Volume 3 of Unknown Erotic (Shunga) Set (Tōsei komonchō)
Original title: Volume 3 of Unknown Erotic (Shunga) Set (Tōsei komonchō)
kurzbeschreibung
This third volume of an unidentified shunga series called Tōsei komonchō is by Utagawa Kuniyoshi and was made after 1859. It was produced as a woodblock-printed book, printed in ink and colour on paper. Two scenes show a couple in traditional Japanese dress occupied with books and various implements.
Description
On the left page a woman sits on the floor, her robe patterned with flowers and her head covered; she holds an object, probably a book or a box. A book and a vessel of liquid lie before her. To the right a man in traditional clothing has settled down, likewise over a book or a box, with scraps of fabric and more containers around him. Windows and a view onto the landscape frame the action and lend it a certain calm. Figures and framing background elements mirror one another. Blues, reds and golds set the palette, as is usual for shunga illustrations.
Context
Utagawa Kuniyoshi ranks among the major ukiyo-e artists of the nineteenth century and became known above all for woodblock prints and book illustrations. Shunga, roughly "spring pictures", were erotic prints widely circulated in the Edo period and often issued in series. No complete holding of the Tōsei komonchō series, translated roughly as "Modern Pattern Books", has survived, which makes it hard to place. This sheet dates from after 1859, when Kuniyoshi was already an established artist.
Impact
The mirrored arrangement and the quiet landscape behind give the image a balance and a sense of peace. Rich patterns and a coordinated play of colour lend it an aesthetic appeal that reaches beyond the erotic content. Crisp contours and the precise rendering of clothing reveal the craftsmanly care of the woodcut.
Technique
The book was printed by woodblock, page by page, in ink and colour on paper. Japanese woodblock technique (moku hanga) allowed fine lines and closed areas of colour, which stand out clearly here. Several passes of the press produced the luminous blues, reds and golds.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)