Hentai’s Evolution Spotlighted at Ecchi Expo Denver 2025

Pornhub has ranked Hentai as the most searched term on its website for four years in a row globally, and for the first time, it was the most searched term in the United States in its 2024 survey. So it was great to have a panel hosted about Hentai at the Ecchi Expo Denver Expo 2025.

Koya Rose hosted the panel Hentai: A History, in which she outlined the history of the genre, explaining how shunga, Japanese erotic art of woodblock prints depicting explicit sexual acts, were popular during Japan’s Edo and Heian Periods of history. One of the most notable pieces is Katsushika Hokusai’s The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife (1814), which is a well-known example involving tentacle imagery.

Rose explains how this period provided the foundation of shunga.

“It really showed a lot of creative use of color because nudity wasn't necessarily considered immodest in Japan at this time because public bathhouses were a thing,” Rose said. “It was actually very common to see shunga where the characters are mostly closed with just the genitals extremely exaggerated, because it actually led to a more creative expression, because they were able to use more colors, more patterns, more designs."

She informed the audience that the etymology of the word “hentai” didn’t appear until the Meiji Era in Japan, which ran from 1868 to 1912, and it was described as unusual or abnormal traits.

“It is an abbreviation of the phrase 'Hentai Seiyoku,' and wasn't used in English until 1990,” Rose said.

The panel provided a breakdown of first mentions of hentai and how it is directly tied to the history of anime, and talked about how the genre has been battling Japanese censorship laws throughout its history.

“Going into modern censorship, in 1907 Japan actually passed the penal code chapter 22, article 175 that reads, it punishes individuals who distribute, sell, or publicly display documents, drawings, or other objects, or possess them for such purposes,” Rose said. “Now it was amended in 2011 to include electronic and for magnetic records distributed by electronic means. So it is still keeping up with modern times of how media is disputed."

Hentai has a deep history, and has influenced the anime world. Koya was able to provide historical context as to why this genre of adult content has become a dominant form of porn for an audience. If you're attending a convention or expo with a history of Hentai panel hosted by Rose, it's worth the time to attend. To follow Koya Rose you can reach her on social media via TikTok.