Rare Vertical Shikake-e (Toy Print) from c.1840 — attributed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)
 
This slender, vertical shunga woodblock print picture contains three different shunga close-up scenes, all highly erotic in their own particular way.
 
Vertical, shikake-e format shunga are exceptionally scarce, especially in such stellar condition.
 
Details:
Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Date: c. 1840
Format: Vertical shikake-e (toy shunga print)
Size: 17.5 × 3 cm 
Condition: Virtually mint condition.  Excellent colors and impressions.  No backing.  
 
Affection, anticipation, anatomy, and desire—all compressed into a remarkably single shunga piece.  This rare vertical shikake-e shunga showcases the playful ingenuity for which Edo-period erotic art is celebrated, combining romantic and explicitly erotic imagery within a format seldom encountered today.  Rare, visually arresting, and preserved in outstanding condition, it represents a fascinating niche within the world of Japanese shunga collecting.