Page 314 - japanese and korean art Utterberg Collection Christie's March 22 2022

This set of three erotic books, first printed in 1814, is considered
one of the best examples of shunga. Each starting with an okubi-e
of a courtesan, rarely-seen among Hokusai's creations, followed
by 7 double-pages of erotic scenes and concludes with a close-up
depiction of genitalia.

Among these intense illustrations, the most well-known and
ubiquitous image is Tako to ama (Octopus and Shell Diver). This
image astounded western audiences upon its introduction to France
in the late 19th century. People initially read the picture, without
comprehending the accompanying text, as the octopi intertwined
with a corpse laying among rocks. In Western mythologies, the
octopus is sometimes regarded as an evil figure from the terrifying
ocean, like the Kraken from Scandinavian folklore. Thus, this image
was interpreted as a demonstration of sexual pleasure associated
with the terror of death. The text as well as the girl's hand grasping
the tentacle, however, suggest the diver being fully conscious and
purely enjoying the ecstasy.

Other illustrations in the books also convey deep human lust
regardless of gender and ethics. One such image depicts a violent
scene in which a rice maker intends to rape a young girl. The
perpetrator is portrayed as an ugly and filthy figure who could not
arouse any joy to viewers. Nonetheless, the picture is so vivid that
the strong and primitive desire the figure carries delivers to viewers
firmitively before they make any moral judgement. The books
manifest Hokusai's fertile imagination as well as the almost primal
cultural atmosphere during the Edo Period. It was not until late
19th century when the Meiji government introduced and adopted
the modern value – in other terms, the Western values – that
the Edo culture, which impacted many great Japanese artists like
Hokusai, started to diminish.