Japanese Erotic Fantasies Sexual Imagery of the Edo Period

This is the first modern study on Japanese erotic print art (so called shunga), illustrating a large selection of the best works mainly from private collections in Europe and the USA. The publication shows highlights from the oeuvre of Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, Suzuki Harunobu, Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and many others. It outlines the artistic developments from the early period to the end of the 19th century when Western themes began to appear in Japanese erotic art. Various essays written by international experts describe this fascinating genre in its social, historical and artistic context, discussing themes like homosexuality, voyeurism, life in Edo's brothels, techniques of composition etc.