This display of traditional erotic art is one of Tokyo's most stimulating summer exhibitions
Shunga was in great demand and widely available, despite an official ban, and developed into a highly sophisticated genre in which artists incorporated references to waka poetry and the Chinese classics while tiptoeing around taboos and government censorship.
But once Japan opened itself up to the Western world after centuries of isolation, Shunga was deemed 'obscene' and purged from the culture – for nearly 150 years, it turned out. The first major contemporary display of Shunga wasn't held in Tokyo until 2013, but that landmark show cleared the way for similar exhibitions. And now, perhaps the most rousing (sorry) Shunga show to date has opened right here in the capital.
On display until September 30, the Kabukicho Shunga Exhibition features around 150 pieces by the likes of Hokusai, Utamaro and Hishikawa Moronobu. Curated from the collection of Mitsuru Uragami, one of Japan's foremost Shunga connoisseurs, the exhibition takes place across two venues: the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage and a disused 'host club' nearby.
The hallowed atmosphere of the Noh stage makes a curious setting for the works, which though undoubtedly erotic also contain a strong element of humour. In fact, Shunga were sometimes referred to as warai-e, or 'laughing pictures'.
Making your way through the exhibition, you're bound to notice another unique Shunga element. Both partners are usually fully (well, almost fully) clothed. Unlike in the West, where bare flesh was seen as simultaneously tantalising and taboo, the men and women of Edo-era Japan saw each other in the nude regularly at mixed baths and the like. If anything, it was more appealing to see men and women in Shunga clothed, as it helped to identify the characters' walk of life – and to emphasise the parts that were exposed.
In the host-club section of the show, floor-level neon lights lead visitors from one intricate and dainty artwork to the next. The understated decor and layout successfully evokes an era where attitudes about sex were freer and erotica was widely accepted as a prominent art form.
A corner of the host club has been converted into a gift shop, where you can pick up Shunga-tastic merch like totes, socks, cushions, cookies and collectible cards, all at reasonable prices.
All in all, there's a distinct Kabukicho flair to the Shunga Exhibition, as you'd expect from a show organised by the Smappa!Group. Running an array of bars, clubs and other businesses in the neighbourhood, Smappa is the brainchild of Maki Tezuka, a former top host who's taken it upon himself to combine his core business of after-dark entertainment with cultural initiatives.
'Kabukicho still has a shady reputation, and Shunga is treated as porn,' Tezuka says. 'But both with the neighbourhood and the art form, just scratching the surface reveals a different picture: humanity, humour, soul. I hope this exhibition will inspire people to discover both Kabukicho and Shunga with new eyes.'
So keep an open mind, leave your prejudices at home, and make your way to Kabukicho by September 30. Provided you're over 18, that is.
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