The Shunga Collection of the Mito Tokugawa

This article analyzes the shunga collection owned by the Mito Tokugawa family. It presents the discovery of six pieces from the Mito Tokugawa, one of the three branches of the Tokugawa. This collection helps us understand the uses and the spread of erotic art among the ruling classes in Edo period J...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Bru Turull, Ricard|||0000-0001-6206-0058
Format: Article
Publication date:2016
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:309059
Online Access:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/309059
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Shunga
Higa
Higi
Daimyo
Mito
Erotic
Edo period
Tokugawa Nariaki
Saya-e
Harigata
Description
Summary:This article analyzes the shunga collection owned by the Mito Tokugawa family. It presents the discovery of six pieces from the Mito Tokugawa, one of the three branches of the Tokugawa. This collection helps us understand the uses and the spread of erotic art among the ruling classes in Edo period Japan. The collection, formed of different types of works (scrolls, books, prints, and sex toys) is important in documenting the high degree of acceptance of erotic art within the Tokugawa family. In particular, the manuscript notes written by the daimyo, Tokugawa Nariaki, show that the works were acquired as part of a regular family practice over the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. This suggests that it was common for all daimyo families to collect shunga.