DAITO KEIGO: BOUDOIR TALES FROM THE EAST [East = Kyoto]. [An Erotic Painted Japa

[Nagoya n.d. ca. 1867]. Brown silk brocaide covers,accordion folded, silver pages with 34 paintings laid down, album size 22.5 x 21 cm., painting size 19.5 x 16.5, corners minor rubs contents bright & very clean. EXCEPTIONALLY RARE WORK ! . *** **** *** . . EROTIC FROLIC OF THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN . . . AT THE IMPERIAL KYOTO COURT . . . A SUITE OF 37 FINE EROTIC COLOR-PAINTINGS . . . PAINTINGS AFTER IKE NO TAIGA [1723-1776] . . . WITH TITLE: DAITOH KEIGO: . . . BOUDOIR TALES FROM THE EAST [EAST MEANS KYOTO] . * This marvelous example is a delightful genre style painted erotic work. . It is attributed to Shibata Hoshu [Hohshuu], by the late professor Dr. Richard Lane, [see below] after the original album he attributes to Ike No Tai, also known by his studio name Taigado et al. . * THE SOCIAL MILIEU & BACKGROUND OF THE KYOTO IMPERIAL COURT: THE ROLE OF SEXUAL INTRIGUE: . This work illustrates the sexual activities of the Emperor of Japan, his court, courtiers & concubines. Several references to him or his Imperial court are found in the text. Where any reference implicating the Emperor or his immediate courtiers are concerned, a blank box is found in the text, to protect the Name of the Emperor or his paramours. It was disrespectful to name the Emperor and associate him with licentious activities, nevertheless this work was done to give pictorial illustration to the activities of the Imperial court. Obviously, the artist was not allowed to use the Emperor's name, but based on the dates of the artist's active period, the record shows Emperors Sakuramachi [1736-1747] Gembun period; Momozono [1748-1762] Meiwa period; and Go-Sakurmachi [1763-1770] Meiwa period, as the three likely subjects of this illustrated sexual frolic. The exact Emperor's name will always remain a mystery. . *** THE EMPEROR'S SELECTION OF NEW CONCUBINES: Annual selection of new concubines by The Emperor was conducted by selecting the most beautiful girls from each province. These stunning young girls were groomed, educated in the ways of serving the Emperor and lived in the Imperial Palace. As they came of age they were presented to the Emperor. Any that caught his fancy were selected for his personal use and attendance. Often these young girls had interest in other court men but had a primary duty to serve the Emperor. . The Emperor had his choice of any woman who lived in the Palace, including those married to his courtiers. It was common for married women to be selected by the Emperor for his personal sexual service. These women and their husbands advanced in stature and status within the Imperial Household social structure and were granted fiefdoms, land, rice, treasure and were appointed Governor of provinces and had their own Hatamoto [supporters] as well as a large stable of Samurai protectors. Thus having one's wife selected by the Emperor was a great honor and an opportunity for success. The pleased husband was happy at his social advance and gave homage and thanks to the source of his worldly success, i.e. his wife's vagina ! See below for more about this vis-à-vis album illustration number 15 below also Lane's notes on the same illustration #451 found in his book. . There is ample Japanese [Kambun] text surrounding each painting, indicating the people involved in licentious affairs. There were a lot of palace intrigue and romantic affairs were common. Infidelity, sexual offerings for personal favoritism by women and men was common to the time. . *** THE ARTIST: SHIBATA HOSHU [a.k.a. Hohshuu]: THE ARTIST OF THIS WORK: The artist of this work is attributed to SHIBATA Hoshu [1840-1890] by Dr. Richard Lane on p.277 of his work cited below, and illustrated as plate #451. . Lane further attributes the artistic work to being "Shibata, "...a Nagoya Bunjin-ga artist. "It is also noteworthy that Lane cited this as a "woodblock-printed album..." while ours is a painted album. The plate & text he illustrates is identical to the one found in this album. . We acquired an exact 3 volume woodblock printed title from Dr. Lane while visiting him in Japan, in 1978. That item was 9 x 11.5 cm. in size. At that time, sadly, we did not record the Kanji for Hohshuu's name. . *** A PAINTING DONE IN "RESPECT" AND ADMIRATION FOR TAIGADO: In respect and admiration of Taigado, the original artist of this work, Hohshuu