HOKUSAI PRINTS

p1736 - � - US$ Currency Converter.

Shunga Masterpiece - Hokusai - Models Of Loving Couples - c.1812.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic print). Date: c.1812-14.
Oban yoko-e size: 14 1/4" x 9 1/3" inches. Series: '(Ehon) tsui no hinagata (Models of Loving Couples)'.
Very good impression, color and condition. Very slight centerfold, some trimming and very small repair but generally in a very good state. Wonderful printed details such as metallic pigments and embossing.

The lovers at this print look at the screen as if they've been caught by someone peering at them from behind it.
A virtuoso technique can be noted in the design of the fabrics with the pattern of small squares and intersecting lines. The portrayal of the woman with her hair down is unusual in shunga. Another uncommon erotic signifier in this design is the man biting in the towel hanging over his head, expressing a suppressed emotion (normally in shunga this is a woman's gesture!), giving him a less dominant role.

Spoken text on this design: Plate 10 " From Models of Loving Couples''

Reference:

Two versions of this design are depicted in I. Goldman catalogue 4 and 11, respectively fig. 9 and 18.
Fukuda 'Ukiyo-e no higiga' Vol.1, p.102.
Calza, 'Hokusai', Fig. IV.10, p.208.

On this plate:

"Pl.10: Here we come to another of the acknowledged masterpieces of the series. As we have already cited, the furtive rendezevous is a frequent theme in shunga, lending an element of suspense that serves to heighten the emotional impact of the situation. In this notable scene we glimpse a lover's secret, hurried visit to his paramour.
He glances furtively to the left; she has just come from the bath, after washing her long hair.

The undulating waves of kimono-pattern, white flesh and raven hair echo the urgency of the occasion. And again, the larger format of the �ban print permits more simplification of composition than is to be found in Hokusai's equally-famed shunga book-illustrations of the same period. (Netsuke aficionades will again be delighted at the sight of their favorite object, at the man's sash -- in this case, of the simple kagami-buta variety -- depicted in real life, so to speak..." (Richard Lane in Vol.13 of The Complete Ukiyo-e Shunga )

On this series:

"(Ehon) tsui no hinagata is one of Hokusai's first full-size �ban print albums of erotica, and its title underscores the difficulties in the translation of many shunga book titles. The word tsui can be interpreted as 'couple' or 'male and female pairs'. It is also possible that Hokusai intended a wordplay as the word tsui (written here tsuhi) can also be pronounced tsubi, an archaic term for 'vulva'.

Richard Lane's translation Patterns of Loving Couples does not acknowledge this underlying sexual connotation, nor does Hayakawa Monta's less suggestive title Interlocking Patterns (Hayakawa and Arell 2002: 67). Hinagata can refer to kimono patterns, but it can also denote 'sample'. All these levels of semantic meaning should be reflected in the translation, taking into consideration the innocent images of loving couples and the cruder 'samples of vulvas'.

One of the plates in the work is signed 'Shishoku Gank�'. This has been interpreted as a pseudonym for Hokusai, even though this theory cannot be substantiated". (Chris Uhlenbeck in 'Japanese Erotic Fantasies: Sexual Imagery of the Edo Period').

p1652 - �650 - US$ Currency Converter.

Katsushika Hokusai - Surimono - Candy Seller - c.1805.

Description:
Antique Japanese woodblock print by Hokusai (1760-1849). Surimono (Commisioned print). Date: c.1805.
Title: 'Odawara Gairo-uri'. Size: 6 3/4" x 5" inches. Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some slight browning, marks and flaws. Magnificently detailed piece with metallic pigments and gauffrage.

A gairo (corrupted from the word uiro, a Japanese sweet made from rice-powder) seller sound the praises of his merchandise.
This scene also depicts a part from the kabuki play 'Wakamidori Ikioi Soga'. In this play the long words used by the gairo seller to allure his customers are famous tongue twisters.

p1554 - �175 - US$ Currency Converter.

Turkeys - Taito (Hokusai) - Flower And Bird Sketches - c.1848.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock print by Taito (aka. Hokusai). Date: c. 1848-'49.
Series: 'Kacho Gaden' (Flower And Bird Sketches). Size: 8 3/4" x 7 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, color and condition. Very minor marks and flaws.

