浮世絵 – UKIYO-E 
The three tiles in Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre. Image from here.

Hara on the Tokaido, ukiyo-e prints by Hiroshige. Image from here.

Ukiyo-e, or Picture(s) of the floating world, is a popular genre of Japanese art featuring woodblock prints and paintings. Much of Ukiyo-e’s popularity in the 17th-19th century can be credited to the technique’s ability to mass-produce prints. Popular motifs and subjects in Ukiyo-e works vary from depictions of historical or mythological tales, flora and fauna to erotica.

Ukiyo-e’s influence reached far and wide in the 19th century, informing the western art movements of the time.

Below I have linked a video of Takuji Hamanaka, a present-day woodblock printmaker. In it he demonstrates and speaks of his craft.

“[I] know that the subject matter is entirely different from those Hokusai did, obviously. I came from this tradition and still see the possibility, and then I still see the use of them. There are some specific beauty you can only convey using this printing technique. Hokusai inspired not just only me, but many people.”

Ukiyo-e and the Female Form
Interior of a Public Bath by Ochiai Yoshiiku, 19th Century. Image from here.

     
Courtesan Gazing at a Foreign Ship by Totoya Hokkei. Image from here.
Courtesan Writing a Letter by Kitagawa Utamaro. Image from here.

What interested me most about Ukiyo-e is its depiction of the female form and female sexuality. Upon further research, I found an article which was really interesting and informative.

Here it states that the female subjects of many Ukiyo-e prints were courtesans – in today’s context, courtesans are prostitutes with wealthy or upper-class clients. The article also provides a more in-depth look into how courtesans often attained celebrity status in Edo-era Japan as they were often well-educated and skilled entertainers apart from being beautiful and fashionable. Additionally, the sexual liberty in Edo-era Japan allowed both men and women to indulge in sexual pleasures  without condemnation, thus providing a unique environment for the courtesans’ celebrity statuses.

“Experiencing such a respected celebrity status in society while being a woman working in the sex industry would have been impossible in Western culture during this era. Prostitutes have regularly been muses in European and American art however their profession has been seldom obvious and, rarer still, celebrated by the art produced. While we each have our opinions as to what we consider to be immoral, our culture plays a large role in defining this for us.

In many Western cultures sexual indulgence has been historically labeled as something unclean or immoral. This would have made it impossible to be considered a respected and sophisticated member of society while openly identifying as a prostitute.

Meanwhile in Edo-era Japan, men and women freely indulged in sexual pleasure, understanding it to be a natural celebration and appreciation of the world around them. This difference in perception is what allowed courtesans to be seen as respectable celebrities within Japanese culture.”

Shunga
The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife by Hokusai, 1814. Image from here.

In researching and writing of the female form and sexuality in Ukiyo-e, I discovered the Ukiyo-e sub-genre of Shunga. Although it is pretty explicit, I think it is a really interesting form of imagery utilising the woodblock print technique – “While the works are indeed graphic, they reflect the same artistic and technical finesse of less risqué ukiyo-e” (Quote from here.)

One really cool fact I found was that Shunga was regarded by the superstitious as a lucky charm against death or bad luck. Therefore Shunga was owned by merchants and samurais alike. Additionally, Shunga was presented as sexual guidance for both female and male newly-weds.

Shunga depicted a world of sexual possibilities and fantasies to be consumed by both men and women alike from all classes while also depicting sexual relations of both courtesans and common folk.

Although the Japanese government of the time issued bans on the production of Shunga, Shunga works still remained popular among people of all social groups.

This to me is extremely eye opening as prior to this, I was under the impression that asian cultures throughout history had a more conservative and repressed view on sex  and for “pornographic material” to be so widely accepted as far back as in the 18th century, totally rad.

Personal “Collection”
   
In my year end trip to Japan, I collected a few reproductions of famous Ukiyo-e prints due to its aesthetic appeal without too much background knowledge. So I’m really happy that I got the opportunity to explore more in this reflection 🤪