did his rendition of the album in his own Nanga style. It was not uncommon for Japanese & Chinese artists to give "homage" to their teachers or to other artists by making their own stylistic copy of the earlier master's work. There was no intent to "fake" or "copy" for financial gain, but merely in the ancient Confucian way to show "respect" and "admiration" for one's teacher by making a copy. In this case, due to the erotic nature of the subject, Imperial licentiousness was indeed an uncommon subject and seldom addressed by any Japanese artist. Thus the rarity of subject and the very charming painting technique in caricature to show the Imperial Palace people as human as any other class of people ! . Lane's illustration #451 is the exact same as this album's #15. The text found on Lane's example is again the exact as found in this album, except the first 3 Kanji characters are omitted in favor of a blank box. It is therefore with great certainty, that we can state with factual supporting evidence that our album is the one in the same as cited by Lane. . Several other texts found on other paintings in this album have the same blank boxes where reference to the Emperor is omitted in respect for His Highness. It was considered a crime under the Shogunate to mention the Emperor's name, or cite him in any books, and especially erotica escapades of an Emperor ! This was punishable by death in Japan at that time. . *** THE ORIGINAL ARTIST: IKE NO TAIKA, a.k.a. TAIGADO, TAIDO] [1723-1776]: . Was a famous Nanga painter & calligrapher, born and lived in Kyoto. In 1742, he took the name Taiga, in about 1750 he studied Chinese style painting in Edo and was familiar with the famous Chinese treatise on painting: THE MUSTARD-SEED GARDEN, the manual for all Bunjin-ga artists. He was also a student of Zen and calligraphy, a disciple of Hakuin, a collaborator of Buson. He used over 113 "Go" [studio names] which can be found in the supplement of Tanaka Ichimatsu's IKENO TAIGA GAFU. Known for his gay and witty paintings, this current example is one of his best and most enjoyable works. Although this title is not listed in Mitchell. This is NOT surprising, being a manuscript, as Mitchell only listed woodblock printed works. Mitchell does not list "prohibited" or 'banned' books, but he does refer to Taigado, see below for details. . *** BANNED WORKS ARE NEVER SIGNED BY THE ARTIST: This superb work is not signed. It was common at the time for artists not to sign "Banned" or "Prohibited" items of an erotic or political nature. Hohshuu [flourished 1840-1890] is the "Go" [studio name] of a Ukiyo-e painter, and skilled Bijin-ga artist. He exhibits a charming and unique humor similar to that found in the Nanga, with good Kano & Nanga painting styles. Although we scanned each of the Roberts choices none seemed to fit what Lane has assigned to this artistic work. For sure this was done by an admirer of Taigado, or one of his better students. We therefore follow colleague Lane's lead and attribute this work to Hohshuu [Hoshu]. . *** DESCRIPTION OF 37 FINE COLOR PAINTINGS SHOWING A CORTIER & HIS WIFE: . No. 1: Shows a couple getting ready to make love. . She is semi-nude with an open Kimono, he is nude. . No. 2: Three people chatting, two men and a woman. . No. 3: Man and woman making love, the man fans himself. . He is nude, she with Kimono open and nude. . No. 4: A voyeur man listens to two women talking about . a love-making experience. . No. 5: Man and woman making love, the Koto in the . background. Both the man and woman are nude. . A Shamisen is in the background. . No. 6: Couple under the Futon [blanket covers] making love. . No. 7: The courtier strokes the long hair of his wife while . she sleeps. He is semi-nude exposing his huge penis. . No. 8: Associated text for the above illustration. . No. 9: An archer makes love with his semi-nude lover. . His bow and arrows alongside. . No. 10: A man with an erect penis points to the open vagina . of his beloved. He is fully nude, she has her Kimono . open and is exposing her semi-nude body. . No. 11: A man fondles his beloved's vagina. Both have their . Kimono open and are semi-nude. . No. 12: A man readies his erect penis by preparing to add . saliva to its tip, his beloved shields her face . below her eyes being shy. He is nude, she has her . Kimono open and is semi-nude. . No. 13. A Samurai sheds his armor as he rapes a local girl. . He is semi-nude, she