Understanding Shunga

Majella Munro's explanation of the exotic world of Japanese sexuality is unprecedented in its scope. Masterclass: Understanding Shunga takes us from the neon-packaged fantasies of fast-paced Tokyo to the refined courtesan district of the city's samurai past. The authorativie text deals with a wide range of subject matter. Masterclass: Understanding Shunga is lavishly illustrated, creating an opulent investiagtion of Japanese sexual practices and customs.

Japanese shunga prints occupy a unique place in the history of art. They form a popular, frank, and aesthetically superlative erotic tradition. Until relatively recently, western moral standards concealed the delights of shunga prints from audiences outside Japan, but Masterclass: Understanding Shunga cuts through myth and misunderstanding to present the essence of this art form, removing the mystery surrounding shunga without compromising any of its extraordinary mystique.

For the first time, shunga prints are examined as part of a culture of eroticism, starting with ancient eastern manuals of sexual instruction such as the Kama Sutra, and concluding with recent work by contemporary artists inspired by the vitality and charm of shunga prints.

Masterclass: Understanding Shunga is also an ideal reference book for collectors and would-be collectors alike. Many of the images, published here for the first time, have been supplied by leading dealers in the field. The book includes useful reference sections and advice on purchasing prints.

Majella Munro is a highly-regarded shunga expert who writes regularly for the Erotic Review, and a pioneering authority on the Japanese avant-garde.  She has travelled widely within Japan, and her incisive knowledge of Japanese history and global perspective bring the arts of Japan alive for readers in the western world.