A man and woman lost in frenzied copulation with the majestic Mount Fuji towering behind them. It is said that the stretch of road between Harajuku (Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture) and Yoshiwarajuku along the Tōkaidō offered the most beautiful view of Mount Fuji.
Women Selling Sex
This shunga depicts the place called “Hara” from Kawa Rakusan's "Tabimakura Gojūsantsugi" (Collection of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies), a work that introduces women selling sex at various post towns along the Tōkaidō.
Fig.1 "Copulating couple near Mount Fuji " from the series "Tabimakura Gojusantsugi" (c.1848-1854) by Koikawa Shozan by Koikawa Shozan
The accompanying text reads:
- Specialty: eel, available at Kashiwabara. Caught in Fujinuma. The foremost medicine for the kidneys, with immediate effect.
- This post town has no courtesans. You must negotiate with the women of the inns and sleep with them in your arms.
- Since they are local women, with the power of the eel you can take them as much as you desire and make them tremble with pleasure.
It is written that because there are no professional courtesans in this area, it is best to negotiate with the maids or women of the inns.
The present scene shows the man coupling with a woman from a teahouse that commands a view of Mount Fuji.
On the right stands a barrel containing the local specialty, white sake (shirozake). Shirozake is a thick, sweet, milky-white liquor made from rice and sweet rice wine (mirin). Hara was apparently famous (to this day) for its white sake.
Because of its thick, viscous appearance, this white sake was often compared to a woman’s love juices. In this picture too, the overflowing female fluids are surely being likened to the white sake.
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Click HERE for a homoerotic design from this series or here for another shunga design featuring Mount Fuji
Source: Tuyashun (x.com)
