Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) (artist 1760 – 1849)
Scene from Tsui no hinagata ('Picture-book of Patterns of Loving Couples' - 絵本つひの雛形) - an album of 12 compositions
1812
14.5 in x 10 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
British Museum - this copy was owned by both Philip Wilson Steer and John Singer Sargent
Musée Guimet
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Honolulu Museum of Art This album is signed Shishiki Gankō. Hokusai created works under more than 50 and this was one of the more rarely used ones.
Sotheby's refers to this volume as "This set is one of Hokusai's masterpieces."
The man is still wearing a festival costume with an open folding fan tied to the top of his head.
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The inscription reads: さア これからこつちのおまつりをわたすばんだ ほたんにたはむれ しゝのきよくどり このこけなめらかなところが とふもいへねへ しかしあせつくせへにほひ みちられちやア たいへんりきんのさねかしら つけやくじれやぼうたんぼう しよじぼのことだ わたいはおまつりだから明神さまをだしにつかつてよふ／＼のことできたものを おんなにしやれるとさせねへよ ヲイ あやまつて半日もせめてこうしてゐてへ おもひなしか おめへもおれもはないきが しゝににてくる やつきようがうのじせつもいまいくほどにといつてくんねへな
The transliteration reads: Saa korekara kocchi no omatsuri wo watasu banda. Botan ni tawamure shishi no kyokudori kono koke namerakana tokoro ga doumo ienee. Shikashi asekusee nioi mitirarecha taihen. Rikin no sanegashira tsuke ya kujike ya kujire ya bosanbo shojibo no koto da. Watai ha omatsuri dakara Myojin sama wo dashi ni tsukatte you you no kotode kitamono wo sonna ni shareruto sasenee yo. Woi ayamatte hanjitsu mo semete koshite itee. Omoinashiga omee mo ore mo hanaiki ga shishi ni nite kuru yatsusa. Yougou no jisetsu mo ima ikuhodo nito itte kunneena.
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Sawaka Takamura Chang wrote in Andon (no. 107, April 2019) in an article about Keisai Eisen a curious bit of information. "According to his biography, Eisen unofficially studied with Katsushika Hokusai, one of the most influential ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period. Although it is unclear when Eisen actually studied with Hokusai, some of his works show this influence. Hayashi Yoshikazu argues that one of Hokusai's erotic print books, Ehon tsui no hinagata (Models of couples, 1812) has a preface signed by Eisen with his writer's name Jokōken Shujin. All of the erotic illustrations are considered to be by Hokusai's daughter Oei, Eisen's signature with his shunga artistic name Murasakiiroan Gankō is found on many pages. Hayashi concludes that this was designed by Eisen in terms of drafts of pictures, text and postscript, but that Oei drew all of the final illustrations.
erotic prints (shunga - 春画) (genre)
picture book (ehon - 絵本) (genre)