Naomi Tani was born October 20, 1948, in Fukuoka Japan. Her career started in photo layouts, which then led to roles in “pink” films, which dominated Japan’s cinema at that time. She made her film debut in 1967. Naomi appeared in comedies, dramas, and action films, but it was the S&M genre which would make her a star. Her reputation grew, and an indication of her prominence as a representative of erotic cinema in Japan was her appearance in Playboy’s December 1968 issue Girls of the Orient pictorial article.
Naomi Tani appeared in numerous and highly successful S&M films throughout the 70′s, becoming The S&M Queen of Japanese cinema until her sudden retirement in 1979 at the height of her popularity. Known for her remarkable dedication to her work, Naomi would perform even the most extreme S&M scenes without complaint. During the twelve years she worked as an actress, she never went to the beach or allowed herself to get a suntan, feeling that it was important to keep her skin very white—so that it could be seen turning red during some of the scenes involving such things as whippings or melting candle wax tortures. She later gave her reason as: “I never wanted to disappoint my fans by showing an unflattering face. That’s why I’ve always refused to do a comeback. Nobody is free from aging. I want to exist in the audience’s memory as a forever blooming flower.”
