Shunga, The Yoshiwara Prostitute is a painting by Kikugawa Eizan which was uploaded on April 2nd, 2020.
Shunga, The Yoshiwara Prostitute
Kikukawa Eizan (菊川 英山, 1787-July 17, 1867) was a designer of ukiyo-e style Japanese woodblock prints.... more
Title
Shunga, The Yoshiwara Prostitute
Artist
Kikugawa Eizan
Medium
Painting - Oil On Canvas
Description
Kikukawa Eizan (菊川 英山, 1787-July 17, 1867) was a designer of ukiyo-e style Japanese woodblock prints.
Shunga (春画) is a Japanese term for erotic art. Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e, usually executed in woodblock print format. While rare, there are extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e. Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga means picture of spring; "spring" is a common euphemism for sex.
A ranking prostitute and a young customer are enveloped by layers of robes and brocades, a porcelain planter with blooming plum blossoms at the upper left. The poem at the upper left reads: "To none other than you Is the scent of the plum blossom Given to smell; The color and the fragrance Known only to you." Plum blossoms are associated with early spring and new beginnings, such as the loss of virginity. Apparently this is the first time for the young man who is overwhelmed by the encounter: "'The Tale of Genji' tells everything of the beauty of Lady Murasaki, but you are just as beautiful, above comparison to even the moon or the flowers. When I look at your figure and your dress, it seems to me that you are the finest in the world."
Uploaded
April 2nd, 2020