Nice depiction of two female turkeys.

The wonderful scenes from 'Kacho Gaden' are simply depicted in beautiful tones of soft gray and black,
accented with touches of pale pink. The British Museum of Fine Arts also has this set in their collection.
Images from this excellent series are rather unknown.

Very rare !

p1553 - �175 - US$ Currency Converter.

Mandarin Ducks - Taito (Hokusai) - Flower And Bird Sketches - c.1848.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock print by Taito (aka. Hokusai). Date: 1848-'49.
Series: 'Kacho Gaden' (Flower and Bird Sketches). Size: 8 3/4" x 7 1/2" inches. Fine impression, color and condition.
Very minor marks and flaws.

Wonderfully detailed depiction of a male and female mandarin duck on a snowy branch.

Published in 1848-'49 in two volumes, Hokusai's "Kacho Gaden," depicts beautiful illustrations of birds and flowers throughout the seasons. These appealing designs are drawn with dashing calligraphic line work, much like traditional sumi ink paintings.
Hokusai captures birds in flight or perched on flowering branches, looking for a place to hide in snow-covered trees or searching for food.

Very rare !

p1391 - � - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Shunga
Copulating Mice - c.1821.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: c.1821.
Size: 10 3/4" x 8 2/5" inches. Fine impression (with gauffrage and metallic pigments), color and very good condition.
Very minor soiling, marks and flaws. Design from Hokusai's celebrated series "Manpuku Wagojin" (Gods of Intercourse).

An comical scene with the couple watching two copulating mice.
This specific detail was used by Hokusai in more shunga designs !

p1389 - �635 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Shunga
Insatiable Client - c.1821.

In the back an exhausted courtesan rests while an insatiable client is having intercourse with on of her
colleagues in the room next to hers !

p1386 - �600 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Shunga

Young and Old Couple - c.1821.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: c.1821.
Size: 10 3/4" x 8 2/5" inches.Fine impression (with gauffrage and metallic pigments), color and very good condition.
Very minor soiling, marks and flaws. Design from Hokusai's celebrated series "Manpuku Wagojin" (Gods of Intercourse).

An older woman forces her man to watch the intimate performance of a younger couple !

p1323 - �550 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Two Courtisans Osane & Otsubi

Gods Of Intercourse - c.1821.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: c.1821.
Size: 8 3/4" x 6 1/4" inches. Series:' Gods of Intercourse' (Manpuku Wagojin), Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some very tiny binding holes (margin only!), marks and flaws.

Look at the sensual expression on Otsubi's face holding a tissue between her teeth !

More info on this magnificent shunga series by Hokusai you can find on the following page: p644

p1325 - �650 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - On Top - Gods Of Intercourse - c.1821.

More info on this magnificent shunga series by Hokusai you can find on the following page: p644

p1322 - �715 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Passionate Woman - Gods Of Intercourse - c.1821.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: c.1821.
Size: 10 3/4" x 8 2/5" inches. Series: ' Gods of Intercourse' (Manpuku Wagojin), Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some very minor soiling and rubbing. Minor marks and flaws.

A lovely scene representing a loving couple in a very unusual position with the woman resting her feet on the man's breast.
Look for the aroused peeking woman in a secluded room in the background with her left arm underneath the undergarment !

More info on this magnificent shunga series by Hokusai you can find on the following page: p644

p1321 - �635 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Sexual Bliss - Gods Of Intercourse - c.1821.

More info on this magnificent shunga series by Hokusai you can find on the following page: p644

p1320 - �850 - US$ Currency Converter.

Rare Hokusai - Doggy Style - Street Corner

Gods Of Intercourse - c.1821.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: c.1821.
Size: 10 3/4" x 8 2/5" inches. Series:' Gods of Intercourse' (Manpuku Wagojin), Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some very minor soiling, marks and flaws.

In another shunga design depicting dogs from Hokusai series 'The Horny God of Izumo' (En-musubi Izumo no sugi), two lovers are unconciously emulating "dog fashion" while in this scene the intimate couple and the copulating dogs are depicted in opposite directions of each other!

