Shigenobu's Shocking Gang Rape Scene With a Vigorous Victim
The following forceful shunga design by Yanagawa Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘Willow Storm‘ published in the late 1820s.
Palanquin Bearers
It exhibits a gang rape scene featuring a courageous female victim fighting off her attackers. The four involved men seem to be palanquin bearers. The man who puts his fingers into the female’s private parts sports tattoos on both of his arms which are barely visible due to the loss of the fugitive blue pigment.
‘Gang rape scene‘ (late 1820s) from the series ‘Willow Storm (Yanagi no arashi)‘ by Yanagawa Shigenobu (1787-1833)
Kicking and Resisting
Prints of this period still used vegetable pigments and their colors have faded nicely as you would expect in a woodblock print, but unfortunately the blues and greens tend to disappear altogether. There are no subscriptions in the text ascribed to the woman but shunga expert Yoshikazu Hayashi comments: “…She is kicking and resisting with all her might, but one has the sense that she might be the one in control here.
Click HERE for a striking gay scene by Yanagawa Shigenobu displaying a courteous prostitute and an ugly client !
Source: Vol.4 of ‘Teihon ukiyo-e shunga meihin shusei (The Complete Ukiyo-e Shunga), 1997′ by Hayashi Yoshikazu