History of Pompoir

Many cultures practiced pompoir in ancient times, but it's been largely forgotten in most places in the modern world

Pompoir techniques are a trans-cultural phenomenon and have been referred to by many names, like “holding firm” in Taoism, “the velvet grip,” “pompoir,” (French translation of “Pahmpur,” the Tamil city in which this was practiced),  kabazzah (“holder” in Arabic), “takotsubi” or “mimizu senbiki” (“octopus pot” or “1000 worms” in Japanese), “cangrejera” (crab girl in Spanish), “cocomordan” (“vagina that bites” in Haitian Creole) or “the Singapore grip” or the “Singapore kiss.”

Historically, these techniques have been practiced by many Asian cultures, especially followers of the Tantra, Tao, and Kama Sutra. It’s said that the tradition originated in India over 3,000 years ago, where they used these techniques as a tantric exercise. It was also widely practiced in Japan and Thailand, particularly by sex workers, who often underwent training in order to have this ability. Hindu Devadasis, Greek courtesans and Japanese geishas were all known to have been skilled in these techniques. Unfortunately they became largely forgotten with the spread of puritanical ideas toward sex as a result of imperialism & colonialism. 

A 15th-16th century sex manual called the “Ananga Ranga” by the Indian poet Kalyanamalla explicitly talks about this practice. According to the manual, one should “close and constrict the Yoni [vagina] until it holds the Linga [penis], as, with a finger, opening and shutting at her pleasure, and finally, acting as the hand of the Gopála-girl, who milks the cow.”

Kalyanamalla claims that if a woman learns to do this, “her husband will then value her above all women, nor would he exchange her for the most beautiful Ráni (queen) in the three worlds. So lovely and pleasant to man is she who constricts” (Ananga Ranga, 1885 British translation).

Interestingly, a footnote by the British translators claims that “certain races” have “abnormally developed” vaginal muscles, which allows them to do this, which is clearly false.

There’s little historical documentation of the use of these techniques in “The West.” In 1952, Dr. Arnold Kegel developed pelvic floor exercise to aid people experiencing incontinence, but those exercises don’t go far past contracting and releasing.

In pop culture, the main reference I could find was the story of Wallis Simpson, who apparently learned these techniques in Shanghai brothels and used them to win the heart of Edward VIII, who abdicated his throne so he could marry her. These references rarely go into much detail about the techniques themselves.