Utagawa Kunisada Kanadehon Yakodama 1828, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Colour Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Complete Three Volumes
Utagawa Kunisada Kanadehon Yakodama 1828, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Colour Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Complete Three Volumes
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A guide for this piece: about $972, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
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- Resplendent 8.5 of 10 ·
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 15.5 cm | 6.1 in |
| Height | 22.8 cm | 9.0 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
Loyalty, Retold as Comedy
The most solemn story of the Edo stage, told again by its most prolific designer as a comedy of desire. The farce, the cat and the onlookers are as much the point as the lovers.
Best for: Collectors of Edo illustrated books and Chushingura parody
Condition notes
Some wormholes and scattered staining, with edge wear to covers and margins. Complete in three volumes with the original covers.
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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Kunisada turns the great revenge drama of the Edo stage into an erotic comedy of manners: three volumes of 1828, complete in original covers.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
Kanadehon Yakodama is a shunga ehon, an illustrated book of love circulated privately in Edo, framed on Kanadehon Chushingura, the play of the forty-seven loyal retainers. The opening plates stage a household raid as pure farce, brooms and ladders against scattering maids, before the story moves indoors to lovers, courtesans and comic onlookers.
Printed in colour from woodblocks on soft washi, each double-page plate is framed by cursive dialogue, so these books were read as much as looked at. Indigo, persimmon and mineral green remain lively, and the textiles are cut with the precision that made Kunisada the most prolific designer of his age.
Edo readers called such work warai-e, laughing pictures: here a cat runs off with a love letter. Small round discs in some photographs were placed for discretion and are not part of the book.
Details
- Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786 to 1865)
- Title: Kanadehon Yakodama, a parody of Kanadehon Chushingura
- Published: 1828 (Bunsei 11)
- Genre: Shunga ehon (illustrated erotic book)
- Medium: Colour woodblock printing on washi paper
- Format: Hanshibon, three volumes, stitched binding
- Covers: Original printed paper covers
- Cover size: 22.8 x 15.5 cm (9.0 x 6.1 in)
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 to 2 mm.
Condition
- Some wormholes and scattered staining, with edge wear to covers and margins.
- 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 period edition of 1828, examined and photographed in Japan. Keep the volumes flat, away from sun and damp, and turn pages with clean, dry hands.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped in acid-free tissue, laid flat between 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. Further pieces are kept in Shunga and Hidden Arts and in our woodblock print and classical texts archive.
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Collectors also search: Kunisada shunga ehon · Chushingura parody woodblock book · Edo period erotic book in three volumes
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