Edutainment > Shunga

Shunga I

Japanese Prints
Shunga
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Shunga are erotic Japanese prints. Shunga literally means springtime pictures.

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The Tradition of Japanese Shunga Prints

Shunga prints were produced and sold either as single sheets or - more frequently - in book form, called enpon.

The images on Japanese shunga prints are mostly sexually explicit. Westerners would categorize most of the scenes as pornographic. Sometimes the scenes depicted are covered with a blanket, and only two lovers are to be recognized. In other words, some Japanese shunga prints can be shown to minors.

Japanese shunga prints and books were bought for several reasons. One was certainly for the fun of viewing sexually stimulating erotic images. But they served also for the sexual education of young men and women. It was even a tradition that the bride of a daimyo - a high-standing feudal lord - brought a collection of shunga prints together with their wedding furniture.

Which Ukiyo-e Artists Made Shunga Prints?

Shunga II

artelino - Art Auctions
Shunga by Utamaro Kitagawa 1750-1806
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Japanese erotic art was made by all ukiyo-e artists. It was more profitable than "normal" art. Few shunga prints however bear signatures or seals. At times, they were subject to an official censorship. In practice, restrictions in producing and selling erotic shunga art, were never very strict. But most artists may have considered it wise to publish their works anonymously.

Erotic Manga and Anime Pictures

The tradition of Japanese erotic prints continues to live in the modern manga and anime images. Like ukiyo-e, also the manga and anime pictures have a genre that aims at the depiction of explicit sexual scenes.

The ukiyo-e shunga image displayed on top of this this page was taken from the book cover of Japanese Erotic Prints, Shunga by Harunobu and Koryûsai with friendly permission by the author, Inge Klompmakers and Hotei Publishing. For details about the book go to Shunga by Harunobu and Koryûsai.

Dieter Wanczura
(April 2002, updated April 2009)

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