Sensual Eisen Prints of the Playboy Tsuyajihei And a Geisha

In the nineteenth century, artists like Kunisada (1786-1865) and Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) and their contemporaries started to add new ideas for narrative continuity in their designs. An example of this is a luxury feature such as a foldout page which was used in the Eisen prints below…

‘Geisha and Tsuyajihei at the berth‘ (1836) from the series ‘Tales of Sexual Conquest and the Violet of Edo (Iro jiman Edo murasaki)‘

Sandal In the Water

This scene from Keisai Eisen‘s (1790-1848) Tales of Sexual Conquest and the Violet of Edo presents a casual encounter between the playboy Tsuyajihei and a geisha who has dropped her sandal in the water leads to an “aperture” of a different kind as the foldouts open to expose the sensual scene beneath (unfortunately I don’t have the complete image at this time)…

‘Geisha and Tsuyajihei making love‘ (1836) from the series ‘Tales of Sexual Conquest and the Violet of Edo (Iro jiman Edo murasaki)‘

Framing Devices

Eisen skilfully makes a distinction between the two compositions by compressing the larger number of components in the first scene into a smaller two page space. In this plate the landscape is essential with the figures placed around the edges as framing devices, and extending the more intimate second scene over a four-page spread. The background has been removed and the outline of the entangled lovers pushes to the edges of paper.

Click HERE for more Eisen prints portraying couples in sensual encounters!