Yanagawa Shigenobu II Ikkyu Zenji Shoshoku Mondo, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Complete Three Volumes, circa 1840
Yanagawa Shigenobu II Ikkyu Zenji Shoshoku Mondo, Edo Period Japanese Shunga Harubon, Erotic Art Woodblock Ukiyoe Book, Complete Three Volumes, circa 1840
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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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- Resplendent 8.2 of 10 ·
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| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 14.6 cm | 5.7 in |
| Height | 20.6 cm | 8.1 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 Zen Master's Questions on Love
Ikkyu Sojun, the fifteenth-century Zen master who wrote openly of desire, became a favourite mouthpiece for Edo humorists, and this book borrows his voice for a set of questions and answers on love. Shigenobu II matches the wit with crowded, comic plates, each holding a small framed scene within the larger one.
Best for: Collectors of warai-e humour and the Yanagawa school
Condition notes
Some scattered spotting. Light wear to the covers; the lower volume has lost its title slip.
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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A complete three-volume enpon of about 1840 by Yanagawa Shigenobu II, presented as the witty dialogues of the Zen master Ikkyu.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
Ikkyu Sojun (1394 to 1481), the irreverent Zen master who wrote openly of desire in his poems, became a favourite figure for Edo writers of comic fiction. Ikkyu Zenji Shoshoku Mondo, published around Tenpo 11 (about 1840), borrows his voice for a book of questions and answers on the many forms of love, a pun on shoshoku, all manner of goods.
The plates are by Yanagawa Shigenobu II, successor to Yanagawa Shigenobu, the pupil of Hokusai, and they are full of humour. Most openings place a small framed vignette inside the main picture, so a second couple, a startled servant or a scene in a boat comments on the first. Single-page portraits of women in their finery, one a courtesan crowned with gold hairpins, stand among the lighter warai-e. Teal grounds and patterned robes keep their colour.
Details
- Title: Ikkyu Zenji Shoshoku Mondo
- Artist: Yanagawa Shigenobu II, as attributed
- Published: About Tenpo 11 (circa 1840), Edo period
- Genre: Enpon (shunga picture book)
- Volumes: Three, complete
- Technique: Colour woodblock printing on Japanese paper
- Format: Hanshibon, stab-bound
- Cover size: About 20.6 x 14.6 cm (8.1 x 5.7 in)
- Covers: Buff paper printed with pine sprays
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 0.5 cm (0.2 in).
Condition
- Some scattered spotting, not heavy.
- Light wear to the covers; the lower volume lacks its title slip.
- 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 Ikkyu Zenji Shoshoku Mondo by Yanagawa Shigenobu II; 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
The set travels flat in acid-free tissue between rigid boards, 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. Companion books are kept in Shunga and Hidden Arts and in our archive of woodblock prints and classical texts.
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Collectors also search: Yanagawa Shigenobu II enpon · Ikkyu shunga book · Tenpo warai-e
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