La Liaison Érotique: Hajime Sawatari : Octopus Shunga

Shunga, the Japanese term for Erotic Art, has been around for centuries, holding origin in Ancient China around 1336 and reached it's peak through Japanese Woodblocking in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. I first came across it in "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" by Katsushika Hokusai, and recently began to dwell deeply as to why the Octopus holds such an erotic intrigue in classic Japanese Shunga. Besides the somewhat obvious observation that the Octopus, like the female sex organ, has an intrinsic notion known for taking something in, squeezing, sucking, and enveloping it's "prey," there are other more subtle nuances that embody sensuality and sex.

Most men seem to be attracted to the images of Lesbianism; I believe for its juxtaposition of purity and sex. Without a male counterpart the image becomes a thousand times more sensual. Think of the Octopus as a symbol of the Vagina with Masculine qualities. Joined with a Human Female, the Octopus instills a taboo of mutual pleasure. Its core relates to the female anatomy while its tentacles hold the masculinity, the strength, the suggestion of the male sex organ. These images from "Hysteric Ten" by renowned Japanese Photographer, Hajime Sawatari are not only paying homage to the late masters, but brings the viewer so close to the act, so apart of it. We see in the model's body language and facial expression the different stages of a sexual act... eroticism and sensuality to the glow of content in the aftereffect.