisine. Now, pink films have gained a cult-like status among fans and movie critics alike for its unique style and atmosphere, bold visuals, and scandalous narratives that have yet to be truly replicated elsewhere.
Unique Features of a Pink Film
Let’s all talk about the pink elephant in the room: censorship. If you’ve boned up on your knowledge of Japanese pornography and censorship laws, say, in a previous article of mine, you’ll have a pretty good overview on how these laws aroused moans – not of the good kind – and headaches for those who sought to create some naughty material.
Due to Japan's censorship laws regarding obscene and pornographic material, displays of genitalia and pubic hair were banned in pink films, resulting in directors and producers having to come up with creative means to get around these censorship requirements. One of the most common and popular methods was to use camera angles smartly and deliberately position props such as tables, candles, bottles, lamps etc. in a manner that would block the juicy bits but still have the scene and act be suggestive and provocative.
Boob and butt shots were aplenty in pink films however, as these body parts were mercifully exempt from censorship so if that’s what gets your soldier standing to attention then you’re in luck. Simulated sex was also a huge draw of pink films and directors sought to make such scenes as salacious as possibly without skirting past those pesky censorship laws. As its star continued to rise and audiences hungered for more, pink film directors began exploring controversial subject matters such as BDSM, unusual sexual fetishes, and violence and sexual violence to cater to a wilder, more adventurous crowd.
Another interesting, though possibly mood dampening feature of pink films is the blatant visual censorship on naked display. Usually, an actor's fun bits were censored via black boxes or fuzzy white spots known as "fogging". Some actors were also asked to be clean shaven down there to allow the cameras to show as much skin as possible without breaking any censorship laws.
It’s been debated that the peculiar mishmash of mandatory censorship and the film’s methods of circumventing them birthed a style of moviemaking that is what makes pink films stand out from their Western erotica and sexploitation counterparts.
What Classifies It as a Pink Film?
Historically, film productions that wanted to qualify pink film title must had five basic qualifications:
- The film must have a minimum quota of sex scenes, ideally one every five minutes
- The film must be a minimum of an hour long
- The film must be shot on 16mm or 35mm film
- The film must be shot within a week
- The film must be produced on a limited budget, up to $35,000USD or up to ¥5,000,000JPY
The OG Pink Film
Japanese director, Satoru Kobayashi has been awarded the honor of directing and releasing what is contended to be the first true and official pink film: Flesh Market. Flesh Market, known in Japan as Nikutai no Ichiba was released on February 27th 1962 and revolves around a young woman kidnapped by criminals while investigating her sister's suicide. The film gained popularity and notoriety not only for its shocking and explicit content; but also for when its reel and negative prints were seized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police two days after its premiere at Ueno Okura Theater. Of course, the incident only served to spark the public’s interest and curiosity, and the film, which initially cost ¥8,000,000JPY to make, ended up generating ¥100,000,000JPY in profits.
The film's main actor, Tamaki Katori would go on to act in over 600 pink films, earning her the title of "Pink Princess".
The First Wave of Pink Films – 1962 ~ 1971
Referred to as “The Age of Competition”, a title coined by another prolific pink film actor, Naomi Tani, the first wave of pink films was mostly produced by independent film companies with very limited budgets. It was named as such because with each new pink film being released; directors and producers would try to one-up each other by pushing the envelope on controversial, subversive, and shocking subject matter. Topics such as misogyny, sadism, and masochism were explored; and political messages began bleeding into the lurid mess of sex and violence.
One of the first wave’s infamous pink films is Black Snow, directed by Tetsuji Takechi. Known as Kuori Yuki in Japanese, this film tells the story of a young man spying on his mother with a serviceman and then developing a strange fetish where he can only get aroused if he fondles a loaded gun.
The film’s contents seemingly proved too lewd for the morality police, so the actual police arrested Takechi on obscenity charges. Takechi was taken to court but backed by many notable figures in the entertainment industry, he won the lawsuit. This caused a chain reaction in the pink film industry, which buoyed by this victory, rode on the waves of Takechi’s court victory to produce more, better quality, and even more controversial pink films.
The Second Wave of Pink Films – Toei Pinky Violence – 1970s
As previously mentioned, competition from television coupled with the import of films from abroad saw Japanese film studios take a serious hit, to the point where they were in danger of going bankrupt. To counteract this, Japanese film and television production studio, Toei, saw an opportunity in the pink film and sexploitation market.
Toei’s pink films differed from the first wave of pink films in that its contents were a “nauseating and disturbing blend of torture and comedy”; and many films stuffed sex and nudity into plots that were violent and action-driven, which proved a hit among male audiences.
The “Third” Wave of Pink Films – Nikkatsu Roman Porno – 1971 ~ 1988
Produced by movie studio, Nikkatsu, Nikkatsu Roman Porno was a series of pink films that stood out from its predecessors by being afforded a larger budget and being of better quality. It garnered a huge following, resulting in 20 sequels being released in the span of 7 years and was distinctive for having a minimum quota of 4 simulated sex and/or nude scenes per hours. Nikkatsu Roman Porno and its sequels also delved into the highly controversial and taboo world of BDSM, adding to its appeal and arousing many an audiences’ interests.
The Decline of Pink Films
Technology seems to pink films’ savior and nemesis because while it was born from film studios wanting to wrestle the spotlight back from television; the injection of VCRs into households in the 1980s served as pink films’ demise.
Adult videos or AV as they’re referred to in Japan, naturally grew in popularity as more people purchased a VCR to indulge in a little cinematic satisfaction from the comfort of their own home; and this coupled with the implementation of new censorship laws in 1984 saw profits from pink films drop 30% within the first month of the new ruling.
By the end of the 1980s, pink films fell to the wayside in favor of AVs, which became Japan’s main form of adult cinematic entertainment.
Pink Films Now
Presently, pink film production has all but fallen to the wayside though attempts have been made to revive the movies already released from the 60s to 80s to movie buffs. The Pink Grand Prix or Pink Taisho for example, is an annual Japanese film award ceremony that recognizes and honors the best films made in this genre. Pink Film Festivals have also cropped up in various parts of the world to celebrate this unique genre and a company called Pink Eiga Inc. was founded in 2008 to distribute pink films on DVD to the U.S. market.
So after reading all this, if you’re feeling a bit pink-cheeked from all the titillating content but also need to…let off some steam, why not check out our online store to see what may help release the tension in your...shoulders.