A Japanese artist who made a 3D printed canoe from a selfie of her vagina is facing two years behind bars for 'distributing obscene materials'.

Megumi Igarashi uploaded nude pictures and sent the information to 30 people who offered to help pay for the bizarre creation called "p***y boat".

She hit headlines around the world last year after also making a vagina-shaped teddy bear and some figurines.

Creative: Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, known as Rokudenashiko (
Image:
Reuters)

Igarashi, from Tyokyo. is alleged to have breached Japanese obscenity laws and police sources said that she had received nearly £6,000 for the images.

The 43-year-old faces up to two years in jail and fines of up to 2.5 million yen (US$20,900) if found guilty, according to ChannelNewsAsia.

Bizarre: Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi and her teddy bear creation (
Image:
Getty)

However, Igarashi, whose pseudonym Rokudenashiko means 'good for nothing girl' said that she did not believe the 3D data was obscene and she had not sent the pictures in return for money.

Igarashi's lawyer, Takashi Yamaguchi, was confident of winning the case.

He said: "Her means of expression don't incite desire at all. She is just using one part of the body that happens to be genitalia to express her own message."

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi: The 43-year-old faces up to two years in jail (
Image:
Reuters)

On her blog Igarashi writes: "I make art pieces with my vagina, which I would rather call Manko(MK).

"I thought it was just funny to decorate my vagina and make into a diorama, but I was very surprised to see how upset people get when they see my works or even hear me say the word Manko.

"Even when a TV station asked me to be on their show, they wouldn’t dare let me say DECO-MAN because 'MAN' is from the taboo word 'Manko'. Why did I start making these kind of art pieces? It’s because I had never seen the vagina of others and I was too self-conscious of mine.

"I did not know what a vagina should look like at the same time, so I thought mine was abnormal.

"Manko and vagina, have been such a taboo in Japanese society. Penis, on the other hand, has been used in illustrations and has become a part of pop culture.

"But vagina has never been so cute. Vagina has been thought to be obscene because its been overly hidden; although it is just a part of a woman’s body."

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