The Kiss 1803

Kitagawa Utamaro produced this woodblock print called ‘The Kiss’ at the height of the Edo period in Japan. The print's frank depiction of sexual intimacy was created in a moment of relative permissiveness for the Japanese print industry. Known as *shunga*, these ‘spring pictures’ served as manuals for sexual pleasure and were popular across social classes. In this print, Utamaro depicts a couple locked in an embrace, rendered with striking realism and attention to detail. The composition and use of color create a sense of intimacy. But the context of production should caution us against seeing *shunga* simply as ‘pornography’. The prints often alluded to popular culture, referencing classical literature and theatre. The act of purchasing and viewing such images was itself a social practice and an exercise in the viewer's knowledge of cultural codes. Historians consult a range of sources to understand the social and cultural significance of *shunga*, including contemporary diaries, literary references, and censorship records, and the prints themselves can provide valuable insights into the pleasure and social customs of their time.