The scenes contain a complex morality when considered by contemporary standards. The aesthetic is said to be influenced by the illustrations of Chinese medicine manuals as well as the work of Zhou Fang, a Chinese painter from the Tang dynasty era who painted oversized genitals, which later became characteristic of many shunga artists. Printed with woodblock and produced in a broad spectrum of colours and details, the scrolls were intimate, erotic, and sometimes humorous.
Shunga, or Japanese erotic art, was prolific in Japan during the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868. Images derived from ancient myth, the military, religion, theatre, class, and prostitution feature samurai or Buddhist monks engaging in gay sex with men often dressed as geisha. One notable vein of shunga is nanshoku, translating as ‘male colours’ and referring to gay erotic depictions.
