Tag Archives: Lolicon

Maiden Voyages: October 2023

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My apologies dear readers for being so late. I have just been so exhausted the past few days but now I have a moment to cover a few items. And apropos to the work needed to run this site …

The Pigtails Job Fair: I have been thinking about this for a while. With all the contributions of readers and well-wishers, I have felt for a long time that this site needs to be a community project with a watchful editor to uphold our high standards and keep us out of legal trouble. There are many ways readers can volunteer their time so that interesting items can be shepherded to final publication. This month I will be establishing a job page that will give readers a more specific idea on our needs so that we can increase publication rates. Believe me when I say that we have a huge backlog of items that just need a little attention to complete. Therefore I expect to announce this dedicated job page in next month’s ‘Maiden Voyages’.

About Photo-Lolicon Collections: I understand readers’ enthusiasm about getting access to the more rare images produced during the Photo-Lolicon era which, due to legal concerns, are no longer generally available on the open secondary market. For those of you interested in purchasing or trading in hard-copy titles, I will endeavor to figure out a way to put you in touch with others who wish to sell or trade or know of the lesser-known secondary markets that occasionally sell these items. Be advised that Pigtails in Paint is not in the book business but as a favor to some of our readers, I can try to do some match-making so that you can build or liquidate your collection with other trusted collectors. In pursuit of this, I will be establishing a member-only page with artists (many already listed on the ‘Artists by Name’ page) along with pictures of the covers of their known publications so you know what has been produced out there. Obviously we will be depending on readers to inform us of anything we missed. Many of these items have been scanned over the years and have been made available to the public in the form of torrents and other peer-sharing applications. Unfortunately, these get shut down form time to time and there is no consistency about where to find works from a particular artist or what even exists out there. Also, as I have told many readers, Pigtails cannot ethically engage in this image sharing directly because it might expose us to too much legal risk. Not all materials have been vetted as to whether they represent legitimate girl-idol material or if they might be regarded as pornography in many nation states. With respect to this, I would be happy to entertain ideas on how these digital collections might be safely archived and appropriately distributed to interested parties. I remind readers that because Pigtails is a journalistic forum, it is safe to share items of interest with us so long as the items are not illegal material. I will inform you when a Photo-Lolicon publication page has been established so members can peruse and educate themselves on the scope of this genre.

Mysterious AI Community: With the advent of Large Data Models, generative AI images have started to become available to the general public. This has obviously led to an explosion of experimentation, including effort to “trick” (jailbreak) the application into producing images that are banned such as triggering violent scenes and most forms of nudity. I tried featuring some on this site, but it is just too much. A reader has come forward about a place where producers of AI images of little girls can congregate making it easier for the public to keep up on what is out there. The person who runs these mysterious communities goes by the handle Bericbone. His main site includes links to all his social media and the communities he started. They utilize a novel new decentralized social network called “Session”. The largest AI one he started has over 1200 active users. Berichone is apparently a huge supporter of freedom of speech and tasteful art featuring little girls.

Shoetsu Otomo and His Models

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Shoetsu Otomo (大友正悦) was born in 1950. Very little information about his life prior to meeting his most famous model, Satomi Hiromoto (廣本悟己)is available. At the time he met her, in the latter half of 1980 or the first half of 1981, Otomo was already a photographer. When the Kanji characters for his name are entered into an automatic translator, the name is rendered as Masayoshi Otomo. On the covers of his books, however, Otomo spells his name with the Latin alphabet as Shoetsu Otomo, and that is the spelling I will use. Many thanks to a Pigtails reader who provided most of the photographs that illustrate this article.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi (circa 1984)

An article on the lolicon website Argonorakuza implies that Otomo specialized in travel and landscape photography. Children often appeared in the background of the scenes he photographed. Otomo was quoted as saying , “I can’t compete with the smiles of children.” and “When you meet the smiles of cute children, you can’t help but press the shutter.”

