SHUNGA the Lost Japanese Erotica (English Subtitles)

[Machine Translation] The forbidden world of beauty. We are still unaware of its depths. A gorgeous culture that flourished in the Edo period and was forbidden in the Meiji period. Shunga reveals a Japan unknown to modern people - not only eroticism, but also a variety of expressive content, techniques, and creativity! Shunga was the extraordinary passion of famous ukiyoe artists of the Edo period, including Katsushika Hokusai and Kitagawa Utamaro. However, when the Edo period gave way to the Meiji period (1868-1912), the art became the subject of a police crackdown as "obscene" and disappeared from Japanese culture. It is only recently that there has been momentum to re-evaluate Shunga as an art form that can be enjoyed by all genders. Shunga depictions are no longer limited to sexuality alone, but are surprisingly diverse. Based on more than 100 Shunga works and interviews with domestic and international art collectors, Ukiyo-e researchers, art historians, engravers, and printers, this surprising documentary reveals the richly expressive depictions of sex and life. This is a documentary film.

*Rated 18-and-over.

Special Feature / Bonus Track: trailers

About Subtitle and Audio Languages: Since most DVDs and Blu-rays available on CDJapan are produced for the Japanese market, please refer to the "Product Details" section for information on available subtitle and audio languages.

禁じられた美の世界。私たちは、まだその奥深さを知らない。江戸時代に隆盛を極め、明治時代に禁じられた絢爛たる文化。春画を知ると、現代人が知らなかった〈日本の姿〉が見えてくる― エロティシズムだけではない、多彩な表現内容、技巧、その創造性! 葛飾北斎、喜多川歌麿をはじめとする江戸の名だたる浮世絵師たちが、並々ならぬ情熱を注いだ春画。彫り・摺りの高度な技術も投入され、「美」「技」において超一級の芸術と呼べる作品が数多く生み出されたが、時代が江戸から明治に変わると"わいせつ物"として警察による取り締まりの対象となり、日本文化から姿を消してしまった。性別を問わず楽しめるアートとして再評価の機運が高まったのは、つい最近のこと。春画に描かれる表現は、もはや性愛だけにとどまらず、驚くほど多彩。"笑い絵"と称されユーモアをもって描かれる「生命」そのものの魅力に引き込まれずにはいられない。100点以上に及ぶ春画と、国内外の美術コレクターや浮世絵研究家、美術史家、彫師、摺師などへの取材をもとに、表情豊かに描かれる「性」と「生」を発見する驚きのドキュメンタリー。

特典映像2分: 予告編集