"Shunga" erotic wood print of Edo & Meiji. In the time of Ukiyoe, Shunga was the artistic expression of nudity and sexuality. Japanese word shunga means picture of spring; "spring" is a common euphemism for sex. Shunga artists rarely signed their works, even though the genre was generally accepted and the art met the same standards required of more conventional styles. This was in order to eliminate any danger of governmental prosecution, or any risk of "losing face" and thus endangering the other aspects of an artist's career.