Chastity belt

A metal band with a lock attached to a wife or mistress to prevent her from having sexual relations with other men, in order to ensure her chastity. Commonly called girdles of chastity, they are also called Venus belts or Bergamo locks, as they were mainly produced in the Bergamo region of Italy. They were invented in Europe around the 12th century and used by Crusader soldiers for their wives or mistresses left behind in their homelands during long campaigns, but there is also a theory that they were invented during the Renaissance, when chastity belt makers would secretly make duplicate keys and sell them to the women in question. Similar items were seen in Japan during the Edo period, but nowadays they are only used hedonistically by a few sexual perverts in both the West and the East.

[Noh Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

妻あるいは愛人の純潔を求めて、他の男性との性交渉を不可能にするために施した錠前付きの金属製バンド。一般にはgirdles of chastityとよばれるが、ビーナス帯とも、イタリアのベルガモ地方でおもに生産されたところからベルガモ式錠ともいわれる。12世紀ごろヨーロッパで発明され、十字軍の将兵が長期の遠征に際し故国に残す妻や愛人に用いたというが、ルネサンス期に発明されたという説もあり、貞操帯の製造職人はひそかに合い鍵(かぎ)をつくって当の女性に売りつけたという。日本でも江戸時代に類似のものがみられたが、現在は西洋・東洋ともに一部の性倒錯者たちが享楽的に用いているにすぎない。

［佐藤農人］

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