Caught in the Act, Suzuki Harunobu, c. 1769 - 1770
color woodcut, h 209mm × w 281mm More details
Shunga (erotic) prints featured every imaginable form of sexual activity, including voyeurism. Their explicit content resulted in their being condemned as ‘harmful to public morals’ and censored by the government. This, of course, did not stop the printmakers. But even today such images – many of which feature outrageously proportioned genitalia – are banned from being imported back into Japan.
