Shunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their bodies with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the rage among people in the Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. 

This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. 

The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book, and our successful title Hokusai Manga, makes this book a one-of-a-kind Shunga collection.

Japanese Erotica in Contemporary Art is a comprehensive exploration of contemporary erotic arts in Japan, covering more than 50 artists. 

Featuring work ranging from illustrations, dolls, contemporary art, comics, anime, and much more. Also included are bilingual overviews and expositions of the latest Japanese erotic art, with detailed analysis on each category. For this reason, this book is recommended for both men and women, art lover, Japanese subculture maniacs, "Gothic" and "Lolita" enthusiasts, and Anime fans. 

Featuring art by: Simon Yotsuya; Takato Yamamoto; Akira Uno; Hajime Sorayama; Junko Mizuno; Suehiro Maruo; Makiko Sugawa; Yoshifumi Hayashi; and many more.

Following the great success of Japanese Erotica in Contemporary Art, this second volume showcases even more cutting-edge underground artwork by 47 Japanese artists. 

New categories such as "Fetish Photography," "Steampunk," "Hyperrealism" and "Decadence Photography" introduce the latest preoccupations of Japanese erotic and fantasy artists, pushing the limits of the first volume by presenting ever more surreal, grotesque and gothic themes - while retaining an uncanny beauty. 

Gorgeously designed and comprehensive in scope, Erotica in Japanese Contemporary Art Vol. 2 is an essential addition to the collections of erotic art fans around the world.

A beautifully designed and visually spectacular book on Japanese erotic art, shunga

Japanese erotic art or shunga has a long history, with thousands of high-quality paintings, prints and illustrated books produced by both celebrated and anonymous artists, mostly from the late seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Frequently explicit, but also tender, sensuous and humorous, even educational, shunga – a euphemism meaning ‘picture of spring’ – celebrates all facets of human sexuality. Hugely popular in Japanese society, such depictions were regarded as entirely natural and are an expression of the refined, pleasure-seeking ‘floating world’ culture for which Edo-period Japan, when many of these works were created, is famed.

Shunga works were enjoyed by all sections of society, from samurai to ordinary newly married couples, especially after the advent of woodblock printing made them affordable and accessible – it was even possible to borrow shunga books from libraries. Almost every artist of the famed ukiyo-e school, including Hokusai, Utamaro and Kuniyoshi, created shunga displaying brilliant imagination, great technical achievement and originality.

In a dazzling diversity of images drawn from his own unrivalled collection, Ofer Shagan shows us the full spectrum of sexual practice and expression, including nudity and clothing, voyeurism, gods, monsters and animals, orgasm, adultery and jealousy, and much else. Organized thematically, this book highlights the symbols and motifs, often hidden in the background of the art, which are crucial for a proper understanding and appreciation of this genre.

For a long time shunga remained taboo and excluded from scholarship, but this ambitious book, with a foreword by Professor Andrew Gerstle of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, returns these wonderful artworks to their rightful place in the history of Japanese art, culture and society.

With over 1,200 illustrations, all specially photographed and many rarely or never published previously, this beautifully produced book explores the intimate riches of shunga in a way no other publication has done before.

About the author:

Ofer Shagan has written several books on aspects of his collection, including Mudmee Ikat of Thailand and South-East Asian Art and History, as well as over a hundred articles in periodicals concerning history, culture and art, including extensive works about shunga.

В этой книге многое впервые. Впервые на русском издается книга посвященная Японской откровенной гравюре Сюнга. Впервые в издании представлено более 700 произведений. Когда мы их отбирали из трехтысячной коллекции шли настоящие редакционно-искусствоведческие баталии. В книгу вошли самые интересные, значимые и редкие работы. Впервые проведена атрибуция некоторых гравюр и книг. Хвастаться не хорошо, но это действительно круто! 

О Сюнга

С момента создания этих волнующих образов прошли сотни лет, однако японская эротическая гравюра продолжает приковывать взгляды зрителей по всему миру.

