Utagawa Kunisada Nise Murasaki Onna Genji, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Complete Three Volumes, circa 1847
Utagawa Kunisada Nise Murasaki Onna Genji, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Complete Three Volumes, circa 1847
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A guide for this piece: about $673, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
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- Character
- QuietResplendent Resplendent 8.5 of 10 ·
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Condition report
Very Good8.0 / 10
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Genji in the Pleasure Quarter
Kunisada illustrated the great Genji novel of his day, and its success invited parodies like this one. Palace costume and courtly romance are turned into erotic comedy, printed in rich colour. A complete set in original covers is the form collectors prefer.
Best for: Collectors of Kunisada, enpon and Edo book culture
Condition notes
Light spotting and soiling in places; no wormholes noted. Original covers and title slips present. Colours fresh.
Assessed from photographs and descriptionReport dated 14 November 2026
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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Utagawa Kunisada's Nise Murasaki Onna Genji, a complete set of three illustrated shunga volumes described as published around Koka 4 (1847), in their original covers with their original title slips.
The Piece
In the 1840s the most celebrated book in Edo was Ryutei Tanehiko's Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji, a long serial novel that moved The Tale of Genji into the shogun's palace, illustrated throughout by Kunisada. Its success spawned erotic parodies, and Nise Murasaki Onna Genji belongs to that knowing tradition: courtly costume and Genji-style romance retold as enpon, the illustrated erotic books read privately in Edo.
A frontispiece of a beauty in a cherry blossom roundel leads to a palace garden scene and double-page plates printed in full colour from woodblocks. Kunisada's figures wear richly patterned robes against green and gold rooms, lanterns, screens and boats; the inscribed cartouches carry the playful dialogue that made these books as much comedy as erotica.
Details
- Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786 to 1865)
- Title: Nise Murasaki Onna Genji
- Date: Described as published around Koka 4 (1847)
- Volumes: Three, a complete set
- Format: Hanshibon, Japanese thread binding
- Medium: Colour woodblock-printed illustrations with printed text
- Covers: Original covers with original title slips
- Cover size: About 24.2 x 16.9 cm (9.5 x 6.7 in)
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 cm (0.4 in).
Condition
- Light spotting and soiling in places, as expected of books of this age.
- No wormholes noted; colours remain fresh.
- Small discs seen in some photographs were placed over details for photography and are not part of the books.
Condition grade B (very good, light wear) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Title, artist and date are given as described to the Desk; no independent appraisal is implied. Store flat, away from light and damp.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped by hand in Japan, packed flat in a rigid carton and shipped discreetly, 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. More awaits in The Private Room, and wider print culture lives in our woodblock and classical texts archive.
Concierge
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Collectors also search: Kunisada shunga book set · Genji parody enpon · Edo period erotic woodblock book
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