Riga Shunga Gallery

Shunga — the Japanese tradition of intimate woodblock art
Shunga is a distinct branch of Japanese visual culture that emerged during the Edo period. The term is often translated as “spring pictures,” where “spring” in classical Japanese poetry served as a metaphor for love, intimacy, and sensuality.
Despite occasional restrictions, Shunga was widely circulated. It was created by master printmakers, collected across all levels of urban society, and used in various contexts—from wedding gifts to domestic instruction.

Historical background
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Japan experienced rapid urban growth and the rise of a new culture of leisure. Theatres, teahouses, and artisan districts shaped a world where images played a central role in everyday life.
Shunga developed within this environment. It combined the refined linework of ukiyo-e with humor, expressiveness, and narrative clarity. Many sheets originated in the same workshops that produced well-known landscapes or kabuki portraits, and several leading masters contributed to the genre.

Functions and purpose
Shunga served a wide range of purposes. It could be:
– part of a private album collected for personal enjoyment;
– a wedding gift offering guidance for married life;
– a charm believed to bring good fortune or protection;
– an educational resource illustrating norms of intimacy and conduct.
Its cultural value lies in presenting human closeness openly, through aesthetic form, without breaking the social conventions of its time.

Aesthetic qualities
Shunga is fundamentally an art of line and gesture.
Its aim was not to depict life realistically, but to capture a moment: the movement of fabric, the interaction of bodies, the rhythm of composition. Humor, tenderness, and theatrical expression often coexist within a single image.
Color, paper texture, and delicate printing techniques create a vivid sense of the period and its visual language.

Shunga today
Modern perspectives on Shunga continue to evolve.
Rather than being viewed as “forbidden art,” it is now understood as a historical document that reflects Japanese attitudes toward the body, affection, and emotional freedom.
For collectors and researchers, Shunga offers a direct connection to Edo-period aesthetics and a deeper understanding of everyday life in early modern Japan.

Why we present Shunga

This section is dedicated to careful, respectful study of the genre.

Each work is not only an artistic object but also a source of cultural insight—revealing values, aesthetics, and intimate aspects of Japanese society two centuries ago.

Our goal is not to shock, but to show Shunga as an important cultural phenomenon: a nuanced, meaningful part of Japanese art that merits attention and thoughtful appreciation.