Shunga, literally "spring pictures," is a genre of erotic art, notable for the way in which sex between men and women is shown with lightness and humor. In the Edo period (1603-1868), they were also known as warai-e (laughter pictures), and the genre spread in tandem with the wider category of ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), being largely made by the same artists. Shunga were consumed by all social classes, from lords to commoners, and significantly, they were enjoyed equally by men and women.
The present exhibition includes prints and printed books, but focuses on paintings. Some are reasonably well known from reproductions, but the exhibition includes many works that have seldom, if ever, been shown in a museum context before. Hokusai's spectacularNami-chidori has never until now been exhibited in a museum in Japan, and is on view for the first time at all since it was shown in Paris in 1976.
The prevailing view is that shunga were destined for private, even secretive, enjoyment, but that is challenged by the existence of large-scale works, such as those produced by Utamaro. With nearly seventy works on display, we hope that visitors admire the beauty of shunga at their leisure.
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