Yashima Gakutei or Hokusai? Who Designed These Amazing Shunga Books?
Marijn Kruijff
03/29/2020
6 min
4

Yashima Gakutei or Hokusai? Who Designed These Amazing Shunga Books?

03/29/2020
6 min
4

In the past the mesmerizing erotic book set called ‘Kurawa no tanoshimi ‘ (c.1820s) has been attributed to several artists such as Hokusai‘s daughter Katsushika Ōi (c.1800-c.1866), Hokusai’s talented son-in-law Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa shunga design by Yanagawa 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.. Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1833) is the 10th plate from his masterpiece ‘ Willow Storm ‘ published in the late 1820s. Palanquin Bearers It exhibits a gang Utamaro and Eiri are the ones depicted below. Let’s take a closer at these extraordinary examples of rape art… Plate 9 from.. Shigenobu (1787-1832) and one of the most refined surimono * designers in the history of ukiyo-e and pupil of Hokusai, Yashima Gakutei ( 1786-1868) **.

Hokusai Himself

Personally, I think it is quite possible that this is a work by Hokusai himself (as there are many references to other of his prints) in which he experimented with certain designs. Also, stylistically, it bears all his characteristics (the “pointy” fingers and toes, the curved neck – Fig.26 and 27, the idiosyncratic Hokusai poses).

Fresh Colors

The designs have fine impressions, color and very good condition. Some tiny wormholes, minor browning and staining but overall in a very nice state with fresh colors. The books consist of no less than 23 double page color illustrations and 6 single color illustrations. Size of each book: 8 4/5″ x 6 1/5″ inches.

Lavishly Printed

The prints are lavishly printed including gold and silver pigments and embossing.

Anyhow, for the first time ever on the internet you can now admire the set in its entirety…

Fig.1. ‘The three volumes

Fig.2. ‘Nobleman and lover on a boat

Yashima Gakutei: egg-shaped couple (pose 69)

Fig.3. ‘The famous egg-shaped couple applied earlier in Hokusai’s ‘Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Hokusai Prints From the Monumental Fukujuso Series (The Adonis Plant)

Yashima Gakutei: Intimate couple on the balcony

Fig.4. ‘Intimate couple on the balcony

Yashima Gakutei: Passionate couple on a pleasure boat

Fig.5. ‘Passionate couple on a pleasure boat

Yashima Gakutei: intimate couple with copulating dogs and agitated cat

Fig.6. ‘A notorious composition with copulating dogs in the foreground which Hokusai also applied in ‘The Horny God of Izumo‘ (c.1822) without the agitated cat

Yashima Gakutei: scene with the female lying on top her lover with the man's erect penis between her legs

Fig.7. ‘An amusing scene with the female lying on top her lover with the man’s erect penis between her legs. He plucks at her pubic hair while she tenderly holds his pulse. This illustration shows Hokusai’s great empathy as an artist and human

Yashima Gakutei: simple bathhouse attendant sexually assaulting a nude courtesan in a public bath.

Fig.8. ‘A simple bathhouse attendant sexually assaulting a nude courtesan in a public bath. This well-known “bathhouse rape” scene with also used in Fukujuso (The Adonis Plant) issued c. 1818. So this is probably a new interpretation by Hokusai

Yashima Gakutei: Female sitting sideways on top of her lover. Her beautiful long hair covers her entire back

Fig.9. ‘Female sitting sideways on top of her lover. Her beautiful long hair covers her entire back

Yashima Gakutei: a wild gay encounter with two completely nude males

Fig.10. ‘A wild gay encounter with two completely nude males

Yashima Gakutei: Clandestine encounter at the window with the courtesan handing a secret letter to a young messenger

Fig.11. ‘Clandestine encounter at the window with the courtesan handing a secret letter to a young messenger‘

Yashima Gakutei: priest Dokyo making love to empress Kōken

Fig.12. ‘The infamous priest Dokyō making love to empress Kōken (713-770)

Yashima Gakutei: sensuous couple positioned on the above left in the background and with the diagonal alignment of the black curtain running from the above right to the lower (middle) left. The woman is a high-class courtesan

Fig.13. ‘An unusual composition with the sensuous couple positioned on the above left in the background and with the diagonal alignment of the black curtain running from the above right to the lower (middle) left. The woman is a high-class courtesan (oiran)

Yashima Gakutei: a classical Hokusi composition with an intimate couple taking shelter behind an umbrella in the open-air. A striking detail is the male passionately biting in his cap (in most cases it is the female protagonist ho does this!). The female gently directs his penis to her private area

Fig.14. ‘A classical

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