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The first kiss seen in a Japanese film was partially hidden by an umbrella in 1946. Gradually more flesh was revealed on screen in the 1950's. The import of several foreign films such as The Immortal Mr. Teas(1959) and Les Amants(1958) in which female nudity was depicted may have helped open the door.

The film, Flesh Market(1962) by Satoru Kobayashi, is considered the first pink film. Porn movies before this time were illegal stag films which never made it to the general public. The first wave of pink films came after Tetsuji Takechi made Black Snow(1965) and was arrested for obscenity. Interestingly he defended the picture's many nude scenes as being a reference to Japan's nakedness in the face of an American Invasion. Takechi's victory in the ensuing, highly publicized court battle between Japan's intellectuals and conservatives led to an explosion of such movies.

To begin with these films were typically shown in independent studios' chain of specialty theaters. Koji Wakamatsu,dubbed "The Pink Godfather" directed a series of movies filled with sex and extreme violence. His renditions had political messages and found critical respect.

The second wave of pink films came in the 1970's. They were produced by major studios as the industry tried to avoid going broke. The Japanese film industry was being squeezed by both television and imported films. They needed something to bring the public back to the theaters to see their productions and pink films were a proven money maker.

Toei, a major studio took the plunge into pink films in 1972. There were a series of movies produced by the company which were action-packed, violence-filled and laced with eroticism. They often depicted female heroines fighting back over past injustices.

The studio Nikkatsu in 1971 launched the Roman Porno series. These movies are virtually indistinguishable from the pink films other than they had a higher budget. Two notable trends started from the Roman series - S&M Queen themes and the ultra extreme "violent pink".

Censorship problems sprung up again in the 1980's. An agreement between Eirin (the Japanese film rating board) and the pink film companies put new restrictions on films released in theaters. This development, along with the VCR revolution, marked the end of the Roman Porno series. The adult video became the main choice for mature entertainment.

During this time three directors of pink films, Nakamura, Takahashi and Watanabe became known as the "Pillars of Pink". Their work which

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