Handscroll of Ten Homoerotic (Nanshoku) Scenes 1700 - 1733

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this fascinating handscroll: "Ten Homoerotic (Nanshoku) Scenes" by Miyagawa Choshun, created sometime between 1700 and 1733. Editor: My initial impression is of… stillness, almost melancholy. Despite the overt theme, the subdued watercolor palette lends it a strange tranquility. What stands out for you? Curator: It's the use of the handscroll format itself. The sequential unfolding of scenes invites a journey, a slow unveiling of intimacy within a very specific cultural and historical context. Nanshoku, or male-male love, had particular connotations in Edo period Japan, especially regarding samurai culture. Editor: Context being the operative word, of course. How much of this work might be attributed to a patron? We're talking about high-end mixed media, so labor was surely part of the equation. Was there a demand for art objects such as this? Were the artists using available, expensive pigments and binding agents? Curator: Undoubtedly, there was patronage involved, a complex web of power and desire influencing the creation. The images themselves speak of accepted social mores and the symbols can be quite coded to reveal societal attitudes towards same-sex relations. Editor: It is thought-provoking how an object like this operates at the intersection of personal expression, artisanal practice, and wider cultural conditions. Consider the weight of erotic art, its production and then its subsequent reception! Curator: Precisely. By viewing it, we participate in a continuous conversation, reassessing how desires and power structures shape our collective memory. Editor: Indeed, each viewing prompts further questions concerning materiality and society. Thank you, the conversation around art production continues.