Japanese artist debuts vagina-themed graphic novel in Toronto

From battling a controversial criminal case in Japantosigning books in Toronto, Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, orRokudenashiko as she's more commonly known, is aworld away from home but says her work has been more welcome at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival than it ever has been in Japan.

Rokudenashiko premiered the English version of her graphic novel What Is Obscenity? The Story Of A Good For Nothing Artist And Her Pussyat this weekend's festival, which took place at the Toronto Reference Library.

"Unlike in Japan the people have received it very kindly,"Rokudenashikotold CBC News. "They treat the book as the fun, exciting, light-hearted piece that it is and not the serious, criminalized work that it is in Japan,so I'm really happy about that."

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The novel is a memoir of the trials and tribulations Rokudenashiko has facedpursuing her artistic mandate: demystifying female genitalia in Japanese culture.

Her work madeinternational headlineswhen she was arrested in July 2014 after creating a kayak based on a 3Dscan of her own vulva. A move shocking to some, itmade for material on late night shows including The Daily Show'sJon Stewart.

On Monday, a Tokyo court found herguilty of a charge of obscenity forsending the 3D printer files used to create the kayak as a thank-you tothose whohelped crowd fund it.

ButRokudenashiko saysbeing caught up in a criminal casehas been a "universally good thing."

"The fact that I get so much attention is absolutely good, I think that's great," she said.

Coming from a country that dedicates an annual festival to celebrating male genitalia, Rokudenashiko hopes that bringing her work to an international audience will positively influence attitudes towards the topic of female anatomy in Japanese pop culture.

"I'm hoping they see that this is considered a positive piece of art drawn and that that will then influence public opinion in Japan."

Rokudenashiko says she's thrilled that her Toronto audience has received the novel kindly.

"In Japan there's a lot of negative criticism lodged against me even still from the Internet and on Twitter, whereas here...I feel only positive reception."