Tomioka Eisen - Poetic Intercourse (Yakumo No Chigiri) - circa 1897

An early printing of this remarkable 19th-century Japanese shunga ("pillow book"), featuring twelve exceptional double-page color woodblock prints (each measuring 33 × 24 cm) by the celebrated Meiji-period artist Tomioka Eisen.

Elegantly balancing intimacy and sensuality with masterful graphic expression, the series presents a sequence of beautifully composed scenes depicting lovers in private. Widely regarded as Eisen's finest and most sought-after shunga publication, it stands among the masterpieces of the genre.

Tall octavo. Original cloth and paper-covered boards with accordion-style binding, housed in a custom fabric slipcase. A very good copy.