Photo/Illutration A part of Kitagawa Utamaro’s “Kaya no Tanoshimi” (1801-06, private collection), which is on display for the duration of the exhibition. (Provided by the Hosomi Museum)

KYOTO--Featuring erotic works created by some of the most celebrated ukiyo-e artists, the Hosomi Museum here is hosting its first “shunga” exhibition in eight years.

Sponsored by The Asahi Shimbun and other entities, “The Beauty of Shunga--Hokusai and Utamaro: Exchange and Competition” is running until Nov. 24 in the city’s Sakyo Ward.

About 70 pieces are featured that place particular importance on beauty, including ukiyo-e, “hanpon” (books printed from woodblocks) and hand-painted works.

Shunga as an artform for public display was taboo in Japan until the British Museum in London hosted a special exhibition between 2013 and 2014 that won rave reviews.

As a result, a traveling shunga event was held at the Eisei Bunko Museum in Tokyo’s Mejiro Ward and the Hosomi Museum from 2015 to 2016.

“Eight years ago, it was important to hold a shunga exhibition,” said Kazutaka Higuchi, a professor of art history at Jumonji University who supervised the Kyoto exhibition. “Shunga portrays the most intimate aspect of life, and I want visitors to see the beauty of the artworks brought together for the upgraded event.”

One of the highlights is “Nikuhitsu Namichidori” (Hand-drawn plovers above waves) by Katsushika Hokusai, a series of 12 brush-painted works that are being shown for the first time in Japan.

The characters are arranged across the painting to leave no extra space, with the hands and feet of the man and the woman entangled as if they were soft-bodied creatures.

The unrealistic composition is a hallmark of Hokusai’s mastery of the genre.

The event also showcases his other shunga works, including “Namichidori” (Plovers above waves), a set of 12 pieces that are hand-colored by brush on printed outlines, and “Fukujuso” (Adonis plant), which is comprised of 12 woodblock prints.

Other notable works include Kitagawa Utamaro’s “Kaya no Tanoshimi” (Pleasure on a summer night) and “Kaika no Higi" (Sexual conduct downstairs). The large hand-drawn paintings were later turned into scrolls.

Shunga were produced in secret because the activity was banned by the shogunate.

That, in turn, meant the erotic art was free of censorship that targeted other ukiyo-e works, allowing painters, woodcarvers and printers to use their skills to the fullest.

The venue is closed on Mondays except national holidays, in which case it is closed the following day.

No entry is allowed for children aged 17 or younger.

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