🏮 Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) – Travellers at the Market – c.1826
Series: Kaidan Yoru no Tono (怪談夜の殿) — Tales of Pussy in the Palace at Night
Date: Bunsei 9 (1826)
Author: Utei Enba II (1792–1862)
Medium: Original Edo-period color woodblock print picture, shunga (Spring Picture)
 
Description:
An engaging narrative composition from Kunisada’s Bunsei-era erotic cycle Kaidan Yoru no Tono, blending daily-life realism with playful sensual tension.
The scene unfolds in a busy market setting where a man discreetly examines a young woman’s kimono fabric, watched closely by her attendant and an older figure smoking a pipe nearby.  In the background, travelers on horseback pass through the gate, anchoring the story in Edo’s lively pleasure quarters and trade routes.
 
The print demonstrates Kunisada’s exceptional storytelling instinct — combining gesture, costume, and expression to capture the humor and secrecy underlying Edo-period erotic culture.  Fine metallic pigments and detailed carving in the textile patterns underscore its quality as an early, deluxe impression.
 
Condition:
Nice impressions with rich color retention.  Overall decent+ condition with handling wear, soiling. stamp at top border.  No backing.
 
Size:
Approx. 27.2 × 22 cm 
 
References:
Teihon Ukiyo-e Shunga Meihin Shusei, Vol.10, Yoshikazu Hayashi
Japanese Erotic Art: The Hidden World of Shunga, Ofer Shagan, 2013
A Harlot’s Account of Vernal Love (Shunjo Gidan Mizuagechō), D.M. Richardson, 1994