Ukiyo-E Visual Analysis

During the Edo period, there was a rise in well known art form of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Ukiyo-e which means ‘images from the floating world’ would often depict numerous subjects, ranging from images of from everyday life and nature, courtesans, kabuki theatre performers, to scenes in popular stories or plays. There is a sub genre of ukiyo-e prints with a more ambiguous history, known as Shunga.
Shunga means ‘spring pictures’ and carries a more explicitly erotic nature of the technique. Aside from the obvious reasons why someone would want to purchase a shunga print, the reasons behind patrons commissioning for artists to produce them (which most well-known artists from the Edo period, including Utamaro and Hokusai, have produced shunga
at one point or another) varied as well. Samurai would often carry small shunga prints as it was believed to be a form of protection. Additionally, shop owners would own prints as it was thought to protect their shops from fires.
During the Meiji Restoration, the government implemented a more westernized constitution that included a series of laws, including regulating female and male prostitutes on the premise of “moral corruption”, the prohibiting of any explicitly ‘obscene’ imagery, including the censorship of any depiction of genitalia. These laws and social changes still influence cultural attitudes towards sexuality in Japan today.
This raises the questions as to who gets to decide what is ‘obscene’ and what is art? In the examples presented in this paper, shunga does not only display sexual imagery but also scenes of parody and humor, shunga conveys the message that various expressions and forms of sexuality were a normal part of life. Intimate scenes of couples- heterosexual, as well as homosexual, were depicted in shunga art, citing evidence that homosexuality was not seen as deviant or obscene in shunga but just as normal as that of images of men and women together.

Fig.1 Lovers in an Upstairs Room of a Teahouse by Utamaro Kitagawa (1788) from The London Museum

Lovers in an upstairs room, from Uta Makura ('Poem of the Pillow'), a collection of Utamaro’s works is an example of heterosexual couples engaged erotically. Utamaro was a Japanese printmaker and painter, considered one of the greatest artists of ukiyo-e prints from the Edo period. He is known for his images of beautiful women. Unlike most other shunga prints, figure 1 sticks out mainly due to the subtlety in the piece. There’s no over exaggerated genitalia, but the intent of the couple is obvious nonetheless. While most shunga prints depict either the act of making love or the immediate aftermath, this print depicts a scene more akin to foreplay between lovers. An important detail is also the intense gaze of the man as he stares at his lover. There is some debate as to whether or not the man in the print is meant to be Utamaro himself.

Fig. 2 ‘Priest Makes Love to a Boy’ by Yanagawa Shigenobu I (ca. 1830) from The Lyon Collection, 2013

This scene from Shigenobu's excellent shunga Ama no Ukibashi - 'The Floating Bridge of Heaven' presents a chief priest making love to a male najimi (regular partner).
Najimi means ‘intimacy’. At the time, it was common for Buddhist priests to engage in relationships with acolytes or other male lovers. An acolyte was an attendant or apprentice often involved with religious practices. During the Edo period, Buddhist monks often engaged in sexual and romantic relationships with young acolytes. This was not exclusive to priests, as samurai often had relationships with young acolytes/apprentices as well. The passionate encounter between the preist and young man in figure 2 is emphasized by the red kukuri makura (stuffed roll pillow) which has fallen off the
bedding.

Fig. 3 Exposure by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (ca. 1840)

In shunga prints, popular subjects in these pieces were often kabuki actors and courtesans. Because women were not allowed to participate in kabuki theatre, young male players would act in female roles, ‘onnagata’. Onnagata, along with many kabuki actors in a troop, were viewed as celebrities at the time. They often engaged in prostitution with wealthy patrons outside of theatre.
‘Exposure’ (figure 3) is an unusual and humorous design by Kuniyoshi in which an onnagata forces himself on a surprised visitor. On the floor on the left lay some opened shunga books. This is perhaps meant to add satirical humor to the scene. Homoerotic themes in shunga prints were not out of the ordinary.

Fig. 4 'Lesbian Couple' or 'Lubricant' by Chōkyōsai Eiri (ca. 1801)

Shunga prints featuring lesbian couples were primarily meant for a male audience. Probably the most famous lesbian scene in shunga from Eiri's excellent oban series Models of Calligraphy consisting of 12 designs. One of the girls (right) is wearing a huge harigata (seashell), which is held by the other girl (left), while she's using a lubricant to put on the artificial phallus. Due to its controversial reception at the time (1801) this lesbian shunga scene was omitted from later editions.
It's interesting to note that these women probably weren’t lesbians in a relationship but were probably ladies in waiting in a samurai's home.
Given the harem-like, women exclusive environment, they are likely just having sex to provide sexual relief, rather than because they are in a romantic relationship. These tie on dildos could also be attached to a woman's ankle for solo masturbation.

Fig. 5 ‘Sea Cucumber’ by Hokusai (ca. 1810s)

Hokusai’s print, titled ‘Sea Cucumber’ however, does depict a lesbian couple in a relationship. Given the ocean waves in the background, as well as the use of a sea cucumber as a phallus, it is safe to assume that the women were Ama, female divers known for collecting pearls. Hokusai often illustrated these women as subjects for his erotic prints, including his other print, ‘The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife’ (seen in Fig. 6)

Fig. 6 ‘The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife’ by Hokusai

It’s also worth noting the large size of both male and female genitalia featured in full view and the complicated positions these couples are in. This was meant to maximize the view of the sexual act taking place in the work, as well as arouse the
viewer.
There was a lot of use of symbolism in shunga. Some of these included plum blossoms to represent virginity, or tissues which represent the aftermath of climax. One of these visual metaphors (tissues) is evident in Kuniyoshi’s piece, “All Passion Spent- The Satisfied Woman”. Note the couple's nudity, disheveled hair, as well as their exhausted and spent yet gratified expressions.

Fig. 7 'All Passion Spent- The Satisfied Woman' by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (ca. 1855)

Although these prints are explicit and sexual in nature, they were produced by some of the most revered artists of the Edo era, and made with the same amounts of care as with their more well-known works. Should these pieces be obscured from history due to their subject matter? If so, who does that benefit? If one were to impose their outside values on sexuality, or what is or is not appropriate for depictions of art, we risk erasing a large part of another culture. We also risk losing an opportunity to learn about that history of the norms and attitudes towards subjects like gender and sexuality in a society.