A large weighty book in many senses. Beautifully crafted with stunning pictures, reproduced in sharp details and quite marvellous explanations - a real labour of 'love' by the authors. Some of the pictures of clothed people are a real insight into the dress and culture of that time. Many quite explicit pictures are contained in the book, but they too are a reflection of that era and not too offensive if taken in context. The artists of that period certainly took pride and much care in their art and the book celebrates this. For me this is not a read at one sitting, rather a dipping in an out of type of book, a magnificent conversation piece and a pictorial record of times long past and a wonderful glimpse into that culture. A must for lovers of Japanese culture and art, perhaps a coffee table book for when the children are in bed.

After the initial shock and embarrassment of the explicit illustrations, I found this to be a very informative and beautiful book that enriches the appreciation of sex. Over the centuries there have been many authors and artists devoted to creatively expressing the grace and beauty of sex and erotica. This book is an anthology of a major exhibition at the British Museum, featuring over 400 images from public and private collections. Leading experts explore the importance of ‘Shunga’ in the Japanese historical, social and cultural contexts of painted and printed erotic images produced during the Edo period (1600-1868) and early Meiji era (1868-1912). Many of the works are presented for the first time due to heavy suppression in Japan from the 1870s onwards. ‘Shunga’ has been regarded as ‘vulgar’, ‘obscene’ and ‘unsuitable for public display’. There is a fine line between pornographic and ‘high art’ and ‘Shunga’ really pushes the boundaries … ‘Shunga’ or ‘spring pictures’ were frequently designed by highly accomplished ‘great’ artists and master craftspeople, and issued by leading publishers who were working to exact standards. Created in formats such as beautifully crafted painted scrolls and printed books and designed to be discreetly enjoyed with intimate friends and sexual partners, they are distinctive in terms of mood, style, setting and explicit scenarios. ‘Shunga’ is designed to depict sexual pleasure (for all) with depth, humour and humanity. Typically the illustration presents both the facial expressions of bliss and the enlarged and enhanced sexual ‘engines’ or ‘organs’ of those sensations. The couples are surrounded, adorned and framed by colourful textiles, discarded garments, tangled bedding, opulent material wealth and occasionally humorous dialogue. People from all social classes are shown enjoying the pleasures of lovemaking in a witty and erotic way. ‘Shunga’ is a direct reflection of the sex lives of the ordinary Japanese of the Edo period (a feudal, status-based society controlled by the samurai). Early modern Japan had a large and exploitative commercial sex industry but tension existed between the highly and rigorously regulated public surface of society and an independent ‘private sphere’. This ‘underworld’ involved escapism and creative self-expression where ordinary people who were governed in their daily lives under the pressure of strict official Confucian-based morality and ethics depict a fantasy world of sex. It is said that women, as well as men, were fans of ‘Shunga’ and no bridal trousseau was complete without ‘Shunga’. All this ‘wordiness’ completely fails to depict what is, essentially, a huge book full of fascinating historical information and explicit images. Will you find the images offensive? It’s not for the faint-hearted, the prudish or those reticent about sexual matters. It’s all a matter of perception. Each perceiver has a different perception of the perceived.