Shunga, literally “Spring Images,” is the generic term used to describe erotic prints, books, scrolls, and paintings from Japan.
Prudery
Only recently (1990s) has the study of shunga images depicting homosexual (male-male) and lesbian (female-female) acts of love begun. This belated investigation of this “hidden domain” was caused by official censorship in Japan and also by restlessness and sanctimoniousness regarding the specific topic in the past.
masculine masculine
Homosexuality, in Japanese called nansoku meaning ‘male love’, was not an uncommon phenomenon during the Edo period (now Tokyo) in Japan. In the early years of the Tokugawa regime (early 17th century), men greatly outnumbered women in Edo. There were very strict rules imposed by the government inspired by the loyal norms of Confucianism that excluded women from participating in any type of work except housework. These regulations and the scarcity of women can be seen as decisive factors for the large number of homosexual activities. The most characteristic feature of shunga representations of the male-male sex is the relationship between the two “lovers” involved. The leading and dominant male with a shaved head is always the eldest, depending on seniority or higher social status, while the submissive passive partner was a preadolescent or pubescent boy or young man depicted with an unshaven lock of hair. These young boys are often shown in feminine clothing and are therefore easily mistaken for girls. They served as pages to high-ranking samurai, monks, wealthy merchants or older servants and were most desired during their adolescence, especially between the ages of 15 and 17 when the anus was still hairless. There are also several shunga designs on the theme of threesome sex depicting a man (always a young man) in the midst of sexual intercourse with a female partner while being grabbed from behind by an intruder. In most shunga images depicting anal intercourse between a man and a young man, the young man’s genitalia are often hidden, drawing the viewer’s attention to the garment and the graceful lines of the body.
female secrets
While there was a Japanese term for masculine-masculine (nanshoku) and male-female gender, joshoku Prayed nyoshoku meaning ‘female love’, there was no such word to describe female-female sex or lesbianism. Most of the shunga I have come across as a dealer over the last 15 years regarding explicitly female concentrated designs (approx. 20!) featured isolated females masturbating using their fingers or a harigata (artificial phallus/dildo) or two intimate women using this same sexual device. Hokusai (1760-1849), the most famous Ukiyo-e master, designed two lesbian ehon (book) prints, including one with two awabi (abalone) divers using a sea cucumber. Until now, the only shunga with this theme that has been described in the literature is Eiri’s famous design from his oban-sized series. ‘Calligraphy Models’ (Fumi no kiyogaki) published in 1801. In his book ‘Shunga, the art of love in Japan’ (1975) Tom and Mary Evans make an interesting comparison between Eiri’s shunga design (they attribute it to Eisho) and the paintings of the influential Post-Impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec:
“While Toulouse-Lautrec focused on the emotional bond between the girls and the sad emptiness of the way of life that threw them into each other’s arms, Eisho (Eiri) worried about the physical details of their relationship. And although such an open-minded artist as Lautrec felt that such details were more than could reasonably be presented to his audience, for the Japanese they were the central feature of design”. (Evans – ‘Shunga, the art of love in Japan’)
It must be emphasized that these shunga images of lesbianism were the result of male fantasies, designed by men, and intended for a male audience.
deep vision
Despite the embarrassment that the Japanese initially felt at the depiction of these suppressed themes within the shunga genre, it is exactly these particular images that provide deep insight into the cultural and historical background of their country during the Edo period.
recommended literature
‘Shunga, the art of love in Japan’ (1975) – Tom and Mary Evans
‘Sex and the Floating World’ (1999) – Timon Screech
‘Japanese Erotic Prints’ (2002) – Inge Klompmakers
‘Japanese Erotic Fantasies’ (2005) – C. Uhlenbeck and M. Winkel
Major Shunga Artists
Hishikawa Moronobu (?-1694)
Suzuki Harunobu (circa 1725-1770)
Isoda Koryusai (1735-1790)
Chokyosai Eiri (act. c.1789-1801)
Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806)
Torii Kiyonaga (1752-1815)
Katsukawa Shuncho (act. c.1780s-early 1800s)
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
Yanagawa Shigenobu (1787-1833)
Keisai Eisen (1790-1848)
Kikugawa Eizan (1787-1867)
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)
Kawanabe Kyosai (1831-1889)
