Shunga: The Lost Japanese Erotica
In the foundation of the culture of Japanese MANGA and animation, there lies the humor filled art form, shunga. Shunga is a type of Japanese art by famous ukiyo-e artists of the Edo Period, such as Utamaro, Hokusai, and Kiyonaga, but the artform’s development was thwarted by social norms that tabooed sex. The film Introduces the world of shunga through enthusiasts - collectors, curators, and scholars, including Andrew Gerstle who inspired The British Museum’s historical shunga exhibition in 2013 and Michael Fornitz who owns an auction house in Denmark. Exploring the significance of shunga by analyzing it from historical, cultural, artistic and contemporary female points of view.
Picture of Spring
Yumiko Haruno works as a waitress at a cafe that has been around for a long time. She spends her days aimlessly and without a dream for her future. On an ordinary day at her job, Yumiko notices middle aged man Ichirou Haga looking intently at shunga (Japanese erotic paintings that were popular during the Edo period). He suddenly talks to her and asks her what shunga is to her. Yumiko becomes interested in the eccentric shunga researcher and he invites her to visit his home to learn more. After his wife passed away, Ichirou has lived a reclusive life and concentrated solely on his study of shunga. Yumiko visits his home and begins to take shunga lessons from him.