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi at Age Eight (1980-81) (1)

Satomi Hiromoto was born in Tokyo, Japan on June 5, 1972. In 1979 she entered Oizumi Elementary School attached to Tokyo Gakugei University. When Satomi was eight years old, Otomo noticed her playing in a park. He approached Satomi’s mother and asked if he could take some photos of the daughter. The mother agreed, and in the discussion with her, Otomo learned that Satomi’s family was quite artistic. Satomi’s father was a painter, and her brother was a pianist. Satomi could also paint and play piano, but her main interest was the practice of classical ballet. Over the next two years, Otomo became a friend of the Hiromoto family. In addition to whatever photos were taken in the park, Otomo photographed Satomi at age eight wearing a white dress and frolicking in a field of tall grass. Although these photos were taken in 1980 or 1981, they were not published until 1995.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi at Age Eight (1980-81) (2)

When Satomi was ten years old, in the summer of 1982, Otomo planned a photo shoot for her in Spain. This shoot would be Satomi’s first experience in nude modeling, and would provide material for Otomo’s first lolicon book. Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea, was chosen as the location for the photo shoot. Otomo, Satomi, and a crew including a producer and a stylist travelled over 6,000 miles on a flight that lasted over 22 hours for the shoot. It was quite an elaborate production, and a gamble for Otomo who had never made a lolicon book before. It paid off when the photo book Satomi 10 Year Old Myth (さとみ十歳の神話) was released in January 1983 and quickly became one of lolicon’s biggest hits.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Spain (1982) (1)

Satomi was photographed both indoors and outdoors, both clothed and nude. She was usually alone, but a Spanish woman and a Spanish girl are present in a few of the photos. It is remarkable how comfortable she appears on her first nude shoot and in a foriegn land. Her training as a ballerina is evident in the grace with which she handles many of the poses. In photographs by Otomo, more than other lolicon photographers, it is apparent that the both the model and the photographer contribute to the success of the image. This is especially shown in the indoor photos of Satomi in Spain; note how she positions her arms and legs. In the photograph of Satomi with a seated Spanish woman, the woman is sitting casually while Satomi seems to be in a ballet inspired pose. In three illustrations for this article, Satomi is standing with one knee up and her foot resting against her leg. This is a common pose for Satomi, but it is not used by Otomo’s other models. This leads me to believe that posing this way is Satomi’s idea, rather than a pose dictated by the photographer.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Spain (1982) (2)

There are sequences in which Satomi stood by a mirror or lay on the floor and asssumed various poses while Otomo snapped the pictures. Satomi was uninhibited in her poses, but Otomo was restrained in choosing what to photograph and publish. When Satomi posed with legs open too far, if Otomo photographed it at all he did so at an angle from which the pubic area was not visible. He did this in the top photo of the illustration captioned Satomi in Spain (1982) (7); a page from the book Satomi Forever. A Spanish man is with Satomi in two of the photos in Satomi 10 Year Old Myth. Whenever a male is present in a photograph by Otomo, all figures, male and female, are clothed.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Spain (1982) (4)

Satomi 10 Year Old Myth also contains photographs of the Spanish landscape and architecture. Satomi is present in most, but not all of the landscape photos. Otomo is known for photographing models in natural settings. The photo of Satomi standing at the corner of a building Is typical of Otomo’s architectural compositions. I believe this photo is from Pohnpei, but it could also be from Hawaii.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Spain (1982) (5)

More photos from the Spanish photo shoot were released in the book Lolita Doll (ロリータ・ドール) in August 1983, but there were no new photos of Satomi for over a year after Satomi 10 Year Old Myth. Disappointed fans thought that Satomi would be one of many lolicon models with only one photo shoot. Then in July 1984 Otomo’s and Satomi’s second book, Peek-A-Boo (original title in English) was released.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Spain (1982) (6)

Peek-A-Boo, like Satomi 10 Year Old Myth, was a very expensive production of photo shoots in natural settings at exotic locales. Two separate locations over 3,000 miles (nearly 5,000 kilometers) apart were used for the photo shoots in Peek-A-Boo. It appears that most photos in Peek-A-Boo were shot on the island of Pohnpei. It is reported that some were shot in Hawaii. This raises the question of why Otomo chose Pohnpei and Hawaii for the photo shoots. Both are tropical Pacific islands with lush vegetation and blue water, but there are other tropical locations that are more economically accessible from Japan. In order to travel from Japan to Pohnpei by commercial air, one must first go to either Hawaii or Guam, then change airplanes to go the Pohnpei. Guam is significantly closer to both Japan and Pohnpei than is Hawaii.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Spain (1982) (7)

Satomi was not photographed with any unique features of either Pohnpei or Hawaii, such as the volcanoes of Hawaii, or in the ruins of Nan Madol of Pohnpei. Therefore, to a layman there seems to be no reason to go to the expense of paying for a production crew to go to the remote locale. There may be subtle differences in the scenery that makes Pohnpei a better choice than other places for an artist like Otomo, but it is likely that Otomo’s passion for artistry resulted in a lower profit margin. Perhaps Otomo and Satomi cared more about fine art than about making money.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Peek-A-Boo (1984) (1)

