SHUNGA

Shunga is the erotic art and pornography of the Edo period (17th-19th centuries) - sometimes paintings, but more usually woodblock prints. The prints were particularly cheap - often less than the cost of a bowl of noodles - and far less than the services on offer in the pleasure quarters. For this reason they were very popular with the predominantly male population of the cities. The prints were, however, quite beautiful, and were produced by all of the major artists of the period, most notably Hokusai who is probably the most well-known such Japanese artist. Although now freely available, shunga was made illegal in the Meiji period as the government feared it would offend the Christian sensibilities of the increasing number of foreigners entering Japan.