Utagawa Yoshinobu Furyu Iro Kiyose, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Oban Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Lower Volume, Tenpo 5 (1834)
Utagawa Yoshinobu Furyu Iro Kiyose, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Oban Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Lower Volume, Tenpo 5 (1834)
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- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
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- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $322, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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- Character
- Resplendent 8.2 of 10 ·
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 19.0 cm | 7.5 in |
| Height | 26.0 cm | 10.2 in |
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape.
Where each figure is taken · View the plate
Object, sculpture and ceramics
Condition report
Very Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Seasons of Desire, Printed Edge to Edge
A kiyose was the poet's almanac of seasonal words; this enpon borrows the name for a calendar of love. Yoshinobu, a pupil of Kuniyoshi, lets his plates run to the very edge of the large oban page with no printed frame, so each scene arrives with real force.
Best for: Collectors of Utagawa school enpon and large-format Tenpo picture books
Condition notes
Binding thread broken at one point. Original title slip present; no worm damage and no rubbing to the plates. Lower volume only.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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The lower volume of Furyu Iro Kiyose, an oban enpon of 1834 drawn by Utagawa Yoshinobu, with its plates printed boldly to the edge of the page.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
A kiyose was the poet's almanac of seasonal words. Furyu Iro Kiyose borrows that respectable form for a calendar of love, a conceit typical of the enpon, the privately circulated erotic picture book of late Edo. The text is by Nyokoan Shujin, a pen name of the popular writer Shotei Kinsui, and the plates are by Utagawa Yoshinobu, a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
In the large oban format the plates carry no printed border, so figures and robes run off the page with real energy: lovers beneath an umbrella painted with chrysanthemums, a court lady in layered robes, a veranda hung with Tanabata papers. Two single-page scenes frame the book like the gate of the pleasure quarter, entered and then left behind.
Details
- Title: Furyu Iro Kiyose, lower volume (of two)
- Artist: Utagawa Yoshinobu, as attributed
- Text: Nyokoan Shujin (Shotei Kinsui), as attributed
- Published: Tenpo 5 (1834), Edo period
- Genre: Enpon (shunga picture book)
- Technique: Colour woodblock printing on Japanese paper
- Plates: Five double-page and two single-page
- Format: Oban (large book), stab-bound
- Cover size: About 26 x 19 cm (10.2 x 7.5 in)
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 0.5 cm (0.2 in).
Condition
- The binding thread is broken at one point.
- Original title slip present on the cover.
- No worm damage and no rubbing to the plates.
- Small coins seen on some plates were placed for discretion during photography and are not part of the book.
Condition grade B (very good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as the 1834 edition with plates by Utagawa Yoshinobu; date and attribution are given as recorded for the book and are not independently certified. Store flat, away from sun and damp.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped flat between rigid boards and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Further pieces of the kind are kept in Shunga and Hidden Arts and in our archive of woodblock prints and classical texts.
Concierge
Searching for the upper volume, or another Utagawa school title? Our Hunting Salon™ locates it across Japan's private collector circles, then inspects, documents and delivers it to you. Begin a Hunting Salon™ request.
Collectors also search: Utagawa Yoshinobu enpon · Tenpo era oban shunga book · Kuniyoshi school erotic picture book
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