Peek-A-Boo was released in July 1984, when Satomi was twelve years and one month old. Some sources state that Satomi was twelve when photographed for Peek-A-Boo; according to others she was eleven. It is possible that both are correct, if her twelfth birthday occurred during the project.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Peek-A-Boo (1984) (2)

Satomi’s next, and last photo project was for the book Fly-A-Way, released in December 1984. She was twelve years old when photographed for Fly-A-Way, but she looks older. She was still a minor, but because she matured so quickly Fly-A-Way, in my opinion, is closer to the teen idol genre than to actual lolicon. Fly-A-Way was shot in two locations near opposite ends of Japan; Hokkaido in the north and Yakushima in the south. Yakushima is a small island, most of which is covered by tropical forest, south of the Japanese main islands. Both the photos and a video for Fly-A-Way were recorded in the summer of 1984.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Satomi Forever (1984) (1)

Otomo photographed Satomi in the summer in Spain and Japan, and her other photo shoots were in the tropics. However, photos of Satomi in the winter snow were published in Satomi Forever. I have not been able to discover when or where the winter photos were taken.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Satomi Forever (1984) (2)

Satomi seemed to be proud of her work, and wanted her fans to know her. Unlike many lolicon models, she always used her real name when modeling. She put personal details in her books; for example, her favorite colors are purple and burgundy, she enjoys reading fairy tales, and her favorite food is shrimp.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Fly-A-Way (1984)

On September 27, 1984 Satomi hosted a video release party at the Capitol Tokyu Hotel, a luxury hotel in the Nagatacho district of Tokyo. Fans and the news media were invited. Satomi’s parents and grandparents were there. Satomi’s brother played piano to entertain the guests. Satomi wore a sailor suit, held a press conference, and was reported to be a gracious hostess and a charming young lady. She said that her hope for the future was to become an actress. In my opinion, the video release party illustrates the Japanese attitude about lolicon at the height of the lolicon era. Lolicon was art; it was respectable. One of Tokyo’s finest hotels had no problem with being the site of the lolicon release party, and the mainstream press attended. Support that Satomi received from family, friends, and the public for her art as a nude model was no different than the support she would have received if her art had been painting or ballet. Her fans expected that Satomi would continue modeling.

Shoetsu Otomo – Satomi in Winter (no date)

Surprisingly, Satomi was never in another commercial photo shoot. Also, she never pursued her dream of becoming an actress. In April 1985 some photos of Satomi from old photo shoots, as well as photos of other models were published in Beppin Special Edition Lolita Scramble. After that, no photos of Satomi were published until November 1995. Why did her career end so abrubtly? I don’t know, but I can speculate.

Shoetsu Otomo – Reona (1998)

In 1985 Satomi entered junior high school. There was a report that she had difficulty in getting along with others. It was not specified who made the report or why Satomi had difficulties, but there may be an obvious reason why. Satomi was a glamorous model. She was paid well to travel to exotic locations and be photographed. Her photos were published in books which no doubt attracted favorable attention of the boys in her school. It would seem natural, in these circumstances, for girls in her school to be jealous of Satomi. Perhaps Satomi felt that she had to choose between continuing her career as a model or being accepted by her female classmates. On graduating from school Satomi married and devoted her time to raising a family; she had no time for a career away from home.

Shoetsu Otomo – Aoi (1996) (1)

Another possibility for the reason she quit modeling could be that she was getting old for lolicon. I don’t think that was the reason she quit modeling, because other lolicon models continued to model as adults. Of the many lolicon models that were active during the 1969 through 1999 lolicon era in Japan, four of them, Satomi Hiromoto, Rika Nishimura (real name unknown), Nozomi Kurahashi (aka Ayumi Yoshizawa) and Shiori Suwano (real name Shigeko Niimi) achieved exceptionally great popularity and may be considered lolicon supermodels. Rika and Nozomi continued to model successfully as adults. Shiori did not like modeling, but used the fame she gained as a model to launch a successful acting career. Otomo photographed models well past puberty, so it seems unlikely that he quit photographing Satomi because of her age.

