Crimes That Made History — Season 1, Episode 6: Abe Sada: The Fantasy of Japanese Eroticism

Episode synopsis

On May 18th 1936, Abe Sada killed her lover by "erotic asphyxia" then cut off his member and carved his name in her flesh. In a militarized Japan, the press was very interested in this crime with erotic and transgressive accents. The murder has become a classic in Japanese culture; news of this crime spread a made up image of Japan - where love and sexual urges are liberated - to the West.

About Crimes That Made History

Crimes and bloody tales that made the headlines usually reveal a lot about the hidden fantasies of their time. From Jack the Ripper to the Andes crash, the ten episodes of this collection shed a black light on a page of history that left a mark on their time.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Jack the Ripper: The Invention of the Serial Killer
• E2Albert Soleilland: A Case for the Death Penalty
• E3Fritz Haarmann: Vampire in the Weimar Republic
• E4The St. Valentine's Massacre: Gang Rule in America
• E5Violette Nozière: The Patricidal Poisoner
• E7Roswell: Back to the UFO
• E8Flight 571: Acceptable Face of Cannibalism
• E9The Jonestown Massacre: An American Apocalypse
• E10The Death of Princess Di