In the dunes near the sea we see a male awabi (abalone) diver making love to a tied-down female colleague. The woman is attached with ropes to an anchor. The waves in the background emphasize the direction of the movement in the design.
‘A male awabi (abalone) diver making love to tied-down female colleague‘ (c.1810s). Designed by Utagawa Kunimaru (1794-1829)
Awabi (Abalone) Diver
Initially I thought this was a rape scene but after closer study I am pretty certain that it is a female fantasy scene like Hokusai‘s The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife.
Haikai
The artist Utagawa Kunimaru was a pupil of Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825) and therefore entitled to carry the name Utagawa. Besides that he wrote Haikai * poems and that he mainly designed kabuki actors, courtesans and books little is known about him.
*Haikai is a short comical verse with a specific rhytm. They were looser in convention than Renga poems, and were often funny and vulgar.
