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 Shunga （春画）is a Japanese term for erotic art, where sex was explicitly expressed in paintings done between the 16th and 19th century. This culture prevailed during the Edo period, which was also known as the period of sexual liberation. Men could have multiple wives and mistresses, or even public sexual intercourse; in contrary, women were far more modest.

 

However, when Japan opened its borders to the Western world during the Meiji period, the Shunga culture was banned, as it was deemed inappropriate by Western standards. If one had a Shunga painting, it would be confiscated. That was the Meiji government’s effort in transforming Japan from a ‘premodern’ country to a ‘modern’ nation. In other words: ‘hiding’ its true personality.

 

But hidden under that conservative mask is Japan’s true sexually liberated soul, evidenced by their erotic anime plots – essentially sexual fantasies generated through years of pent-up frustration. Kukhee Choo, a professor of Comparative Culture at Sophia University Japan says, “Even if (women) didn’t like something, they had to fake it. They just had to bite the bullet, as usual.”

 

Nowadays, Japan is seen as a civilised country. After hundreds of years, it has followed the same path as its ancestors and has come full circle. To avoid tarnishing the country’s image amid an expected surge in foreign visitors due to the upcoming Olympics in 2020, convenience stores are taking down their adult magazines on display.

 

Annemarie Luck, editor-in-chief of the Tokyo Weekender Magazine, says: “However, this is slowly changing as women are beginning to work more and gain more independence. This gives women more power and self-esteem, thus giving them the courage to speak out about gender stereotypes as well as sexual harassment.”