SHUNGA: Stages of Desire

SHUNGA: Stages of Desire
EDITED BY SATI CHOCK Book Number: 79923 Product format: Paperback

When Honolulu Museum of Art acquired the superb Lane collection of Japanese Shunga, a celebrated genre of erotic art, several exhibitions followed and this gorgeous book accompanies these international showcases. "The Audience" introduces the context in which Shunga was produced, and asks the question whether the 17th century peak in Shunga production was a response to a huge gender imbalance in Edo (modern Tokyo), thus increasing the need for both prostitution and self-gratification. This section also challenges the view that women are the passive recipients of sexual activity, with examples such as Utamaro's "Laughing Drinker" who wants "five or six cute men to do me day and night". Geishas are frequently given dialogue accompanying the picture, for instance in the exquisitely explicit series "The Safflower Princess" by Hokusu. Yoshiwara, Tokyo's licensed prostitution district, was enveloped in a highly idealised mystique, with brothels imitating westernised stage sets. The subjects of Shunga, or "The Cast", include the whole range of society from unlicensed prostitutes to high-born aristocrats. The sexual culture of mainland China was a frequent subject, demonstrating the Daoist belief in the spiritual benefits of sexual activity, and 19th century Shunga also featured political, supernatural and historical incidents. The US naval commodore Matthew Perry, who forced Japanese ports to open to international trade, was the prototype for a series of coercive foreigners in erotic art. Classed as pornography until the 1990s, Shunga offers a rich source of social and historical material, as well as the beauty of superb artwork and the intense and detailed eroticism of its subjects. 312pp, softback, colour reproductions on most pages.
Published price: £45
Bibliophile price: £30.00

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