Shunga

Superstitions and customs surrounding shunga suggest as much; in the same way that it was considered a lucky charm against death for a samurai to carry shunga, it was considered a protection against fire in merchant warehouses and the home.

Whenever my husband initiates sex or whenever I become aroused listening to Rameau or looking at Shunga, my delight is colored and tempered by a guy who so casually took my birthright.

Asia A historic shunga woodblock printing from Japan depicting two women having sex.

Astronomy was advanced during the Shunga Empire and many star catalogues were produced during this time.

From this we can deduce that samurai, chonin, and housewives all owned shunga.

Heliodorus, the Greek Ambassador to the court of the Shunga king Bhagabhadra erected the Heliodorus pillar near Vidisha.

Safe sex precautions A shunga print by Kunisada depicting female masturbation.

Shunga prints were quite acceptable in Japanese culture, not associated with a negative concept of pornography as found in western cultures, but considered rather as a natural aspect of human behavior and circulated among all levels of Japanese society.

Shunga was enjoyed by both men and women of all classes.

Such paintings were called shunga.

The Shunga rulers helped to establish the tradition of royal sponsorship of learning and art.