Now we are going way into OT. I wasn't going into pre-video... but here's what I know and/or some impressions. Nudity/sex in print form had a long tradition in Japan that doesn't much related to JAV. Actually print porn in Japan well pre-dated photography as Ukiyo-e (adult or not) was popular (and it was strongly related to manga (hentai or not) So Japanese print porn, IMHO, is entirely unrelated to Playboy (and Penthouse, Hustler etc much later). Another thing that I found in my father's stash was rope bondage photo-book. The artistic style of those are hugely different from typical S&M JAV now (or ever). Some pink cinema did capture the spirit of those books. So I also think pink cinema and JAV are two different beasts.
Look up any ukiyo-e porn, you notice it's kind of opposite from JAV: it's not only uncensored, the reproductive organs are the main focus. The cocks and the pussies are disportionally large, the hair is finely drawn , it's as if Japanese worship the cock and the pussy. (well we do know that at least one village still worship the cock).
So the weird obsessive shyness about the pussy (well back on topic are we?) in JAV is not at all traditional Japanese value, it's a post-WWII thing.
Look up any ukiyo-e porn, you notice it's kind of opposite from JAV: it's not only uncensored, the reproductive organs are the main focus. The cocks and the pussies are disportionally large, the hair is finely drawn , it's as if Japanese worship the cock and the pussy. (well we do know that at least one village still worship the cock).
So the weird obsessive shyness about the pussy (well back on topic are we?) in JAV is not at all traditional Japanese value, it's a post-WWII thing.