In Japan catholics make up about 0.3% of the population. In Japanese film, Catholics make up pretty close to 100% of the religion-based sexploitation depicted in Nikkatsu Studios’ roman porno catalog. We’ve commented on this fascination a few times over the years, and there’s no answer for its popularity except that it’s probably seen as exotic by audiences, and it’s a fetish that’s safe to explore because 0.3% of the population have exactly zero power to efficaciously protest the films. Western movies also explored nun sexuality, but examples were fewer. We’ve come across at least thirty Japanese nunsploitation movies, dating from the 1960s and into the ’90s. Shûdôjo Runa no kokuhaku, known in English as Cloistered Nun: Runa’s Confession, is therefore part of a decades-long trend.
Luna Takamura, after three years in a nunnery, moves in with the half-sister who stole her boyfriend and prompted her flight into the arms of the church. Her sister is still with this man, and the two plan to get married. Well—maybe she plans to get married. Anyway, as a woman of God, Takamura has supposedly forgiven everything. She’s working on behalf of her order trying to sell ten hectares of land so the profits can be used for further proselytization, and—wouldn’t you know it?—Mr. Cheater can get together enough money to buy it. He’s up to no good with this deal, and Takamura’s sis is a sexual scammer shaking down men for cash, but this slippery pair may be outdone, because the serene look in our godly nun’s eyes signal some ideas centered around vengeance for three years ago.
Nikkatsu filmmakers, in addition to an obsession with nuns, had an obsession with sexual assault. No means no meant nothing as far as they were concerned. We must caution about that. But as always, we make it a practice not to judge other cultures in any way that could be interpreted as high-handed. That would mean we thought ours is superior, and it manifestly isn’t. Japanese society has a reputation for sexism and misogyny, but we suspect its reckoning will eventually come. Roman porno movies will be exhibit A. However, roman porno, like other types of exploitation cinema such as blaxploitation and women-in-prison, often allows the mistreated to have their revenge. In that respect it’s an improvement on the real world. Shûdôjo Runa no kokuhaku premiered today in 1976.
