About the Author
Majella Munro is a well regarded shunga expert, and a pioneering authority on the Japanese avant-garde. She has travelled widely within Japan, and her incisive knowledge of Japanese history and global perspective bring the arts of Japan alive for readers in the western world.
To visit her website, click here.
MASTERCLASS:
A GUIDE TO JAPANESE EROTIC ART
UNDERSTANDING SHUNGA
Press Interview with the author, 20th November 2008.
Why shunga - when and why did you start being interested in shunga?
MM: I am very interested in Japanese popular and printed culture; shunga is an extremely interesting area of study because its secret nature gives it a special potential to reveal information about society, about political attitudes, about gender and many other aspects of life that are often not discussed or which cannot be found in other forms of cultural expression.
Why did you decide to become japanologist - how began your love for and interest in Japan?
MM: I first began to research shunga while I was at the University of Cambridge, because I wanted to examine something exotic and exciting, and then made further studies of Japanese history and politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
How long did it take for you to collect all the materials for the book?
MM: In addition to the year spent researching at Cambridge, I spent one year collecting materials and preparing the text, working in London and Tokyo.
Have you ever been to Japan before or did you go there only to prepare the book?
MM: I had travelled in Japan prior to working on the shunga project, but also made specific research trips to examine shunga and contemporary Japanese sexuality. I visited many galleries in Tokyo, and interviewed experts and artists working in the Japanese pornographic industry to discover their views on shunga.
How did your family and friends react to your interest in this subject and to your publication?
MM: All of my family, friends and colleagues are excited about the book and many have developed an interest in the topic. Shunga is an extremely intriguing and fascinating genre, and the prints reproduced in the book are of very high aesthetic quality, making it difficult to resist being seduced by the charm and beauty of shunga. I recently gave a lecture on shunga at the University of Cambridge, where I was able to see for the first time the excitement and enthusiasm that these prints generate for people who may not be familiar with Japanese art, and the impact that they make when they are seen for the first time.
Are you already preparing your next book and what it will it be about?
MM: I am working on my next book which will be on Japanese avant-garde art produced during the second world war.
Double click to edit