In early modern Japan, 1600 1900, thousands of sexually explicit paintings, prints, and illustrated books with texts were produced, known as spring pictures (shunga). This catalogue of a major exhibition at the British Museum marks the culmination of a substantial international research project and aims to answer some key questions about what shunga was and why it was produced. In particular the social and cultural contexts for sex art in Japan are explored. Drawing on the latest scholarship from the leading experts in the field and featuring over 400 images of works from major public and private collections, this landmark book looks at painted and printed erotic images produced in Japan during the Edo period (1600 1868) and early Meiji era (1868 1912). This title is only available through BRILL/Hotei Publishing in the United States of America, Canada and the Phillipines.