Untitled

Utagawa Kunimori II 二代歌川国盛画

ca. 1852 · Set of three woodblock-printed books (hanshibon); ink and color on paper · Asian Art

A Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji was a best seller of its day and engendered a boom in the popularity of woodblock prints on the subject. Less well known is that Rustic Genji also triggered a flood of erotic illustrated books (shunpon). Shown here is one of the most outrageous erotic versions of The Tale of Genji by Utagawa Kunisada’s pupil Utagawa Kunimori, with text by author and print artist Miyagi Gengyo (1817–1880), who signs himself Inraku Sanjin 婬楽山人, “Gentleman of Bawdy Pleasures.” The punning title refers to the “judgments on women” (shina sadame) episode in Chapter 2, “Broom Cypress,” of the original Genji. The phrase enshoku suggests that not only are their personal virtues being judged but so too are their sensual qualities.

Artist

Utagawa Kunimori II 二代歌川国盛画

Date

ca. 1852

Medium

Set of three woodblock-printed books (hanshibon); ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Mary and James G. Wallach Foundation Gift, 2013