The artist Keisai Eisen mimicked the position of this couple in one of the designs of his well-known shunga parody 'A Light Spring Snow' (Haru no usuyuki) published in 1822.

More info on this magnificent shunga series by Hokusai you can find on the following page: p644

p1330 - �615 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Shunga - Undergarment - c.1814.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: c.1814.
Size: 10 3/4" x 8 2/5" inches. Fine impression, very good color and condition. Very minor soiling.
Design from Hokusai's famous series 'Kinoe no komatsu' (Languishing for Love/Young Pine Saplings).
This design has a striking resemblance to the design of p1331 !

Look for the crumpled undergarment on the belly of the woman which was a typical trademark of
Hokusai adding a special effect !

p1329 - �1100 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Shunga - Lesbians - Harigata - Dildo - c.1814.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: c.1814.
Size: 10 1/2" x 8 3/4" inches. Fine impression, very good color and near fine condition. Very minor soiling only.
Subject: Two women having sex while one of them is wearing a harigata (dildo).
Design from Hokusai's famous series 'Kinoe no komatsu' (Languishing for Love/Young Pine Saplings).

Together with Eiri's design of "Models of Calligraphy" (see Shunga page 3) this is probably the
most well-known lesbian design in Ukiyo-e !

p1319 - �1250 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai - Shunga - Gods of Intercourse - Rape -

Merchant's Daughter - 1821.

Description:
Antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic picture). Date: 1821.
Series:' Manpuku Wagojin' (Gods of Intercourse). Size: 10 3/4" x 8 2/5" inches. Fine impression, color and very good condition.
Very minor soiling and rubbing, some very small thinning spots. Literature: Calza: Hokusai, p.211 (IV.13).

Unlike other erotic books, which concentrate on tales of the pleasure quarters, Manpuku Wagojin is an example of the enpon (erotic tales in colour) form and describes stories concerning ordinary men and women. In this case the story involves Osane, daughter of the rich merchant Sazayama Arisuke, and Otsubi, daughter of the ruined merchant Kawanuya Hinbei.

The tale is an ironic variation of moralistic stories: Otsubi learns to take advantage of her sexual attraction in order to gain an important position in society, while Osane, who grew up without a proper awareness of her own femininity end up as a depraved prostitute. The explicitly anti-Confucian message is that the achievement of a certain social status depends entirely on one's skill in exploiting sexual recources.

This design shows Osane at the lowest stage of prostitution. She is reduced to streetwalking and is shown here spread-eagled on the ground after a group-rape. In spite of the brutality of the act, the picture in fact suggests that Osane has experienced a certain pleasure, underlined by the number of paper handkerchiefs strewn around her, conventionally used in erotic prints to suggest female satisfaction.
The tousled hair indicates her depraved nature and is a sign that she will come to a sorry end.

Like Hokusai's famous "Octopus"-design this shocking scene creates a same ambivalent feeling and is among Hokusai's best work in shunga !

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Hokusai - c.1814. Famous Shunga Masterpiece

Diving Girl With Octopus.

Description:
Extremely rare Japanse color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Size: 6 1/2" x 8 3/4" inches. Date: c.1814.
Fine (early) impression, color and condition. Very minor soiling. Full size.
Title: "Diving Girl Ravished by Octopuses". A.k.a. "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife".
Series: "Kinoe no komatsu" (Languishing for Love/ Young Pine Saplings).

"In Hokusai's most famous shunga, a large octopus performs cunnilungus on a woman abalone diver or ama, and a smaller one, perhaps his offspring, kisses her and fondles one of her nipples with a tentacle. This print is testimony to how our interpretation of an image can be distorted when seen in isolation and without understanding the text. A recent study by Danielle Talerico (2001: 24-42) explains that this image was initially considered by Western collectors and scholars like Edmund de Goncourt, Jack Hillier and Richard Lane to represent a rape scene. Talerico's study shows that an Edo audience would have associated the image with the story of Tamatori. In the legend, the abalone diver Tamatori sacrifices her life to save the Emperor by cutting open her breast, where she hides the jewel she has stolen from the Sea-Dragon King in his underwater Dragon Palace. The Sea-Dragon King is accompanied by all nature of sea creatures, including octopuses. The dialogues between the two creatures and the diver express mutual sexual enjoyment (see Talerico 2001: 37, for a complete translation)". (p. 161 in 'Japanese Erotic Fantasies' by C. Uhlenbeck and M. Winkel)