Shoetsu Otomo – The Room (1997)

Although there were no new photos of Satomi, photos from old shoots were again published after she graduated high school. Two books exclusively dedicated to Satomi were Satomi, released November 1995; and Satomi Forever, released November 1998. Satomi and other models photographed by Shoetsu Otomo were featured in the book Dreams, released May 1998. After Satomi was printed, but before it was released for sale, three American service men on Okinawa gang raped and severely beat a young Japanese girl. I remember seeing news reports of the incident in both American media and an English language newspaper from the Philippines. Although it was reported from different viewpoints, I do not remember any report that lolicon was in any way involved. Nevertheless, the publisher of Satomi decided that because of the rape, it would be best to censor the book. Sandpaper was used to erase the pubic area of photos in books sold in bookstores. The books sent by mail to individuals who ordered them were not censored. They were mailed in white boxes and are known as “White Satomi“; they are sought after as collector’s items today.

Shoetsu Otomo – Shinobu on Saipan (1984) (1)

Shoetsu Otomo photographed eight other models, in addition to Satomi, who are usually classified as lolicon. Five of them are in my opinion, a little old for lolicon. Reona (Minori Ishiki) began her career as an advertising model at age five. She is one of the famous models of the lolicon era, and was very good at modeling. She was twelve when she modeled for Otomo, and was well developed for her age. She was still a child, but looked more like a teenager with fully developed breasts, a womanly figure, and pubic hair. Two photo books of Reona photographed by Otomo were released in 1998, and she was also in the book Dreams released the same year. Aoi Inoue, a Japanese actress, was fourteen when she modeled for Otomo, and also too old for lolicon in the strictest sense. Her book Sonatine was released in 1996. Three anonymous southeast Asian teen girls modeled for Otomo in the book The Room (1997). One source stated they were from the Philippines. They appear to be amateurs and trying not to laugh, aware that they are getting away with something (posing nude) that would not normally be allowed. The Room appears to be a low budget work, shot in one session in a hotel room with local amateur girls.

Shoetsu Otomo – Shinobu on Saipan (1984) (2)

Of the three models, other than Satomi, who definitely are lolicon, the first is Shinobu Nemoto (根本しのぶ). Shinobu started modeling at age eight months in an advertisement for powdered milk. She continued modeling in print advertisements and acting in television commercials through her childhood, appearing in about 200 television commercials and about 3,000 print ads. When Otomo photographed her in 1984, she was one of the most recognized faces in Japan. Shinobu was photographed on Saipan where she celebrated her eleventh birthday on January 19, 1984. The photos were published in the book I’m not a Child (こどもじゃないモン) which was released on May 30, 1984. There are no nudes in the book. The text is handwritten, aledgedly by Shinobu herself, and tells of her impressions of Saipan and the excitement of turning eleven. In the second picture of Shinobu in this article she is holding a seed pod from a tree. She wrote that she enjoyed swinging the pod like a sword. I’m not a Child gives the reader the feeling of being a guest at Shinobu’s birthday party. Saipan is a popular destination for Japanese tourists, and is also the site of Teruo Maeba’s lolicon photos of Shiori Suwano.

Shoetsu Otomo – Emi in Hawaii (c1996) (1)

Emi’s Summer Vacation (えみちゃんの夏休み), released in 1996, is similar to Shinobu’s book, in that both offer the reader a glimpse of the model’s personal life. Emi’s Summer Vacation gives the impression that the reader is tagging along with Emi Hirose (広瀬 絵美) and her parents on a vacation in Hawaii. The text is written in a childish hand by Emi, telling about her trip to Hawaii. Emi is not as polished in her poses as the more experienced models. In some photos she seems bored, as if she wants to stop posing and have fun. Emi’s Summer Vacation was shot in several locations in Hawaii, and even though Emi was not an experienced model, her photo sessions appear to have been an expensive project. Was Emi a relative of Otomo, or the daughter of Otomo’s friends?

Shoetsu Otomo – Emi in Hawaii (c1996) (2)

Satomi married young, and when she was nineteen gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Kirara. Shortly before the new Japanese law brought the lolicon era to an end, Otomo did a nude photo shoot of Satomi’s daughter Kirara. The photos were not published in a book, but were distributed to Satomi’s fans. People who have seen the photos say that Kirara looks much like her mother. If lolicon had lasted a little longer, Kirara may have been the second generation lolicon star in her family.