Можно долго спорить о том, кто впервые взялся за изображение на бумаге, в глине или мраморе сексуальных сцен. Их можно обнаружить еще на фресках древнего Рима или на античных вазах Греции. Вся Европа в эпоху Возрождения не брезговала картинками, поднимающими «тонус». Да почему только Европа? Нечто подобное было характерно и для древнего Перу. А что уж сказать об Индии, где Камасутра служит своеобразной азбукой для мужчин и женщин! Славился этим искусством и Китай. Но если спросить знатока этого жанра о наиболее эффектных образцах изобразительного искусства, то ответ будет однозначным: на этом поприще удачнее всего потрудились мастера ксилографии Японии XVII-XIX веков.

Отнюдь не намекаем на сексуальную распущенность японских мастеров культуры. Дело в том, что взаимоотношения полов во всем их разнообразии в Японии всегда воспринимались как нечто естественное, причем не ограниченное сугубо семейными рамками в японской религии – синтоизме – не удастся найти ничего, что бросало бы мрачную тень на секс.

Даже древние мифы, посвященные космогоническим процессам, нередко насыщены сугубо сексуальными подробностями. Возьмем, к примеру, описание процесса зарождения мира, изложенное в самом древнем письменном памятнике Японии – «Кодзики», датированным 712 годом. Результатом этого вполне невинного, с точки зрения японца, божественного инцеста и стало появление Японского архипелага, а вместе с ним и всего мира, в котором мы живем. В стране издавна существовал (и поныне сохраняется!) фаллический культ, связанный с прославлением богини плодородия.

Сюнга в дословном переводе означает «весенние картинки». Почему японцы дали такое название рисункам? Вернее всего, этот термин был позаимствован у китайцев. Но в Японии он прижился. Может быть, это связано с характерным для этого народа четким ощущением смены времен года. Именно весной под теплыми солнечными лучами не только оживает природа, но и обостряются человеческие чувства, эмоции переполняют душу.

Книжки-альбомы сюнга изначально считались лучшим и непременным подарком молодоженам со стороны родителей, родственников или друзей. Часть гравюр в книжке изображала весьма реалистичные ситуации, другая была более фантазийной, где любовники принимали поистине невозможные позы, доступные, пожалуй, лишь опытным акробатам.

Книгами сюнга в стране увлекались все поголовно, не зависимо от материального или социального статуса, старики и молодежь, мужчины и женщины. Правительство Японии не раз пыталось лишить свой народ столь дешевого и доступного развлечения. Однако это приводило лишь к росту ухищрений участников торговых сделок.

Среди книг сюнга множество шедевров таких именитых и талантливых мастеров гравюры, как Моронобу Хисикава, Хокусаи Кацусика, Иссё Миягава, Сигэнобу Янагава, Утамаро Китагава, Эйсэн Томиока.

Авторы графических листов предельно откровенно, с мельчайшими анатомическими подробностями изображали моменты интимных контактов между мужчинами и женщинами, мужчинами и мужчинами, женщинами и женщинами, людьми и животными (например, осьминогами, тиграми), женщинами, мужчинами и потусторонними существами…

Сюнга вполне обоснованно может считаться прародителем таких современных жанров искусства, широко распространившихся по современному миру, как анимэ и манга.

This book describes and defines what ‘Japan style’ is. It explores specific achievements in Japanese art and architecture, but also offers an in-depth analysis of the whole of Japanese culture, its vision of the world and of humankind.

‘Japan style’ is something recognizable to everyone: a beautifully arranged flower, an elegant piece of calligraphy or a simple rock garden, but it is also something that is very difficult to define.

This book gives the reader the tools to fully understand Japanese art and culture. As Gian Carlo Calza says, the path to understanding and appreciating Japanese culture is slow and long, and in order to develop the right sensibility on the journey, it is imperative that the reader acquires the necessary means. With this in mind, the author reveals and shares his experience in and knowledge of Japanese culture, defining the essence of Japanese style.

The book is divided into three main sections. In the first one (‘Irregular Beauty’), the author delineates the different aspects of Japanese culture and draws interesting connections between art, architecture, religion, philosophy and mythology. For example, he explains the aesthetics of the tea ceremony and its relationship to Zen philosophy as well as other subjects such as the function of the void in mythology, Buddhism and the arts.

