Contiguous Interior Scene of a Brothel, from the series World of Laughter, Perspectives on Genitalia

Erotic art was called “spring pictures,” or shunga, and it was produced in great numbers during the Edo period. The Tokugawa government issued periodic edicts banning production of works deemed immoral, however all the major artists are known to have designed them. Many works were left unsigned and they often omitted direct references to specific publishers. There were many names for erotic prints, and one of the most popular was “laughter pictures,” or warai-e. The title on the folder for this set, World of Laughter, plays on this common name. This set of twelve numbered prints is highly unusual, as the twelve smaller pictures can be arranged into one contiguous interior scene. Sets of twelve were common in the production of shunga, due to their associations with the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac and twelve acts of yin and yang (male and female) relationships. The deluxe set includes areas printed with shomenzuri, a technique that produces a shiny surface simulating the appearance of the sheen of silk fabric or glossy black lacquer, as well as the use of metallic pigments. Interior designs showing behind-the-scenes happenings at brothels or kabuki theaters became very popular in the nineteenth century. As fame and notoriety of the leading actors and courtesans of the day grew, the print-buying public became increasingly interested in the voyeuristic views into privileged spaces available to the famed and moneyed inhabitants of Edo.