Shoetsu Otomo – Emi in Hawaii (c1996) (3)

Maiden Voyages: July 2023

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New Email: I forgot to bring this up last month. For some inexplicable reason, Yahoo terminated the old email with no explanation and acted like the email didn’t even exist, and yet I was not able to create an account using the same name. This is suspicious and I don’t have the time to deal with this. Therefore, I have established a new email with Gmail. If you wish to contact us directly, there is an image of the new email on the Contact Page.

Future Photo-Lolicon Articles: Due to the popularity of Moko’s recent Rika Nishimura post, he plans to write about photographer Shuetsu Otomo and his star model Satomi Hiromoto.  Readers have been so generous in finding hard-to-find images due to censorship. Moko was able to find many non-nude and censored images here and there but it would be ideal to have uncensored photos and photos of better quality than can be found on the internet. Please contact Pigtails if you can help and we would be happy to forward these images to the author. If successful, he hopes to have an article put together later this year or early in the next.

Savior or Pawn? Much has been made of the pleas of Greta Thunberg for taking climate catastrophe seriously. It is hard to imagine that, at the time, Miss Thunberg was sufficiently self-possessed and educated to understand the full implications of her work. And in our modern cancel culture, anyone making this perfectly reasonable point—as I am now doing—have been ridiculed for attacking the girl. Suspicions were raised when Thunberg was seen in photo opportunities with many of the same “economic elites” who are the worst culprits and expected to be threatened by her. What is going on?

Where Are the Girls? We are not always kept in the loop in a timely manner, so sometimes we have to point out news items from the recent past. This item is from 2018 and is connected to the Trump Administration’s handling of refugees and immigrants. An observation was made by Matt Agorist from The Free Thought Project. He noticed there was a “minuscule” amount of footage released by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the previous week that showed any girls. The images seemed to show only boys, and only those age 10 and up. Besides girls, there also seemed to be an absence of toddlers and babies. It is hard to imagine a political spin in which this does not point in a dark direction. The most generous interpretation is that the Trump Administration did not want the public to feel overly sympathetic about the plight of these people.

The Siren of Scrap Metal: One of the grassroots economies in Mexico is the collecting of scrap metal for profit. To solicit donations, the merchants play recordings from their trucks in the various neighborhoods of Mexico City, announcing their services. These iconic calls (or pregones)  have become a part of the city’s everyday auditory landscape. In fact, one particularly popular one was recorded using the voice of a 9-year-old girl and has, over the past two decades—has been used in remixes by DJs and musicians ever since.

Rika Nishimura, a Photo-Lolicon Supermodel

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Rika Nishimura (西村理香) was the professional name of one of the most famous child models of the Japanese Photo-Lolicon era. Photographer Yasushi Rikitake (力武靖) is responsible for making her famous. Photo-Lolicon first became popular in Japan in November 1969 with Kazuo Kenmochi’s nude photobook of model Tae Umehara. Popularity of the young girl photobooks grew fairly slowly in the 1970s, as naturist magazines were imported into Japan, and some photographers, notably Sumiko Kiyooka began to photograph young girls. Then around 1980 Photo-Lolicon started to boom. Over a hundred Photo-Lolicon books were released in the early 1980s, and some of them sold millions of copies.

Yasushi Rikitake – Before Waking Up Cover (1994)

The first work I can find of Yasushi Rikitake is the omnibus photobook Lolita Sisters, which was released in October 1983. Rikitake was one of eight photographers who contributed to Lolita Sisters. In August 1984 Lolita Friends was released, another omnibus photobook by six photographers including Rikitake. Popularity of Photo-Lolicon peaked in about 1984, and then began a slow decline until 1988. In 1988 Tsutomu Miyazaki was arrested for kidnapping and murdering four girls, age four through seven. A large amount of lolicon anime and manga was found in his home, and the crime so shocked Japan that many came to see lolicon as evil. It was still legal, but less popular that it had been. It became more difficult to find models among Japanese girls since lolicon was tainted with a stigma, so many of the photographers who remained in the business sought models in foreign countries, especially Southeast Asia and Russia.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Before Waking Up (1994)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1994) (1)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1994) (2)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1994) (3)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1994) (4)

In 1989 Rikitake began to be more active in Photo-Lolicon, and in ten years had published about 150 photobooks under his own name, and nearly a hundred more under the pseudonym Ryu Kurokage. He went to Thailand hoping to find models among the girls in rural areas where it was acceptable for pre-pubescent children to go naked. Rikitake was introduced to an alcoholic who needed money and was going to sell his young daughter to a brothel in Bangkok. The man’s wife had run away and deserted the family. Rikitake could hire the girl as a model, but the problem was that after he returned to Japan, the girl’s father would still be able to sell her into prostitution. An arrangement was negotiated in which the girl would live with a loving aunt, and Rikitake would send the aunt a monthly stipend to support the girl. In return, the girl would model for Rikitake when he visited Thailand. This was a very good arrangement for both the girl, who now had a stable, happy home; and for Rikitake who now had a model who would become perhaps the most popular of all Photo-Lolicon models.

