Erotic book - koshokubon

Throughout the Edo period, erotic prints and pillow pictures depicting the secret love affairs of men and women, and erotic books depicting erotic relationships between men and women were circulated despite the ban on publishing. At the time, works that dealt with sexuality, including erotic books, were generally called koshokubon. In literary history, koshokubon refers to works with a sexual theme among the Ukiyozoshi (Japanese folklore stories) that were popular around the Genroku, Hoei, and Shōtoku periods (late 17th century to early 18th century) after Ihara Saikaku. Saikaku achieved great success with Koshoku Ichidai Otoko, which depicted a life of unrestrained lust, Koshoku Gonin Onna, which focused on the tragic love of an amateur woman, and Koshoku Ichidai Onna, which depicted the life of a woman at the mercy of sexual love, and many other works were created that were set in pleasure quarters and other places. Representative works include "Koshoku Mankintan" by Yashoku Jibun, "Shinshiki Gokansho" by Nishizawa Ippu, and "Keisei Kintanki" by Ejima Kiseki, but in many cases, among the works labeled "Koshoku something," there are many that are of little value in literary history or that are nothing more than pornographic books.

[Yano Kimikazu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代を通じて、男女の秘戯を描いた春画・枕絵及び男女の交情を煽情的に描いた春本・艶本の類は、出版禁制の目をくぐって流通していた。当時はそうした春本を含めて性愛を取り上げた著作一般を好色本と称していた。文学史的には井原西鶴(いはらさいかく)以後、元禄・宝永・正徳頃（17世紀末～18世紀初頭）に流行した浮世草子(うきよぞうし)の中で性愛をテーマとする作品をいう。西鶴が奔放な愛欲の人生を描いた『好色一代男』、素人女の悲恋を中心とする『好色五人女』、性愛に翻弄された女の一生を描いた『好色一代女』で大成功を収め、遊里その他を舞台とする多くの追随作が生まれた。夜食時分(やしょくじぶん)作『好色万金丹(こうしょくまんきんたん)』、西沢一風(にしざわいっぷう)作『新色五巻書(しんしきごかんしょ)』、江島其磧(えじまきせき)作『傾城禁短気(けいせいきんたんき)』等はその代表作であるが、多くの場合『好色何々』と称するそれらの作品の中には、文学史的に価値の低いものや春本同然のものも多数見出される。

［矢野公和］

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