The second part of the book (‘A Feeling of Nature’) follows a chronological path from ancient times to the present explaining more specifically how to interpret the different forms of Japanese art (literature, painting, sculpture, etc.).

The third part of the book ('Art Masters') contains short monographs on Japanese masters in the history of Japanese art and culture: Zeami Moto, the creator of "No" theatre; Hokusai, the master of woodblock printing; Yasunai Kawabata and Mishima Yukio, the writers; and the graphic designer, Tanaka Ikko.

Calza’s groundbreaking and insightful text is accompanied by 150 colour images of a great variety of examples from Japanese art and culture.

Contents and sections:

Irregular Beauty

 - Japan Style
 - Tea and the Aestetics of the Undefined
 - Images of Emptiness
 - The Seductiveness of Impermanence
 - Eccentric? No, Extraordinary
 - The Secret Message of No
 - Tears of the Mask
 - The Colours of Darkness
 - nterlude: Small but Great

The Feeling of Nature

 - The Harmony of Things
 - An Intimate Perception of Reality
 - The Dragon in Tranquillity
 - Nature's Magnificence
 - Nature and Beauty in the Floating World
 - Interlude: Eating with the Eyes

Masters of Art

 - Zeami: The Flower in the Demon
 - Hokusai: The Old Man Mad about Painting
 - Kawabata: The Power of the Ethereal
 - Mishima: When Will You Kill Yourself, Master?
 - Ikko: A Flash of Light

Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index

The beauty of the Japanese garden lies in its combination of natural and artificial beauty. It represents the unique aesthetic taste of the Japanese people, mainly because of the distinct seasons of the insular country. Under the influence of religion, culture, history and customs, Japanese landscapes feature delicacy in design and elaboration in materials. An exquisite garden often reflects ideas in literature, calligraphy, paintings, ikebana and teaism, becoming an art work that assembles the essence of Japanese culture. We thus can find the zen implied in the design of Japanese gardens. The concept of Zen could be found throughout their designs. In their works, a narrow space could turn into a deep, richly-layered, savoring and meaningful landscape that was poetic and somewhat zenic.

This book consists of three chapters, Japanese gardens, public landscapes and interior landscapes, including the outstanding works of Japanses landscape designers, and giving full expression to the essence of Japanese landscape. May the book a source of inspiration to all the lovers of landscaping design.

No two Japanese gardens are ever the same. Each is inimitable, yet embodies commonalities of design and aesthetic taste. Each finds the space for innovation within a tradition that benefits from a thousand years of applied knowledge.

Japan's Master Gardens explores the ingenuity and range of Japanese landscaping, from the self-imposed confines of courtyard designs to the open expanses of the stroll garden.

Japan's Master Gardens illustrates how, through the ministrations of generations of gardeners, original landscapes have maintained their mastery and demonstrates how contemporary landscaping draws from tradition, making ancient gardens relevant to the lives of people in the twenty-first century.

This beautifully illustrated book takes readers on an exploration of the outward forms, underpinning principles, complex use of metaphor and allusion, and beauty and depth that set the Japanese garden apart.

Exceptionally drawn in a realistic fashion and awash in spectacularly rich colors, this one-of-a-kind art book — masterfully reprinted from a rare and costly edition — combines the perennial appeal of flowers with the art of Japanese woodblock prints.

Nothing expresses the richness and vigor of life like blooming flowers. A stunning showcase of 120 full-color plates, this specially chosen collection features beautiful Eastern and Western botanicals that will delight flower lovers, artists, designers, and devotees of fine art. Admire such familiar and unusual blossoms as the poppy, rose, anemone, cyclamen, delphinium, water lily, lupine, passion flower, allamanda, phlox, dahlia, petunia, tulip, freesia, pansy, begonia, and many more beautiful blooms!

Tanigami Kônan (1879-1928) was a genius at the art of woodblock creation and color gradation, and he is still celebrated as one of the finest artists of this highly specialized technique. Captions and a complete index are included in this distinct keepsake edition.

The follow-up to international bestseller Japan Graphics, JPG2 examines changes in Japanese graphic design.