Yasushi Rikitake – Friends IV Cover (1995)

Her real name is confidential, as is her hometown. She is known only by the Japanese name she adopted for modelling; Rika Nishimura. Modesty may not be a trait commonly associated with nude models, but Rika likes to keep her personal details private.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Friends IV (1995)

Rika made her debut with the mook (magazine/book) Before Waking Up (目覚める前に), which was released in 1994 by the Rikitake Yasushi Photo Office. This is a photobook of Rika, both clothed and nude, posing alone in the outdoors. Although she is young and this is her first book, she appears to have a natural talent for modelling, and seems to enjoy it. It is not known exactly how young she is. No age is given in Before Waking Up, but she looks to me to be about eight or nine. In 1996 some photos from Before Waking Up were republished in One Million Rem Gaze (百万レムの視線), and her age when photographed is given there as ten. In 1998 some photos from Before Waking Up were published in both Six Years Trilogy (SixYears三部作) and Portraits of Jenny (ジェニー達の肖像), and in each of those works she is said to have been eleven when the photos were taken.

Yasushi Rikitake – Friends V Cover (1996)

The first two illustrations in this article are the cover and a clothed photo from Before Waking Up. The photos are from kansai.nymphs.us, which has many more lolicon photos, all non-nude.  The Japanese text on some of the photos gives the title of the publication, the model’s name, and the photographer’s name. Nude photos of Rika and other Japanese models were common on Japanese internet sites in the 1990s, but the photos suddenly disappeared in 1999 when photographs of nude minors became illegal in Japan. When I wrote this article, I thought it was unfortunate that a nude photo was not available, because Rika Nishimura is famous as a nude model. Two days after this article was published, Bob Freely submitted some nude images of Rika from Six Years Trilogy, Volume One. Many thanks to Bob for making it possible to include a sample of the nudes for which Rika Nishimura is best known.

The next four images are some of Bob’s contributions from Six Years Trilogy. They appear to be from the same photo shoot as Before Waking Up. Judging from her facial expression, Rika appears to be more relaxed in the nude photos than when she is clothed. Perhaps she was more accustomed to going naked, and was worried about getting her new clothes dirty.

 

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Friends V (1996)

Rikitake worked at that time with three publishers; Rikitake Yasushi Photo Office, Pepe, and Circle Company. His own company, Rikitake Yasushi Photo Office, and Pepe were both specialists in Photo-Lolicon, and sold their books in dedicated lolicon shops. Circle Company was the biggest publisher and sold its works in general bookstores. Circle Company censored photos in its books very slightly, by blurring the pudendal cleft, thus making them acceptable for general bookstores. Photos in books by Rikitake Yasushi Photo Office and Pepe are not censored. None of the books with Rika’s photographs were published by Circle Company. In spite of Rika’s books being less widely distributed than books of the models who were published by Circle Company, she became the most popular.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1994) (5)

Pepe published Rika’s next two books; Friends IV (1995) and Friends V (1996). The original titles were in English, the universal language and thus more fitting for books that were presented as fine art. The Friends series consists of five books by Rikitake, and in each book, two or more models were photographed together. In Friends IV the two models were Rika Nishimura and Kayoko Miura. According to Wikipedia, Friends IV was the fastest selling of the Friends series. Rika and Kayoko were also featured, along with four more models, in Friends V. Rika and Kayoko were both twelve years old when Friends IV was photographed. In Friends V Rika’s age is still given as twelve but Kayoko is now thirteen. This would indicate that the ages were reckoned by the western method of adding a year of age at the anniversary of her birth, rather than the traditional oriental method of adding a year on New Year’s Day. Other girls from Rika’s village in Thailand modeled for Rikitake, and in order to maintain good relations with the people of the village, Rikitake was obliged to photograph all of the girls who volunteered. Therefore it is very possible that girls photographed together in the Friends series were actually friends in real life.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1995) (6)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1995) (7)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1995) (8)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1995) (9)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1995) (10)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1995) (11)

