Abe Sada: The Fantasy of Japanese Eroticism

Overview

On May 18th 1936, Abe Sada killed her lover by "erotic asphyxia" then cut off his member and carved his name in her flesh. In a militarized Japan, the press was very interested in this crime with erotic and transgressive accents. The murder has become a classic in Japanese culture; news of this crime spread a made up image of Japan - where love and sexual urges are liberated - to the West.