Documentations

Hihokan, or translated "House of Hidden Treasures" became popular in 1971 and you still can find them, practically unchanged since more than 30 years.

Overview 9 of 11

In April 1971 Japan's first Hihokan which stands for "House of Hidden Treasures" opened its doors in Awa, Okushima. However, the exhibits were limited to phallic/vulvic altar symbols and intercourse themed antiques as you could see since centuries in bigger Shinto shrines anyway. But finally the term Hihokan became famous as the "Original International House of Hidden Treasures" opened its doors October 1971 in Ise, Mie (about 500km southwest of Tokyo).
Masato Matsuno, entrepreneur and the founder of the Original International House of Hidden Treasures became an instant celebrity as "Professor Sex" and appeared in various TV and Radio shows. In 1982 he published a book "The Hihokan" (Tomu Shobo) where he described his obsession with collecting all things related to sex. This documentation shows unique photos of the Original International House of Hidden Treasures which remained almost unchanged since 1971 and allows for some interesting time travel into Japan's juicy past. Additional I visited other 3 other Hihokan in Atami, Kinugawa and Izu Peninsula because I could not believe what I found. A special thanks goes to Ako for translation and her help finding these places.

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