Gessai Gabimaru Presents a Dutchman Copulating a Horny Japanese Courtesan
12 maart 2020 
2 min. read

Gessai Gabimaru Presents a Dutchman Copulating a Horny Japanese Courtesan

This composition by Gessai Gabimaru (1789-1834) represents Western men coupling with Japanese women, and is similar to other such scenes produced by Chokyosai Eiri, Keisai Eisen, and Kitagawa Utamaro.

Aphrodisiac

Here, a woman from Kyoto and a Dutchman from Dejima are absorbed in their lovemaking (Fig.1). He has offered her an aphrodisiac like the Dutchman in Eisen’s A Picture Book of the Many Beautiful Ways to Mess Up.

Gessai Gabimaru

Fig.1. ‘Dutchman and Japanese courtesan‘ (c.1800) from the series ‘Picture Book: The Laughable Erotic Shellfish (Ehon warai gai)‘ by Gessai Gabimaru

Nonsensically

The woman here cries out,’This Dutch aphrodisiac works as a charm! I’ll come like a fool! If I have your child, I’ll have to show off this son of a foreigner in Kyoto.’ Between a string of onomatopoeic utterances, Gabimaru attempts to imitate, albeit nonsensically, the Dutch words spoken by man during orgasm: “Kinniyou kinniyou, hekereke hekereke, gucha, gucha, gucha!”

Vaginal Secretions

The following scene* (Fig.2) examines the supposedly European custom of having a bowl to hand to catch vaginal secretions for medicinal use. The artist Keisai Eisen  referred to this in his Pillow Library (Makuro bunko), announcing a ‘Method For Producing the European Life-Prolonging Ointment’.

gessai gabimaru: Dutchman collecting vaginal fluids

Fig.2. ‘Dutchman collecting vaginal fluids‘ ( c.1810s) from the series ‘Rakuto furyu suagata-kurabe (Comparisons of Elegances in West Raku)‘ by Urakusai Nagahide (act.1804-1848) (Source: ‘Shunga. Explicit art of Japan‘, 2016. Authors: A. E. Pushakova, K. G. Danelya) *

Onto the Glans

The cost of ingredients was about five small coins. He wrote: ‘…smear it onto the glans about one hour before intercourse; certainly apply it when becoming flaccid; works miracles.’

There is also a senryu (poem) of 1791:

The foreigner
Plants a vase
By the woman’s behind.

Click HERE and check out how Gessai Gabimaru inspired the Betty Woodman….!!

Or HERE for some crazy encounters between Japanese geisha and various exotic Westerners…!!

Sources: ‘Erotic Japonisme: The Influence of Japanese Sexual Imagery on Western Art‘ by Ricard Bru
Sex and the Floating World: Erotic Images in Japan 1700-1820‘ by Timon Screech

If you come across other enticing examples of shunga portraying Westerners please let us know in the comment box below or through our contact form…!!

* photo provided by the devoted producer Darya

About the author
Marijn is the founder of shungagallery.com. With more than 20 years of experience within the sensual and erotic art of shunga he is an authority in the genre. During this time he served many customers with complementing their art collection.
Darya
Marijn
By

Marijn

on 13 Mar 2020

Wow, your reference book contains a lot of new images. If you have a pic of that Utamaro piece I will gladly add it to this post!

Darya
By

Darya

on 13 Mar 2020

As for dutchmen, are you familiar with Shunsho's piece depicting a dutchman who's collecting vaginal fluids?

Marijn
By

Marijn

on 13 Mar 2020

Yes, if I am right it's the one with the Dutchman sporting a moustache from Ehon kanameishi (c.1782), isn't it?

Darya
By

Darya

on 13 Mar 2020

I'll send you a scan, because the series is undefined here.

Marijn
By

Marijn

on 13 Mar 2020

Please do. I have a picture of it somewhere but can't find it at this time! There's a b&w and color version of that one.

Darya
By

Darya

on 13 Mar 2020

Thank you for the correction!

Darya
By

Darya

on 14 Mar 2020

Europeans are depicted with remarkably long nails… Were they really wearing such ‘manicure’?

Marijn
By

Marijn

on 14 Mar 2020

Thanks Darya, in pre-1800 ukiyo-e print designs depicting Europeans (mainly Dutch) you often see them sporting a large hat, long hair and beard, and talon-like nails. This was mostly because of the artists lack of resources at the time. At that time, they could only observe these Red-haired Strangers from a distance and had only limited access to European art...etc. In Japan, longer finger-nails were associated with the elite, and the first Europeans known to the Japanese were the elite. In the depiction of Westerners in https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetid=512221001&objectid=783184&partid=1" rel="nofollow">post-1800 prints these longer finger nails "disappeared".

Darya
By

Darya

on 14 Mar 2020

Thank you for the answer, Marijn! Aristocrats didn't do common labor, so they could be supposed to wear long nails.

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