Instead of 'more copies, higher resolution, to a wider audience', there is a greater focus on individual and original works.

JPG 2 brings together over 20 design teams, showcasing the evolution of teams from the first JPG as well as new projects, new teams, and the best contemporary design talents.

Works by Amane Murakami, Buddha Productions, Dainippon Type Organization, Enlightenment, Hideki Inaba, Higraph, keitarrow, Loworks, Keigo Mohri, Namaiki, Shinji Shimada, Ryuh Tomoaki, Sunday-Vision, Power Graphixx, Takora, Taku Anekawa, TGB design, Tsuyoshi Kusano, Tsuyoshi Hirooka, wabisabi, iseneehihinee.

Explore the art of Rodrigo Melo's Japanese style tattoos through more than 150 lush studio photographs of bodysuits, rib pieces, back pieces, and sleeves featuring traditional themes and imagery. See peonies, koi, tigers, dragons, and characters from Buddhist mythology presented in authentic form and color but with some modern techniques and stylings, like the use of "angry black" to increase contrast. In addition to the body art pieces, this contemporary study of traditional Japanese tattoo styles includes hundreds of images of Melo's flash paintings, a body suit in progress, and new aesthetics for Japanese style tattoo art. This book is a must have for tattoo enthusiasts, art and tattoo students, and anyone interested in learning about tattoo culture and history.

The delicate beauty of the kimono and its appealing designs embody Japan's ancient and venerable tradition of textile arts. This unusual design treasury recaptures the graceful art of the kimono in all its subtle elegance, with authentic designs from a nineteenth-century source.

Reproduced directly from a rare and costly original portfolio, these luminous designs include allover patterns, nature scenes, magnificent floral sprays, and other finely detailed motifs. Sixty-two lavish full-color illustrations offer a vibrant resource of inspiration and browsing pleasure to devotees of fashion, art, and Asian culture.

Reprint of a rare, undated, late-19th-century Japanese volume.

Japanese art was virtually unknown in the West until the middle of the nineteenth century, when the island nation emerged from 200 years of self-imposed isolation. A passion for Japanese culture swept Europe, and this landmark publication opened the eyes of the world to the grace and beauty of Japanese design.

George Ashdown Audsley, a leader in the revival of English decorative design and one of the first Britons to specialize in Japanese art, assembled this outstanding collection. Featuring 60 full-color plates, it offers spectacular examples of Japanese painting, printing, embroidery, lacquer work, and cloisonné as well as masterpieces in ivory and porcelain.

Informative captions accompany each illustration. Art lovers, rare book collectors, and enthusiasts of Japanese culture will treasure this magnificent selection of timeless art.

Dover original selection from The Ornamental Arts of Japan, volumes I and II, published by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, London, 1882–84

The natural Japanese affinity for decorative art is apparent in this striking collection of exquisite stencil designs. A centuries-old tradition of capturing nature in striking floral and wildlife motifs is reflected in the graceful shapes and lovely lines of more than 100 illustrations. Lush blossoms, bamboo branches, butterflies, birds on the wing, and rustic country homes, among other subjects long associated with Japanese art, are boldly printed in black and white.

Ready for use as patterns for wallpaper, textiles, graphics, and needlework, these delicate royalty-free images are ideal for a host of modern decorative and graphic needs.

Republication of Japanische Motive Für Flachenverzierung, Verlag von Julius Becker, Berlin, 1897.

Nippon nests. Today's most exceptional Japanese homes

So rich and unique is traditional Japanese architecture that it’s hard to improve upon. Yet contemporary Japanese designers and architects keep finding new ways to refurbish and take inspiration from the ways of old. Whether it’s a pristinely preserved traditional house or a cutting-edge apartment, the best Japanese homes share a love of cleverly designed spaces and warm materials such as wood, bricks, and bamboo. From a thatched roof farmhouse occupied by a Zen priest to Tadao Ando’s experimental 4x4 House, Shigeru Ban’s conceptual Shutter House, and a beautiful homage to bamboo in the form of a home, this book traverses the multifaceted landscape of Japanese living today. Also included is a list of addresses and a glossary of terms, such as tatami.