Significance

• Shunga literally translates to spring pictures, or picture of spring, wherein spring is a euphemism for sex.
  
  

Types

• Shunga prints were made to aesthetically express the sexual customs of the chonin or bourgeoisie of the Edo period and therefore, they depicted both heterosexual and homosexual acts along with a gamut of fetishes including bestiality and pedophilia.
  
  

Features

• In many of the prints the characters depicted and their sexual organs are grossly caricatured and out of proportion.
  
  

History

• Shunga prints became popular during Japan's Edo period, a time marked by attunement to aesthetic and corporal pleasures.
  
  

Time Frame

• The Edo period itself dates from 1603 to 1868 and is generally known as the beginning of the early modern period in Japan's history; it was during this period that urban populations had the means and time to support a burgeoning mass culture.
  
  

Function

• Shunga prints often served to train young and inexperienced courtesans and to stir their potential clients. They were also gifted to newlyweds, for edifying purposes.