has her Kimono opened exposing . her body, while she pushes her arm under his chin in . protest. . No. 14. A male courtier sheds his armor and sits with his . erect penis at the ready. He has two women both with . spread legs, Kimono's open exposing their vaginas . and bodies for him. He points to their vaginas. . No. 15: This scene shows a courtier's wife who was the . beloved of the Emperor Go-Saga. As a result of her . sexual prowess with the Emperor, she bestowed great . "Face" & honor upon her husband. Here the cuckold . husband is seen bowing down and paying homage to the . open vagina, the source of his worldly success!! . See illus06.jpg posted to our website. . . Illustrated in Lane [see details below]. . ["He bows down to show homage to his wife's open . vagina in an offering of great thanks."] Quoted from . Lane, p.277 and associated illustration #451. . We post the photo from Lane for reference, see our . illus11.jpg posted to our website. . No. 16: The man mounts his beloved and makes love both are . nude. . No. 17: A man sits with his erect penis which his beloved . fondles. He is nude, she has her Kimono open. . No. 18: A man with and erect penis waits while his beloved . lays down and is absorbed in looking at his penis. . He is semi-nude, with his Kimono open. . No. 19: A man sits before an oil lamp as he scratches his . head. . No. 20: A mother teaches her three children. They study at . their desk, reading books, while she holds a baby. . No. 21: A man sits with an erect penis, he fans himself . being too excited. His beloved looks on covering her . face being shy, all the while her legs are spread . wide open exposing with her eager vagina. Her Kimono . is opened. exposes her body to him. . No. 22: A couple making love, the woman is on top, both are . nude. . No. 23: A man makes love to his beloved from the rear in a . "shadow' drawing behind the Shoji screen in early . evening. . No. 24: A male courtier makes love to his beloved, their . genitals are exposed. Her Kimono is open giving him . full access. . No. 25: A nude man with an erect penis prepares to mount his . beloved from the rear. In great surprise she farts, . [Onara] he covers his nose in surprise. She exposes . her nude rear end to him. . No. 26: A man and woman engage in love-making, both are . nude. . No. 27: A man and woman make love behind a folding screen. . They are hidden so all we see are their naked legs . and his rump. . No. 28: A man and woman make love, He mounts her from above, . the tip of his penis is red, she spreads her legs in . welcome. He is nude, her Kimono is spread open. . No. 29: A couple are seated and the woman sits on top of the . man as he inserts his erect penis into her vagina . from the bottom rear. They are both semi-nude with . open Kimono. . No. 30. A couple prepare to make love, from the rear. He is . nude, she has her Kimono spread wide open. Scrolls . are on a small table in the background. One can . assume these are likely erotic in nature. . No. 31: Two women discuss their private life. One holds her . hand over her nose and mouth, a typical Japanese . gesture of shyness, when talking about private and . sexual matters. . No. 32: A man and woman prepare to make love, he fondles her . vagina, she feigns shyness and tries to cover her . face with her Kimono sleeve. The view is from the . garden looking into a house with sliding Shoji . screen doors partially open, A kind of voyeur's eye . view ! . No. 33: Two men chat, the one on the left exposes a very . surprisingly large erection. The man on the right is . probably holding and looking at some Shunga [erotic . art picture. . No. 34 A male courtier makes love to his beloved, they are . hot, he fans their genitals, both are nude. She . supports herself on her elbows. His penis has . entered her vagina, they both look on eagerly and he . smiles. . *** A TRIBUTE TO TAIKAGADO: This stunning and superbly drawn and executed work is very likely a tribute peace to Taikagado by Shibata Hoshu, one of his star students & great admirer. . *** "BANNED" or "PROHIBITED" BOOKS: Shun Pon, Haru Bon: Due to the "banned" nature of this kind of erotic book, it is not surprising that it lacks date, artist's name, or even artist's "Go" [assumed studio/artist's name, and no seal or Hanko anywhere. . It is well-known that during the Tokugawa period [1603-1868] erotic paintings, prints and books were "BANNED" and "PROHIBITED" by