Roman Porno Lives! Nikkatsu Celebrates 100

Queen of SM Tani Naomi

Throughout a good chunk of the month of May, a roman porno film festival was taking place at the Eurospace theater in Shibuya. The event was in celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the founding of the Nikkatsu film studios.

Sadly, I didn't know anything about it until a friend emailed me asking if I had attended. Well, I would have attended if I had known about it! Especially since last Sunday the special guests were the Queen of SM herself, Tani Naomi, now 63, and famed director Konuma Masaru, now 74.

A large number of roman porno films ranging from the early 1970s to the 1980s were screened and these included two SM films involving Tani and Konuma: Wife to Be Sacrificed and Tattooed Flower Vase.

Tattooed Flower Vase, Nikkatsu, 1976

They held one of those live "talk show" things where the guests of honor are seated on stage along with someone asking the questions while the audience listens intently as the icons, now advanced in years, reminisce about the past.

There was also a book signing for Konuma's just-released autobiography. I'm having trouble with the translation of the title but it's something like Nikkatsu Roman Porno: My Life (わが人生　わが日活ロマンポルノ).

Konuma Masaru's autobiography

Additional coverage and pics of the event can be found here and here.