Otoko no Ko: Japan’s “male daughter” cross-dressing cosplay subculture
It’s high time we talked about otoko no ko (also written otokonoko) (男の娘). The name of course is a play on the word for “boy” but whose characters mean “male daughter”. As we know, the word for daughter (musume) is also employed a lot to mean “cute young girl”, and that’s the nuance here.
The phrase has been used since the 2000’s. A otoko no ko is a cross-dressing cosplayer, who dresses as a girl for certain occasions. It’s an unusual combination of cosplay culture, sexuality, and (in a way) otaku culture (it’s quite geeky as subcultures go). It took the world of men dressed as women in video games, manga and anime, and made it three-dimensional.
This is not the same as Japan’s vibrant gay subculture. Otoko no ko come more from the streets of Harajuku or Akihabara than Shinjuku’s Nichome. They could be gay or bi, though not necessarily. It’s about the costume, the “play” of the female, infused with references to anime and manga.
The results are highly feminized boys, rather than a simple boy-dressed-as-a-girl scenario.
And it is also not quite to be confused with general cross-dressing, often known as josoko (女装子). An otoko no ko is not a transsexual or drag queen in the way people think of them in the west. (And if we are listing terminology, we can’t avoid “New Half” (ニューハーフ), which is the usual word these days for full transsexuals or shemales. Sometimes otoko no ko or even josoko are known as “New Quarter” too.)
Japan’s cross-dressing culture is harder to define, even for a gender-bending world that is hard to define anywhere and any time.
Kabuki still continues to feature men who only ever play female roles (onnagata) while, on the contrary, Takarazuka is the revue that has only female performers, some of whom are assigned to playing men for their whole careers. And yet the biggest fans are women, who admire the showiness of it all, the flamboyant sexiness of the “men”.
And then there are entertainers like Akihiro Miwa and Matsuko Deluxe, who are more like drag queens (known, not always fondly, as okama) or “conventional” transvestites. Miwa also has yellow hair these days and is openly gay.
What is interesting is how otoko no ko culture has been developing. There are shops and maid cafes, books and photo books, and, as you’d expect, specialist porn.
But now Tama Toys, who focus on kawaii-style sex toys, have been releasing a whole line of interesting products, ostensibly for otoko no ko, though there’s nothing to stop anyone trying them.
This extends from panties to manicure sets, wigs, and more. There’s also an “anus smell” lotion so you can add some aromatic touches to your body.
There are even these new panties with sanitary pads so you can pretend you are menstruating!
And for the really realistic finish, you can add Camel Toe Underpants or Vagina Panties.
We seem to be witnessing a real otoko no ko boom, with many new shops and places opening. Meanwhile, the popular cross-dressing event Propaganda, held in Shinjuku, was attended by 400 people in August, some 70% of whom were dressed as “otoko no ko idols”.
In one interview recently quoted in the media, Ruru (22) said he (should we say “she” here?) works during the day and once a month gets the chance to cross-dress. “I can change myself into something different and be liberated of all the stress of male society.”
Propaganda has been held on the last Saturday of every month since 2007, growing from its first event with just 50 people to be a large festival.
Sociologists might talk about the pressure on men in Japan. Businessmen not allowed to show feelings or express opinions in gray working environments that value seniority and obedience over merit or talent. But we’ll leave the generalizing to the scholars. Certainly Japan has a long and rich gay history and (separately or otherwise) a vibrant culture of cross-dressing that extends to the present, free of moral qualms or assumptions about sexuality.
For now, we’re just admire the sheer wealth and countercultural defiance of otoko no ko.
