Warning : The following post contains nudity/adult content.

Japanese erotic art, ( Shunga ), has a long history, with thousands of paintings, prints, and illustrated books produced, mostly from the seventeenth to late nineteenth centuries.

This art book takes a very expansive look at the subject with some 1200 color illustrations over a 472 page spread. The chapters cover the whole spectrum of sexual practice and expression, including adultery and jealousy, voyeurism, orgasm, and violent sex and death.

(Please note that I’ve mosaic-ed several images below due to the very huge and graphic depictions of genitalia; all art work appear uncensored in the book.)

(above left) It is hard not to mention Hokusai’s “The Dream Of The Fisherman’s Wife” while on the subject of Shunga because it is such an iconic piece of work. Hokusai has churned out a whole lot of art that isn’t Shunga though – check out this excellent art book on his work.

(above & below) I am particularly attracted to the bold and dynamic use of colors in the prints – Ninagawa Mika’s explosively colorful film Sakuran comes to mind.

An in depth and comprehensive look on the fascinating world of Shunga.

Some technical details : The huge soft cover book has a sturdy bind, and the paper quality is thick and of high quality ; reproductions of the prints are vivid and crisp.

“Japanese Erotic Art″ details :

– Dimensions – 10.8 x 8.8 x 1.7 inches
– Soft cover, 472 pages
– Full color

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