A Japanese artist charged with obscenity for distributing plans of how to build a kayak shaped like her vagina denied the charges when she appeared in court on Wednesday . In a case that has sparked accusations of heavy-handed censorship , artist Megumi Igarashi said she had done nothing wrong in handing out the code for a 3D printer . ' I am innocent because neither the data for female genitals nor my art works shaped like female genitals are obscene , ' she told judges at Tokyo District Court . Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi could face up to two years in jail if convicted of obscenity . In a case that has sparked accusations of heavy-handed censorship , artist Megumi Igarashi said she had done nothing wrong in handing out the code for a 3D printer . She 's pictured here with the frame of a kayak she created modelled on her own vagina . Igarashi was first arrested in July , but was freed several days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her release . But Tokyo police arrested her again in December , on three counts of distributing 'obscene ' data -- namely CD-ROMs containing computer code for a 3D printer that would allow users to make copies of the vagina-shaped kayak . She was held in custody for around a month before being granted bail . ' I have been arguing that it is strange to single out one part of a human body that every woman has ' and treat it as obscene , she told journalists and supporters after the hearing . 'Some people say my works are cheap and not even art , but that should not justify police moves to arrest me , ' she said . Igarashi creates a range of products that look like her vagina , including picture frames ( left ) and phone cases ( right ) Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi shows a small mascot shaped like a vagina at a news conference in Tokyo . One of her lawyers , Takashi Yamaguchi , said the defence team believes 'it is extremely outrageous that anybody can be arrested and forced to stand before judges because of making artworks or working as an artist . ' If convicted of distributing or possessing obscene materials for the purpose of selling , Igarashi could face up to two years in jail and/or a fine of as much as 2.5 million yen ( $ 21,000 ) . Japan has an enthusiastic and prolific pornography industry that caters to all imaginable tastes . But rigid obscenity laws ban the depiction of actual genitalia , which normally appear pixellated or behind black spots .
Megumi Igarashi makes pieces of art that are modelled on her vagina . Her case has sparked accusations of heavy-handed censorship . 'The data for female genitals is not obsence , ' she told a Tokyo court .