Naoko Komuro

Shunga: The Lost Japanese Erotica

In the foundation of the culture of Japanese MANGA and animation, there lies the humor filled art form, shunga. Shunga is a type of Japanese art by famous ukiyo-e artists of the Edo Period, such as Utamaro, Hokusai, and Kiyonaga, but the artform’s development was thwarted by social norms that tabooed sex. The film Introduces the world of shunga through enthusiasts - collectors, curators, and scholars, including Andrew Gerstle who inspired The British Museum’s historical shunga exhibition in 2013 and Michael Fornitz who owns an auction house in Denmark. Exploring the significance of shunga by analyzing it from historical, cultural, artistic and contemporary female points of view.

Picture of Spring

When a bored cafe worker starts learning about erotic prints from a widowed shunga researcher, she gets drawn into a world free of inhibitions.

The Man from the Sea

A man is found washed up on a beach in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, suffering from amnesia and speaking in broken Indonesian and Japanese.

Antiporno

Young artist Kyoko wreaks havoc on everyone that she encounters when Japan's oldest major movie studio asks a batch of venerable filmmakers to revive its high-brow soft-core Roman Porno series.

Dawn of the Felines

A story of three escort girls living in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. They work at the same escort service while feeling lonely in their urban lives.

Wet Woman in the Wind

Dissipated Tokyo playwright, Kosuke has retreated to the countryside after deciding that he's done with women, but the indefatigable cat-in-heat Shiori has other ideas, clinging to Kosuke like his shadow.

Aroused by Gymnopedies

Shinji is a middle-aged, sleaze film director who used to be famous. He hardly goes back home and moves from one woman to another. In spite of his idleness, women are very fond of him and look after him compassionately for whatever reason.

White Lily

Two women, Tokiko, a ceramic artist, and her apprentice, Haruka, are in a relationship. The couple is not an intrinsic lesbian, but they fell for each other by chance.