Shunpon: Man Carrying Money Into a Vaginal Storehouse
18 september 2017 
3 min. read

Shunpon: Man Carrying Money Into a Vaginal Storehouse

One convention of shunga is a set of twelve pictures that reference the main annual event in each month of the year. In this twelfth and final design from Kyosai‘s series ‘Picture Calendar with Erotic Scenes of the Twelve Months‘ (1869) we watch a man carrying money into a storehouse on Kan-no-iri.

Shunpon

It’s the beginning of midwinter, when the seasonal cold intensifies. In shunga and shunpon*, a vagina is sometimes compared to a treasury. Kyosai‘s depiction can be said to be almost ‘scientifically anatomical’ in its accuracy.

erotic treasure - kyosai

Vaginal storehouse (the Twelfth month)‘ (1869) from the series ‘Picture Calendar with Erotic Scenes of the Twelve Months‘ by Kawanabe Kyosai

Click HERE for the amusing first month design of this series including a gay couple !

shunpon:

Koban-sized print ‘Vaginal storehouse‘ (c.1850) by Utagawa school

shunpon:

Ridiculous things / Boiling tea in the belly button‘ (c.1858) from the series ‘Warai no gu oheso ga cha‘ by Koikawa Shozan  (Source: ‘Shunga. Explicit art of Japan‘, 2016. Authors: A. E. Pushakova, K. G. Danelya) *

hokusai treasure overlapping skirts'Treasury ' (c.1820) from the series 'Tsumagasane  (Overlapping Skirts)' by Katsushika Hokusai

*shunpon is literally translated ‘Pornographic book’. The kanji for shunpon is 春本.

Source: ‘Sex and Laughter with Kyosai: Shunga from the Israel Goldman Collection‘ by Ishigami Aki and S. Koto

*Photo provided by Darya

What is your favorite subject within shunga art? Leave your reaction in the comment box below….!!!

About the author
Marijn is the founder of shungagallery.com. With more than 20 years of experience within the sensual and erotic art of shunga he is an authority in the genre. During this time he served many customers with complementing their art collection.
Darya
By

Darya

on 15 Mar 2020

This piece reminds me of the design by someone from Utagawa school depicting an oiran ('Warai no gu oheso ga cha', 1858).

Marijn
JB
By

JB

on 23 Nov 2022

Still discovering little treasures buried deep (no pun intended!) in the SG! These are delightful... There are others, I believe I've seen a few other ones with similar themes, inclusive by Hokusai.

Marijn Kruijff
By

Marijn Kruijff

on 24 Nov 2022

Thanks JB, I've included the Hokusai piece you're referring to..

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