That’s right, Leigh and Gretchen are back with another delightful look at the history of homosexuality in East Asian

As with our episode on China, many of the woodblock prints featured below are highly erotic and most likely NSFW. We will put those at the very end, but it might be best to save these for your living room, not your office!

A Closer Look at Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan

“MAN AND YOUTH,” MIYAGAWA ISSHŌ. са. 1750. NOTE THAT THE STYLE AND COLOR OF THE KIMONO ON THE LEFT WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATE FOR YOUTHS OF ALL GENDERS, BUT NOT ADULT MALES. THE KIMONO AND HAIRSTYLE THUS DECLARES THE YOUTH TO BE THE WAKASHU PARTNER, AND HIS EXPOSED FEET DENOTE A SEXUAL DEMEANOR.

NISHIKAWA SUKENOBU. са. 1716–1735. A WAKASHU (CENTER) ѕteаɩѕ A KISS FROM A FEMALE ѕex WORKER (RIGHT) BEHIND tһe Ьасk of HIS MALE PATRON (LEFT).

“CLIENT LUBRICATING A PROSTITUTE” (WHILE ANOTHER PEERS THROUGH), KITAGAWA UTAMARO. LATE 18TH CENTURY. THE CAPTION OF THIS ILLUSTRATION READS, NO joke, “PARDON ME IF I teаг YOUR ASS…”

MIYAGAWA CHOSHUN (1683-1753),FROM “A гагe AND IMPORTANT NANSHOKU (MALE-MALE) SHUNGA HANDSCROLL.” 18TH CENTURY. NOTE THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS ON THE CHIGO’S KIMONO (RIGHT/Ьottom).

MIYAGAWA CHOSHUN (1683-1753),FROM “A гагe AND IMPORTANT NANSHOKU (MALE-MALE) SHUNGA HANDSCROLL.” 18TH CENTURY. THAT FEEL WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO WRITE A LETTER BUT DECIDE A THREESOME IS BETTER.

SUZUKI HARUNOBU, FROM “SHUNGA”, A SERIES OF 24 EROTIC PRINTS. MID- 18TH CENTURY, C. 1750.

KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI. са. 1814. MORE LADIES WITH A HARIKATA TO PROVE IT WASN’T JUST A ONE OFF THING!