Very often a tickling tool is included in Japanese bondage art without it being shown in action. Who can say for sure what the motivation is? I don't think they are too concerned with being judged as kinky, given everything else going on. I like to think that it sets the tone, like any well selected stage prop. This suggests that to Japanese readers tickling is as accepted a part of S&M fantasies as spanking, hot wax and enemas. Personally I prefer seeing the tool put into use. Here as in several other illustrations in this collection the feather is used to conform to the old censorship code, which did not allow depiction of genitalia and pubic hair.
Notice the construction of the feather tickling tool. It appears to be a number of feathers mounted in a handle. This design turns up often, even in photographs. Sometimes it is just a clump of feathers, but it usually looks as it does here, as though a taxidermist reconstructed an entire bird's wing.
I have never seen such a tool in any other context, but it seems unlikely that even the Japanese would go to so much trouble to make a purpose-built tickling tool. Thinking that it might be common in uncommon applications such as drafting I posted a query about it, minus any reference to tickling, in alt.culture.japan, but received no explanation. If anyone can enlighten me as to the source of this tool I would appreciate it.
Just how much ticking takes places here is hard to say, because the author left it pretty well up to our imagination. The man does not mention tickling, we do not actually see the feathers being applied to the woman's body, and the following frames on the next page cut to rather conventional sex play. It does not help that the woman is gagged, but then that adds a little excitement of its own! I like to assume that in the second to last frame it is the woman's left knee we see, and the man is about to apply the feathers to her cunt. Not so far fetched if you consider other illustrations in this series.
Sandy Beach
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