Katsushika Hokusai Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi, Meiji Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Later Printing, Folding Album
Katsushika Hokusai Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi, Meiji Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Later Printing, Folding Album
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A guide for this piece: about $577, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
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- Resplendent 8.2 of 10 ·
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 13.5 cm | 5.3 in |
| Height | 22.0 cm | 8.7 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
The Cedar That Binds Lovers
Izumo is where the gods are said to gather each autumn to tie the threads of marriage, and Hokusai borrowed its sacred cedar for the title of what is held to be his final erotic book. This later woodblock printing keeps the monumental figures and fierce linework of his late style.
Best for: Collectors of Hokusai and of Edo erotic picture books in later woodblock editions
Condition notes
Light soiling. An old repair at the binding of the front cover.
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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Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi of 1822, held to be the last erotic picture book of Katsushika Hokusai, here in a later colour woodblock printing gathered into one folding album.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi, the Cedar of Izumo that Binds Lovers, takes its title from the great shrine of Izumo, where the gods are said to gather each autumn to tie the threads of marriage. First published in 1822 (Bunsei 5) under the name of Katsushika Hokusai and his studio, it is regarded as the last of his enpon, the privately circulated erotic books of the Edo period. It carries the boldness of his late hand: monumental figures filling the double page and robes in flat fields of indigo, saffron, viridian and red.
This album is a woodblock facsimile printed in the Meiji period or later, and it is offered plainly as such. Printed from cut blocks rather than by photographic process, the sheets keep the crisp key line of true woodblock work. Flowing kana dialogue runs around the figures, for shunga was also comic literature, read aloud and laughed over; one plate sets a pair of dogs beside the human scene, a warai-e joke in the spirit of Hokusai's wit.
The front cover keeps its pink title slip, and the back cover is a sea-green paper flecked with dark specks.
Details
- Title: Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi (The Cedar of Izumo that Binds Lovers)
- Artist: Katsushika Hokusai and studio, after the design of 1822
- Edition: Woodblock facsimile, printed in the Meiji period or later
- Genre: Enpon (shunga picture book)
- Technique: Colour woodblock printing on Japanese paper
- Format: Single folding album (orihon)
- Cover size: About 22 x 13.5 cm (8.7 x 5.3 in)
- Shown: Covers, eleven double-page plates and a page of text
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 0.5 cm (0.2 in).
Condition
- Light soiling, as expected of a book of this age.
- An old repair at the binding of the front cover.
- The small discs seen on some plates were placed by the photographer for discretion and are not part of the work.
- Every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade B (very good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as a later woodblock printing after Hokusai's Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi of 1822; it is not a first edition, and its printing is dated to the Meiji period or later. Store flat, away from sun and damp.
Delivery from Japan
The album is wrapped flat in acid-free tissue 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.
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Collectors also search: Hokusai shunga album · Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi woodblock · Edo erotic picture book
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