12 Courtesans in the Role of Acrobatic Firemen by Kuniyoshi
The following set of erotic prints is designed by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) and is issued c.1830-35. It consists of twelve koban prints with twelve half-naked women performing acrobatics on a ladder. Placed in groups of six, the twelve numbered sheets are a parody of similar depictions of firefighters performing daredevil stunts.
Water Vessel
The inscriptions on the buckets on the second bottom print on the left refer to Nakanocho Street in the Yoshiwara district – the prostitution district of Edo. Below it is depicted the great water vessel that stood at the gate of the Yoshiwara; the gate is on the right. The twelve pictures may form a calendar with references to the short and long months.
‘Series of twelve koban-sized shunga with prostitutes in the role of acrobatic firefighters‘ (c.1830-35) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) (Source: Rijksmuseum)
Upper part
Middle part
Below part
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Source: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
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