A Contest of Allure: Katsushika Hokusai and Keisai Eisen — Kabukicho in Full Bloom

The exhibition presents 136 works of shunga — Edo-period Japanese erotic art — by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849)and Keisai Eisen (1791–1848). According to the exhibition's supervisor Mitsuru Uragami, head of Uragami Sōkyūdō and executive director of the International Ukiyo-e Society, this is the first exhibition ever dedicated specifically to the shunga of these two artists. All 136 works come from Mr. Uragami's personal collection.

The exhibition takes place across two venues approximately one minute apart on foot, with re-entry permitted between them on the day of visit. The main reception is located at the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage, with the second venue, BOND, a short walk away:

• Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage — Lions Plaza Shinjuku 2F, 2-9-18 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

• BOND — Kabukicho Social Building 9F, 1-2-15 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Tickets are available on ArtSticker, Asoview, GetYourGuide, Viator, e+, and Ticket Pia.

Age restriction: Visitors under 18 are not admitted.

Shunga

Shunga (春画), literally "spring pictures", is a genre of Japanese erotic art produced primarily during the Edo period (1603–1868). Stylistically, it is continuous with mainstream ukiyo-e woodblock printing — the same tradition behind Hokusai's Great Wave and the landscapes of Hiroshige — and nearly every major ukiyo-e artist produced shunga at some point in their career.

In its own time, shunga was widely circulated and was known affectionately as warai-e (笑い絵), or "laughing pictures". It was enjoyed not only as erotica but also as humor, as practical instruction, as a literary form, and even as a good-luck talisman. Shunga was suppressed during the Meiji era as Japan adopted Western-style obscenity laws, and it largely disappeared from public exhibition for more than a century. Serious museum reappraisal of the genre only began in earnest after the 2013 British Museum show.

The First Half Highlight: The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife

During the first half of the exhibition, Hokusai's most internationally famous shunga work — The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (Tako to Ama) from his enpon (erotic book) Kinoe no Komatsu — drew a strong response from visitors, at times requiring entry limits. The work depicts a diver woman entwined with two octopuses and is one of the best-known images in the entire ukiyo-e tradition.

Second Half Highlights (from May 1): A Different Edition of The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (May 1 – May 10)

To preserve the original works for future generations, the second half of the exhibition will display a different printed edition of The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, on view for a limited ten-day period. Two distinguishing features set the second-half version apart:

• Book construction. Kinoe no Komatsu was originally published as a three-volume set (upper, middle, and lower volumes), with The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife appearing in the lower volume. The first-half copy was a bound combined edition containing all three volumes; the second-half copy is the lower volume only, resulting in a noticeably thinner book.

• Colouring. Even when printed from the same blocks, woodblock prints can vary substantially between print runs. The second-half version is characterised by more subdued tones overall — a difference that illustrates the unique characteristics of woodblock printing as a medium.

A video shown at the venue uses a third copy of Kinoe no Komatsu and presents every page of all three volumes being turned, allowing visitors to compare three distinct impressions of the same work.

Eisen's Edo Best-Seller: Makura Bunko

One of the exhibition's most detailed displays is Eisen's Makura Bunko ("The Pillow Library"), a shunga work styled as a mock medical textbook. Often described as the culmination of "sexual encyclopedias" in Edo Japan, Makura Bunko incorporates contemporary health philosophy — drawing on Kaibara Ekiken's well-known Yōjōkun — alongside Chinese-derived sexual and medical knowledge, woven together with erotic content.

Its disguise as a medical reference made it easy for readers to acquire, and it became a best-seller shortly after publication. The book is also notable for being printed in only pale colouring, a simpler approach that lowered production costs and broadened its readership — a stylistic choice with parallels in Hokusai's Hokusai Manga.

Related Event: Shunga Terakoya Workshop

A workshop-style event titled "Shungirl's Shunga Terakoya — Read It, Learn It, Experience It. What Is Eisen's Best-Seller Makura Bunko?" will be held on Tuesday, April 28 and Saturday, May 16, with identical content on both dates. Hosted by Shungirl (春画ール), a writer and shunga researcher, the session explores Makura Bunko's contents — Edo-era medical knowledge, ideas about tonics, and views on pregnancy — through a hands-on format. Reservation details are available on the exhibition's official website.