There is an interesting discrepancy between the western audiences, who experience Hokusai’s image as an involuntary encounter, and the Japanese of the Edo period who saw it is as consensual. The latter would have understood the dialogue that expresses the mutual enjoyment of both the diver and the octopuses. They also would have recognized the print as a reference to the legend of the female abalone diver Tamatori. In addition to one of our most read articles about the influence of Hokusai’s iconic The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife on a whole new genre called Tentacle Erotica (shokushu goukan 触手強姦, aka. Tentacle Rape, Tentacle Hentai or Tentacle Porn) we have included more exciting examples below (Beware: some of these images are very graphic!). What is Tentacle Erotica?

Bradshaw, Peter (2017-08-17). "The Untamed review – a film about love, pleasure and a tentacular sex monster". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-07-07. Fig.57. Europa und Amerika (Aug 1918) from the German satirical newspaper ‘Simplicissimus’ by Wilhelm Schulz (Photo source; picbear.org) In 1989, Maeda's manga Demon Beast Invasion created what could be considered the modern Japanese paradigm of tentacle porn, in which the elements of sexual assault are emphasized. Maeda explained that he invented the practice to get around strict Japanese censorship regulations, which prohibit the depiction of the penis but do not prohibit showing sexual penetration by a tentacle or similar appendages.Fig.55. Cover art by John Pound for ‘Commies From Mars the Red Planet’. Issue 2 (Last Gasp, Dec 1979) (Photo source; pigbear.org) A decade later, Corman would again use tentacle rape while producing Galaxy of Terror, released in 1980. Corman also directed a scene in which actress Taaffe O'Connell, playing an astronaut on a future space mission, is captured, raped, and killed by a giant, tentacled worm. The film borrows the concept of the "Id Monster" from the 1950s film Forbidden Planet, with the worm being a manifestation of O'Connell's character's fears. The scene was graphic enough that the film's director, B. D. Clark, refused to helm it, and O'Connell refused to do the full nudity required by Corman, so Corman directed the scene himself and used a body double for some of the more graphic shots. Initially given an X-rating by the Motion Picture Association of America, small cuts were made to the scene, which changed the film's rating to "R.".

Pwwse," Irie tried again. She couldn't really speak with all that alien meat filling her mouth. 'Please,' she thought then. 'Make me yours, fill me up, take me now!'When considering shunga, it is important to shed censorious attitudes towards sexuality that have been a fundamental part of western Christian culture for so long. Although printed shunga was officially illegal in Japan after 1722, it was widely tolerated – indeed, during the three centuries of its popularity many thousands of images were produced in a variety of formats: multi-volume books, bound albums sometimes exchanged as wedding gifts, painted handscrolls, and sets of small-format prints possibly sold in wrappers. In 2014, BBC Culture wrote a piece on Shunga. It was titled: Sexually explicit Japanese art challenges Western ideas. Summarised, the article tells us that Shunga was supposed to portray fun and pleasurable sex (not aggression or violence like too often in modern hentai/pornography). It was a style of art that was enjoyed by both men and women, affluent and less affluent citizens, as it did in fact portray this variety of people — though most often heterosexual — having fun during sex. Western people at the time were still immersed in deeply religious ideologies that saw sex as filth, or sin.

Courage, Katherine Harmon (2013). "Tentacle Erotica". Octopus!: The Most Mysterious Creature in the Sea. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780698137677.One of the reasons why tentacle erotica has gained popularity is because it allows individuals to explore their sexuality in a safe and consensual way. Unlike traditional pornography, tentacle erotica often features fantastical creatures and scenarios that are not possible in real life, which can be liberating for those who feel constrained by societal norms and expectations.