"This illustration, of a woman with two octopuses, twin incubi, has lost none of his power to disturb (...) Despite the considerable amount that has been written about this work, all attempts to interpret and elucidate it end up by revealing more about the writer than about the original work. It remains one of those designs which require neither advocacy nor analysis in order to work its mysterious effect". (p.249 in 'Shunga, the Erotic Art of Love in Japan' by Tom and Mary Evans)

"...On the right, a large octopus ravishes the girl with androit cunnilungus, while a smaller octopus (his son?) assists earnestly at the left. Yet however bizarre the concept, the effect is neither comic nor pornographic; in this fantasy of a passionate shell diver, we discover a new facet of Hokusai's genius and a consummate work of erotica". (Richard Lane - 'Love's Labour's Found: The Erotic Art of Hokusai)

"The most beautiful Japanese erotic print that I know is truly frightening: it is of a Japanese woman mounted by an octopus; with its tentacles, the horrible beast sucks the tips of her breasts and rummages in her mouth, while its head drinks from her lower parts. The almost superhuman expression of agony and sorrow - which convulses this long, graceful female figure with aquiline nose - and the hysterical joy - which emanates at the same time from her forehead, from those eyes closed as in death - are admirable". (J.K. Huysman - 1889)

" ...a terrifying plate...the nude form of a woman, swooning with pleasure..." (Edmond de Goncourt)

Perhaps Hokusai's Octopus design is the most coveted erotic print in the history of Art !

p1250 - �70 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Sambosso Dancer - c.1849.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: ' Hokusai gafu ' (Hokusai Picture Album).
Date: c.1849. Size: 8 3/4" x 10 1/2" inches.
Publisher: Nagoya.
Good impression, color and very good condition.
Very minor soiling. Minor marks and flaws.

p1251 - �50 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Early Spring - c.1849.

p1249 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Woodcutters - c.1849.

p1255 - �285 - US$ Currency Converter.

Famous Hokusai - Manga

Blind Man Measuring Elephant - c.1818.

Description:
Famous 0riginal Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'. Date: c.1818/'19 (First edition).
Size: 8 1/2" x 10 1/2" inches. Very good impression, color and condition. Minor marks and flaws only.
Reference: Illustrated on p.75 in 'Hokusai' by Gian Carlo Calza.

p1247 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Way To Enlightenment - c.1849.

p1248 - �140 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Blind Men Crossing River c.1849.

p1245 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Rain - c.1849.

p1246 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Carrying Pole - c.1849.

p1243 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Travellers In Rain - c.1849.

p1244 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Manzai (Performers) In The Snow

c.1849.

p1241 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Confucian Virtues - c.1849.

p1242 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Water Wheel - c.1849.

p1239 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Preparing Steamed Rice Cakes.

c.1849.

p1240 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Priests & Demons - c.1849.

p1237 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Bridge - c.1849.

p1238 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Chinese Bookshop - c.1849.

p1235 - �140 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Sudden Rain - c.1849.

p1236 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Fishermen - c.1849.

p1233 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Sunrise - c.1849.

p1234 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Washing - c.1849.

p1231 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Resting Place - c.1849.

p1232 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Gafu - Herdsmen - c.1849.

p1185 - �80 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Herons - Sparrows - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 9" x 5 1/5" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some very tiny wormholes, minor marks and flaws.

p1186 - �60 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Smoking - c.1878.

p1183 - �55 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Clouds - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 9" x 5 1/5" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1184 - �60 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Ape - Scroll - c.1878.

p1181 - �55 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Mountain Village - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 9" x 5 1/5" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1182 - �55 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Villages - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 9" x 5 1/5" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1179 - � - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Mountain - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 9" x 5 1/5" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1180 - �50 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - TwoViews - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 9" x 5 1/5" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1177 - �70 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Travellers In Rain - c.1878.

p1178 - �55 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Rocks - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 9" x 5 1/5" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1175 - �75 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Travellers In Snow - c.1878.

