Shunga (春画) are Japanese erotic pictures in the ukiyo-e (floating world) style, usually executed in woodblock print format or, more rarely, as painted scrolls.

Etymology

Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga (kanji: 春画) means picture of spring or picture of sex (The first kanji character means both spring and sex).

History

It is thought that shunga pictures were initially inspired by illustrations in Chinese medical manuals, a process which had its origins in the Muromachi era (1336 to 1573). Chou Fang, the great T'ang Dynasty Chinese erotic painter, is thought to also have been influential. He, like many oriental erotic artists, tended to exaggerate the size of the genital organs, a common shunga topos.

The style was popular through the Edo period (1603 to 1867), finally succumbing to the introduction of erotic pictures in photographic format at the beginning of the Meiji era (1868–1912).

Production

These pictures, usually in the form of prints and painted scrolls, were produced between the sixteenth century and the nineteenth century by ukiyo-e (floating world) painters since they sold more easily and at a higher price than their ordinary work. Shunga prints were produced and sold either as single sheets or - more frequently - in book form, called enpon. Shunga was also produced in hand scroll format, called kakemono-e . This format was also popular, though more expensive as the scrolls had to be individually painted.

The quality of shunga art varies, and no ukiyoe painters remained aloof from the genre. Experienced artisans including ukiyoe painters found it to their advantage to concentrate on their production. This led to the appearance of shunga by first rate artists. Ukiyoe painters owed a stable livelihood to such customs, and, it appears that producing a piece of shunga for a high-ranking client brought them enough money to live on for about six months.

Most ukiyo-e shunga prints were produced in Edo. Rarely, they were produced in Osaka or Kyoto. The coloration of those prints is richer, and matte, in comparison with Edo works. This effect came from the use of gofun , powdered white clamshell, which was mixed into pigments used in multicolored prints in Osaka and Kyoto.

Traditions

Shunga artists rarely signed their works, even though the genre was generally accepted and the art met the same standards required of more convetional styles. This was in order to eliminate any danger of governmental prosecution, or any risk of "losing face" and thus endangering the other aspects of an artist's career.

Brides of daimyos and hatamotos often brought a waraie (erotic picture) series of twelve pictures together with their wedding furniture. Also, daimyos and hatamotos accustomed to place a roll of shunga in the helmet box when they comissioned a suit of armor. In these cases, shungas reflected people's wishes for the eternal happiness of princes and princesses.

Besides its traditional use, shunga served as sexual guidance for the sons and daughters of wealthy families. (after Engyo Mitamura, Makurae for Festivities)

Noted Shunga Artists

• Moronobu Hishikawa
• Katsushika Hokusai
• Miyagawa Isshô
• Yanagawa Shigenobu

See also

• Ukiyo-e
• Erotic art

External links

• The Tradition of Japanese Shunga Prints
• Androphile Homoerotic Shunga Exhibition