Utagawa Kuniyoshi Asaina Shima-meguri, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Hand-Coloured Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Ansei Era, Signed Ichigeisha Yukono
Utagawa Kuniyoshi Asaina Shima-meguri, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Hand-Coloured Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Ansei Era, Signed Ichigeisha Yukono
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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.
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- Character
- Resplendent 8.4 of 10 ·
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 12.0 cm | 4.7 in |
| Height | 17.0 cm | 6.7 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
Asaina Among the Fabled Isles
Edo readers knew the strong man Asahina Saburo from tales of his voyage to impossible islands. Kuniyoshi sends him on a lovers' version of the journey, through lands of winged folk, long-legged giants and tiny warriors, drawn with the comic invention that made him the wit of his generation.
Best for: Collectors of Kuniyoshi, warai-e humour and hand-coloured Edo picture books
Condition notes
Rebound in a later decorative cover; original title not present. Age toning to the paper, hand colouring bright and carefully applied.
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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An Ansei-era enpon signed Ichigeisha Yukono, a comic voyage through fabled lands by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, with fine hand colouring throughout.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
Edo audiences loved the tale of Asahina Saburo, the strong man of legend who sailed to impossible islands drawn from old encyclopaedias of foreign peoples. Kuniyoshi, the great wit of the Utagawa school, turns the voyage into warai-e, the laughing pictures of the erotic tradition. Page by page the reader tours the Land of Women, the isles of the winged folk, the lands of long legs, long arms and six arms, a land of giants and a land of miniature warriors who haul on ropes like a festival crowd.
The book carries no title, so it is known here by its theme. The closing plate is signed Ichigeisha Yukono, a name recorded as Kuniyoshi's for his erotic books. The plates are printed from woodblocks in outline and coloured by hand, and the colouring is unusually careful for a book of this kind.
Details
- Title: Untitled; known as Asaina Shima-meguri
- Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, as attributed
- Signature: Ichigeisha Yukono, on the closing plate
- Published: Ansei era (about 1854 to 1860)
- Genre: Enpon, warai-e
- Technique: Woodblock printing with hand colouring
- Binding: Stab-bound, rebound in a later cover
- Cover size: About 17 x 12 cm (6.7 x 4.7 in)
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 0.5 cm (0.2 in).
Condition
- Rebound in a later decorative cover; original title not present.
- Age toning to the paper; the colouring remains bright.
- Coins and clear clips seen in the photographs were placed for discretion and to hold the pages open; neither is part of the book.
Condition grade B (very good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as an Ansei-era book by Utagawa Kuniyoshi on the strength of its signature; the attribution is given as recorded and is 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.
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Collectors also search: Kuniyoshi enpon · Asahina island tour shunga · hand-coloured Edo erotic book
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