p1176 - �60 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Horse - c.1878.

p1173 - �70 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Goose - Sparrow - c.1878.

p1174 - �65 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Chicken - Heron - c.1878.

p1171 - �80 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Warrior - Demon - c.1878.

p1172 - � - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Wind - c.1878.

p1169 - �140 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Panoramic View - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some very tiny wormholes, minor marks and flaws.

p1170 - �140 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Four Landscapes - c.1878.

p1167 - �145 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Wise Men - c.1878.

p1168 - �135 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Priests - c.1878.

p1165 - �115 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Two Demons - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1166 - �140 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Kintaro - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1163 - �110 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Children - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1164 - �145 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Old Man - c.1878.

p1161 - �115 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Octopus-Crabs - Shrimps

c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1162 - �100 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Octopus - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1159 - �160 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Wild Boars - Rabbits - c.1878.

p1160 - �145 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Dog-Ape - c.1878.

p1157 - 115 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Toadstool - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1158 - �145 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Sea Warrior - c.1878.

p1155 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Lampoon - c.1878.

p1156 - 115 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Fishes - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and good condition.
Some small wormhole repairs, minor marks and flaws.

p1153 - �170 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - God - c.1878.

p1154 - �130 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Flowers - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c. 1878 (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some very tiny wormholes, minor marks and flaws.

p1151 - �150 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Stream - c.1878.

p1152 - �150 - US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai - Manga - Boat - c.1878.

Description:
Original Japanese woodblock print Hokusai (1760-1849).
Series: 'Hokusai Manga'.
Date: c.1878. (First edition). Size: 10" x 8 1/2" inches.
Fine impression, very good color and condition.
Some very tiny wormholes, minor marks and flaws.

p1136 - �1400 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai Shunga - Lesbian Couple - c.1814.

Description:
Very rare Japanse color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Size: 8" x 10 1/2" inches. Date: c.1814.
Excellent impression (with gauffrage), color and fine condition. Very minor soiling.
Series: "Kinoe no komatsu" (Languishing for Love/ Young Pine Saplings).

This specific print can also be found on Wikimedia.

A famous design depicting two women having sex. One of them is wearing a dildo (harikata) !

p1134 - �1185 - US$ Currency Converter.

Famous Hokusai Shunga - Chinese Couple - c.1814.

Description:
Very rare Japanse color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Size: 8" x 10 1/2" inches. Date: c.1814.
Excellent impression (with gauffrage), color and condition.
Series: "Kinoe no komatsu" (Languishing for Love/ Young Pine Saplings).

A Chinese lover collects vaginal fluid with a ladle. A notion that foreigners - Chinese as well as Europeans -
were very keen on collecting vaginal fluids for medicinal or other uses, was very popular in Edo Japan
(see Screech 1999: 284-86 and Lane and Hayashi (1995-98/2000:vol. supplemental vol. 1, 85-8, pl.95-101).
(p. 161 in 'Japanese Erotic Fantasies' by C. Uhlenbeck and M. Winkel)

A very influential design by Hokusai treated in many books on shunga !

p1133 - �875 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai Shunga - Sex Toy - c.1814.

Description:
Very rare Japanse color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Size: 8" x 10 1/2" inches. Date: c.1814.
Excellent impression (with gauffrage), color and condition.
Series: "Kinoe no komatsu" (Languishing for Love/ Young Pine Saplings).

Lovers at a climatic moment. The woman's blue crumpled undergarment is a favourite detail in Hokusai's shunga
(it also appears in white and red). It adds a special accent to many of his erotic pictures, as do the intricately patterned robes.
The man uses a sex toy called higozuiki, a dried taro (arum maculatum) stalk that was wound around the penis,
supposedly to enhance the woman's enjoyment. ( p. 160 in 'Japanese Erotic Fantasies' by C. Uhlenbeck and M. Winkel )

p1111 - �585 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai - Overlapping Skirts - Tissue - c.1820.

In yet another respite from the labors of love, we view a woman cleaning up after a bout of sexual pleasure.

p1110 - �585 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai - Overlapping Skirts - Foreplay - c.1820.

p1109 - �585 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai - Overlapping Skirts - On Top - c.1820.