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 1 (circa1995) (12)

The next photobook in which Rika appeared is One Million Rem Gaze, Published in 1996 by Rikitake Yasushi Photo Office, but no new photos were in this book. It was only a selection of sample photos of more than one hundred models from books previously released. In January 1998 Rikitake Yasushi Photo Office released the three-volume Six Years Trilogy which is the largest collection of photographs of Rika. Volume One consists of photos of Rika at age eleven and twelve; Volume Two shows her at ages thirteen and fourteen, and she is fifteen and sixteen in Volume Three. It was never explained why Rikitake kept photos of Rika for up to five years without publishing them. By this time Rika was not only Rikitake’s star model, but she was also his photographic assistant and interpreter.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 2 (circa1996) (1)

Two clothed photosfrom Six Years Trilogy which I found on the internet are followed by six photos that Bob Freely submitted. Bob also submitted a scan of the title page for Volume One of Six Years Trilogy, which has the following quote, “No one knows where they came from, where they go, where the wind blows and the seas go round, but no one knows.From Robert Nathan [Portrait of Jenny].”

Japanese publishers during the Photo-Lolicon era were very careful to avoid any sexual activity in their art. While there are some people who would find any nudity offensive, these photos are devoid of any laciviousness. It is surprising that Japanese lolicon nudes are so difficult to find, when edgier works such as the Sally Mann’s Three Graces or some of the photos of Jock Sturges are easily found. In these photos the background is blurry, thus focusing attention on the model. Other photographers who deemphasize the background include Lucas Roels and F.R. Yerbury. Rika seems relaxed and happy to pose.

In 1998 it was apparent that Photo-Lolicon would soon be prohibited. The Law Concerning the Punishment of Acts Related to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and the Protection of Children was introduced into parliament, and was passed in May 1999. On November 1, 1999 the law became effective, and Photo-Lolicon was outlawed.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 2 (circa1996) (2)

Rika was in two more books just before Photo-Lolicon was banned. The first was the seven volume Portraits of Jenny. This work was an attempt to leave a legacy that would, because of its artistic merit, remain legal under the new law. Each volume was a full size hardcover 160-page book, printed on acid-free archival quality paper, with what Rikitake thought were his most artistic photographs. About 200 models were included. Some models had photos that were previously unpublished; others had photos that were previously published in a censored version, but all photos in Portraits of Jenny were uncensored. No new photos of Rika were in Portraits of Jenny; all were from the Six Years Trilogy. Portraits of Jenny was an expensive book when it was released in 1998, at over ninety dollars for each volume, and it is even more expensive on the used book market today.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Six Years Trilogy Volume 3 (circa1997)

Rika continued to model through age 22, but only one more book of her photos, Last Christmas (ラストクリスマス, 1999, Sanwa Publishing), was published before the lolicon era came to an end. She was seventeen when photographed for Last Christmas, and was really more of a young woman than a girl. Technically she was still a minor, so for the sake of completeness I have included a photo from Last Christmas in this article. I wonder if Rika thought it was ironic that the business which saved her from being sold to a brothel was abolished by a law that in its title claimed to oppose “Acts Related to Child Prostitution”.

Yasushi Rikitake – Rika Nishimura in Last Christmas (1999)

Welcome to Lolicon: ZekromLullaby

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Interesting things can happen all the time. Hello, nice to meet you all. I’m an artist that goes online by many names, but you can just call me Zek. I’m from Honduras and I have been drawing nudes online for only the past 4 to 5 years.

Ever since I was a child, I used to draw. I never quite understood why but I always had some fascination with nudity; it was obviously innocent but at the same time it was something that marked my future years. I remember drawing a lot of nude bodies when I was 6, I fell in love with Renaissance painting and sculpture and, as a matter of fact, I used to watch Dragon Ball among other animes, which showed full nudity in some of the child characters. So that is how different art forms got mixed up in my head. Fast forward a few years, and I was discovering certain art communities online, for example Deviantart.

Many readers of this site may not be familiar with modern Japanese art styles. Japan is unusual in being well-known for allowing things like nudity and sex in some of their cartoons, but not all animes are sexual or feature mature material. I don’t normally draw in the anime style; I have done it, but isn’t my usual inspiration.

