Hokusai. Shunga

If you think you know Hokusai (1760–1849), think again. Long before The Great Wave, the great master turned his hand (and eye) to something altogether more intimate. From maidservants and wives to courtesans, lovers, and curious onlookers – and, yes, an infamous pair of frisky octopuses – Hokusai’s shunga (literally “spring pictures”) are bold, joyful, and often laugh-out-loud funny.This comprehensive portfolio brings together eight complete books and print sets from 1786–1823, with many of their accompanying narratives penned by the artist himself. Blending the visual with the verbal, the pages brim with exaggerated anatomy, impish voyeurism, tender exchanges, and a surprisingly egalitarian attitude to enjoyment for both sexes.In contrast to the prudery of 18th-century Europe, Edo-period (1603–1868) Japan accepted sexuality as a natural part of life. With shunga officially banned but tolerated in practice, many reputable artists navigated government censorship to embrace the genre with gusto, albeit under pseudonyms. These works were made to entertain, to arouse, and even used for good luck – samurai carried them as talismans when going into battle. Technical innovations in printing during Hokusai’s lifetime allowed for rich colours and exquisitely rendered textiles, but the content remained delightfully human: full of risky rendezvous, stolen moments, and scenes of marital (or extra-marital) bliss.

Realized with new photography of these rare works, and complemented by an in-depth introduction and explanatory essays, this retrospective offers gorgeous glimpses into a lesser-known but wildly imaginative thread in Hokusai’s over 70-year career: proof, perhaps, that great masters have their guilty pleasures too.

Andreas Marks studied East Asian art history at the University of Bonn and obtained his PhD in Japanology from Leiden University with a thesis on 19th-century actor prints. From 2008 to 2013 he was director and chief curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art in Hanford, California, and since 2013 has been the Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art and director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. In 2024, he was awarded the commendation of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his contributions to the promotion of Japanese culture.