Description:
Original antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849), Shunga (Spring picture). Date: c.1820.
Chubon size: 8 1/2" x 10 1/4" inches. Series: Tsumagasane (Overlapping Skirts).
Fine impression, fine colors and near fine condition. Some very minor soiling.
Wonderful use of metallic pigments and very detailed carving of inidividual hair-lines !
Nicely executed gauffrage !

Depicted is a mature couple, the woman with shaved eye-brows (indicating that she is either married, or a widow).
They engage most passionately, their kiss however, far overshadowed by the blatantly violent reactions of their sexual organs.
The design may seem a trifle static: doubtless the artist intended to provide both readers and participants with a kind of catharsis,
the perception that the sexual climax may seem a kind of temporary death.

p1108 - �585 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai - Overlapping Skirts - Impulsive - c.1820.

Description:
Original antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849), Shunga (Spring picture). Date: c.1820.
Chubon size: 8 1/2" x 10 1/4" inches. Series: Tsumagasane (Overlapping Skirts).
Fine impression, fine colors and near fine condition. Some very minor soiling.
Wonderful use of metallic pigments and very detailed carving of inidividual hair-lines !
Nicely executed gauffrage !

In this print, the woman seems little interested in the sexual advances of the man, and she tries to ward him off.
Hokusai designed a similar design in his Tamakazura (The Jewelled Wig)-series, in which the couple is situated on a boat.

p1106 - �585 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai - Overlapping Skirts - From Behind - c.1820.

Description:
Original antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849), Shunga (Spring picture). Date: c.1820.
Chubon size: 8 1/2" x 10 1/4" inches. Series: Tsumagasane (Overlapping Skirts).
Fine impression, fine colors and near fine condition. Some very minor soiling.
Wonderful use of metallic pigments and very detailed carving of inidividual hair-lines !
Nicely executed gauffrage !

In a hasty bout of love-making, the young woman still wears her hat (ageboshi) and toed socks (tabi).
Their love-making position was very popular with Ukiyo-e artists because it enabled a more naturalistic
depiction of the genitalia and endowed the composition with a tension likened to a tightly strung bow.

p1105 - �585 - US$ Currency Converter.

Very Rare Hokusai - Overlapping Skirts - Kid - c.1820.

A curious errand boy investigating the woman's vulva. That he is still a young boy is clear from his unshaven forelocks.

p762 - �3500 / US$ Currency Converter.

Hokusai Masterpiece - Fukujuso (The Adonis Plant)

Bathhouse Rape Scene (P.O.R.)

Description:
Original antique Japanese color woodblock Hokusai (1760-1849). Shunga (Erotic print). Date: c.1815-17.
Series: Fukujuso (' The Adonis Plant') a.k.a. 'Lovemaking at New Year's'. Oban yoko-e size: 15" x 10" inches.
Fine impression with gauffrage and use of metallic pigments, very good colors and condition. Slight centerfold, very slightly trimmed, some minor wrinkling and soiling. A very small repair (hardly noticeable!). Minor marks and flaws else in an excellent state for a print of this period and extreme rarity! From Hokusai's most celebrated shunga series Fukujuso, this is plate 7 depicting the maladroit rape scene! This print is from the earliest edition of this series with the text printed above the figures! The Fukujuso series has been described in countless books, treatises, essays, magazines...etc.

The 'Fukujuso'-series is characterized by the enormous scale of the figures, their exceptionally bold placement on the page, and the contrast between the rounded nude forms and the terse crinkled lines of the garment.

Pl. 7: "Hokusai here offers us a welcome change of pace: turning from the world of passionate lovers to a scene of near-comedy - as a clownish sansuk�, bath-house attendant, attempts to seduce a maiden he has long lusted for, as she emerges from the bath. Although in general rape scenes do not appeal to me, in this case one tends to sympathize with the clumsy, love-lorn servant - who holds a coin in his ear, as was the custom of purse-less lackeys". (excerpt from Vol.23 of Richard Lane and Yoshikazu Hayashi's treatise on Hokusai's oban series Fukujuso)

An extremely rare opportunity for the devoted collector to own one of Hokusai's shunga masterpieces !!