A very rare authentic original Edo Period shunga gem!   It's an antique 1802, Japanese erotic art shunga woodblock print picture by Kitagawa UTAMARO (1753-1806).  From his famous shunga series, Michiyuki koi no futozao (On the Road: Love Songs for the Thick-necked Shamisen). 
 
The shunga picture measures approximately 26.4 cm x 21.4 cm.  Very good colors and impressions.  Very good condition for its age with some wear and soiling, two small wormage spots at each side.  No backing.  Please refer to photos.   
 
This a rare oppotunity to purchase one of Utamaro's better and more elusive shunga series!  The artwork is fabulous, classic Utamaro, and the various themes indulged upon cover a vast array of historical figures and their supposed dramas.  This is our first time offering this wonderful original series in our store and I cannot truly say whether we'll be lucky enough to do so again - don't miss out on your chance to own a shunga artwork from this highly-treasured series!
 
More about this shunga series:  "The work from this series is stylistically similar to Utamaro's earlier oban-sized series of the same subject, Manipulations of Love with Musical Accompaniment (Ongyoku koi no ayatsuri, 1801).  The subject of both works is based on dramatized tales (yet based on true stories) of 'fated lovers' who commit double 'love' suicide.  The stories evolved into a line of dramas for Bunraku and Kabuki theatre called shinju mono (double-suicide plays)."  excerpt from P.138 of Japanese Erotic Fantasies by Chris Uhlenbeck and Margarita Winkel.  
 
The series we are offering is also the first original color version, as there were three total versions produced at that time due to its immense popularity.  As with most Utamaro works, there was the black & white version which was first to grace the public.  However, it seems even back in the early 1800s the masses weren't entirely satisfied with just black & white artwork, hence came the first colored version, which we are offering here.  Finally, he did make a third and final version, even more colorful than this one, but he also used the same blocks for all three versions, so despite the last version being the most colorful of the three, it's also the most faded and has the weakest impressions due to the overused blocks.  Therefore, this version is the best of the three he produced and provides an excellent opportunity to experience Utamaro's stunning work in its most vibrant form!