Warning : The following post contains nudity/adult content.

Shunga – Aesthetics Of Japanese Erotic Art By Ukiyo-e Masters is a giant tome of 586 pages featuring various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai.

The content covered is quite similar to a previous art book I reviewed, Japanese Erotic Art – The Hidden World Of Shunga, but this book presents the art work differently, using many big, bold enlargements that accentuate the graphical impact of the colorful prints.

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

(above) 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.

Personally I don’t find the art work particularly erotic, but I love the unique visual style and aesthetics of Japanese woodblock prints, especially the beautiful use of a wide gamut of colors that fascinatingly maintain a harmonious, consistent look. Recommended.

I’ll like to thank Sekizawa-san of PIE Books for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

“Shunga – Aesthetics Of Japanese Erotic Art″ details :

– Dimensions – 2.2 x 8.2 x 11.8 inches
– Soft cover, 592 pages
– Full color, in both English and Japanese language

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