ZekromLullaby - Adelie (2014)

ZekromLullaby – Adelie (2014)

This was an older drawing of mine in an anime-like style. Adelie is a young alien girl who appears in my favorite episode of the Space Dandy anime. There’s a Japanese term used to describe young girls in art like mine, Loli or Lolicon. Of course I draw a lot more but this site focuses on young female artwork.

There are very few art sites that allow you to really draw nude young characters. I was honored to be allowed to write for Pigtails in Paint. This must be one of the most peculiar sites I’ve visited.

Even with the censorship I usually needed to put to my works, you can easily find people willing to insult and hurt you and your work; it’s always part of defending your ideals.

As you will see, I like to experiment and try new styles and techniques. I include mostly works from this year because I’m improving still and only wanted to include what I feel is worth it.

Let’s start with my drawings.

ZekromLullaby - Winnie (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Winnie (2015)

ZekromLullaby - Winnie's Halloween (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Winnie’s Halloween (2015)

Winnie Werewolf is a young cub who appears in the Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) movies. The movies inspired me to draw her. She was sincerely adorable in both movies. My first one became the most famous drawing of this set, so I decided to make the second one for Halloween. I spent a lot of time experimenting in a more traditional painting style, even though both drawings are fully digital.

Genndy Tartakovsky et al - Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Genndy Tartakovsky et al – Hotel Transylvania (2012)

On the internet there’s a subculture called “Furry Fandom” and their members are called furries. Many furries like mature or suggestive artwork featuring anthropomorphic characters (characters that are both humanoid and animal, but are able to think and feel just like humans). I don’t see myself as a furry, but many artist friends and most of my followers are furries.

ZekromLullaby - Princess Chysalis (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Princess Chysalis (2015)

This next drawing was a small experiment I want to repeat one of this days. It’s a humanized and younger version of a villain from the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series. This is one of my favorite fast drawings.

ZekromLullaby - Cub Tigress (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Cub Tigress (2015)

Another character I really like is Master Tigress from the Kung Fu Panda franchise. There’s a short TV special featuring her as a child. I wanted to draw her while she was having some fun undressing, probably before taking a bath.

ZekromLullaby - Gleck and Flock (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Gleck and Flock (2015)

The goblins are naked by this age according to some folklore tales. They are characters created by a friend of mine and fellow artist who goes by the name TheMushman. Examples can be found here and here.

ZekromLullaby - Milly (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Milly (2015)

Now Camilia (“Milly”), is a character created by a very talented furry artist, Brian Christy Burke, better known as Drake Fenwick. There’s a backstory for her. According to Milly’s lore, when children are left in the malls they become the mall’s property and are forced to work for whatever store payed for them. Milly was owned by a store very similar to Hot Topic. She loves to wear Gothic clothes and do any type labor for the store. On my picture she is holding some small discount banners to attract customers. She is featured in only a few online comics. This drawing had different variations. In this case, Milly is a Goth young girl who likes to be topless in public places.

ZekromLullaby - Jinjing-Yu (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Jinjing-Yu (2015)

I was considering not including this drawing because technically this character isn’t a child. She’s already a full adult, but even so her body is anthropomorphic in a way that makes her torso still resemble a dog, which gives the young-looking illusion. Yet I believe her design looks young enough to be featured here. She was created by my good friend Tchaikovsky.

ZekromLullaby - La Gardevoir Desnuda (2015)

ZekromLullaby – La Gardevoir Desnuda (2015)

As a small tribute to Goya. One of the most influential nudes ever made is known as La Maja Desnuda. I wanted to make my own interpretation of it since I was a child. I made a Pokémon my model for it, and couldn’t be happier with the decision; that give a fresh look to it.

ZekromLullaby - Raindrop (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Raindrop (2015)

How could I complete this without at least one of my own characters. And since everything here has been digital, I thought it would be good to show something done on real paper. She’s named Raindrop Roses and even if her profile and backstory says she’s centuries old, I believe there’s a place for her here. I have a lot of plans for this girl—even a future comic.

ZekromLullaby - Shadow (2015)

ZekromLullaby – Shadow (2015)

Let me conclude this with my most recent girl drawing. She’s Shadow, one character from the webcomic The Monster Under the Bed. When the comic starts she’s only 8 years old. Her design really made me draw her on the very first night I discovered the comic. She will grow up to become a great monster-woman, but I wanted to show how nice she is already.

And this will be all for now. Thanks for such an opportunity. I’ll be working on more art in the future, maybe if people have an interest, I could talk with the staff and post more. If you have any questions just leave a comment or look for me in any of my pages (also here, here and here).