Career
She considers it her mission to demystify female genitalia in Japan where, according to her, they are "overly hidden". At first, her sculptures, which are made from molds of her vulva, were a joke. However, after receiving a large amount of criticism and backlash, she began to use her art as a statement.
She would like women to be able to speak about their bodies without shame, and believes that the vulva should be "part of the body.. no different from arms or legs." She would like to make the vulva something that is "casual and popular," saying "Vagina is treated like it"s something underground and hidden, so I want to industrialize and mass-produce lieutenant" Conversely, the symbol of the penis is more socially accepted in Japanese culture, as each year people celebrate the "Festival of the Street Phallus" in Kawasaki.
Igarashi has made many vulva-themed works. She has made a vulva chandelier, a vulva-shaped remote control car, necklaces and iPhone cases.
The small dioramas are part of series called, "Decoman" (a play off of manko, the Japanese word for "cunt"). Much of her art was confiscated during a police raid, but photographs document her work.
Looking to make something larger, Igarashi considered making a door, and a car, before settling on a kayak.
She was inspired by the connection between female sexuality and the sea. She made a kayak based on a 3D scan of her vulva. She funded this project through a crowdfunding page, raising over ¥3,000.
Those who contributed were sent 3D data of her vulva.
Igarashi also created a cartoon vulva named Manko-chan (translated to Mission Pussy). She would like this cartoon to become a popular culture icon.
The cartoon has been made into manga, figurines, and stuffed animals. She has also made a full size Manko-chan costume.
In July 2014, Igarashi was arrested for the alleged violation of Japanese obscenity laws for e-mailing the 3D scanner data of her vulva in March to people who supported the crowdfunding campaign to build the kayak.
More than 21,000 people signed an online petition urging the government to free her. She was released a week later after having successfully appealed her detention. On 3 December 2014, Igarashi was arrested for suspicion of displaying an obscene object, along with Minori Watanabe (who uses the pseudonym of Minori Kitahara), a writer, feminist activist and sex shop owner.
Watanabe was later released.
On 24 December, Igarashi was indicted and planned on pleading not-guilty, according to her lawyer She was charged with "obscenity display," "obscenity electromagnetic record," and "obscenity electromagnetic recording medium distribution".
On 26 December 2014, she was released on bail. Her trial began 14 April 2015 in Tokyo District Court.