decree of the Shogun. . One of the influencing factors was that during this period some Shoguns were changing their views and being influenced by Christians who entered Japan at this time. The Shogun did not want foreigners, and Jesuit missionaries to think that Japan was a crass and base nation. . Naturally foreigners soon learned that prostitution was permitted and rampant throughout Japan, so this strange logic from the Shogun never had much effect on the Christians and surely not on the Japanese. Nevertheless, the publication of every book, poster and print had to have the "censor's" seal on it to be a legitimate item. Any item without this seal was subject to seizure and forfeiture, the artist, publisher or seller was imprisoned. Mostly this was a 'gesture' sentence of a few days or a few weeks. There was of course no Shogun control over hand-drawn or painted works that were by and large a 'one of a kind' item. This item surely falls into that category, but specifically erotic books, prints, paintings were officially banned by the Shogunate. . *** EXCELLENT PROVENANCE: This item was acquired directly by us from Dr. Richard Lane in 1978. At that time he cited to us the known bibliographic details, and informed me that a very similar image and title would be listed & illustrated in his then forthcoming and major reference book on Japanese woodblock prints, printed books and paintings: IMAGES OF THE FLOATING WORLD. . Although this is a variant to the one cited, illustration number 15 is remarkably close to the image found on p.451 of his book. The one illustrated and cited in his book was retained by Lane. Lane stated that Hohshuu did several variants to the one he illustrated in his book. Lane liked this kind of genre and had collected several variants, most of which he sold to us. Other variants we bought were in the form of miniature scrolls, woodblock printed books of the same subject and genre during that visit. . After some 42 years, of course they all have been sold, except this one. We have reserved this one for our later years ! This is the last of those items we purchased from him. It is now being offered for sale for the first time. . *** RARITY: Books of this Genre style and subject matter are exceptionally rare and seldom found on the market for sale. It was our good fortune to have known and visited Dr. Lane many times in Kyoto and buy from him some of the most stunning of all Japanese erotica, his specialty. . *** CONDITION: The work is beautifully bound in the original brown brocade silk cloth, with blank silver title slip. Seven of the eight corners are a trifle bit wear, else clean and solid. The actual paintings are all quite clean, there is no worming or other detractions. Each paper painting is beautifully mounted using silver paper borders. Each is solid and very clean, with a touch of oxidizing patina due to the age of the paper. There is evidence of a something gently removed from the inside front end paper leaving a small amount of red color behind, we assume this may have been a private ownership bookplate. The end papers are 'gold-flecked paper' and are otherwise very clean. . Page edges on three sides are lovely solid silver gilt with the usual oxidation due to age. . All in all a very clean lovely example of a very RARE erotic album. . *** CONTAINED IN A CUSTOM-MADE JAPANESE CEDAR WOODEN BOX: This work is contained in a very nice custom two-part Japanese wooden box. The bottom lacks two of the four lips, but the top seals down correctly, protecting this lovely work any bug intrusion. Otherwise a few old worm holes, nicks, bumps, scratches to the exterior of the box as expected. . The box has protected this charming work from any attrition and has done its job. . *** Color scans are posted to our website. . For comparison sake, we have made a scan Lane's illustration and posted it to our website as image illus11.jpg, along with many others from our album. . Lane in his unique, understated style stated of this illustration: "...this scene: a courtier's wife was beloved of the Emperor Go-saga, who, as a result, bestowed great honors upon her husband; here, the cuckolded husband is seen paying homage to the source of his worthy success." p.277, #451 . *** BIBLIOGRAPHY: . Richard LANE: IMAGES OF THE FLOATING WORLD, p.277, photo # 451 shows Hoshu as the artist, original attributed to Taigado, a studio name for Ike No Tai. . See also Lane, p.333 entry for Taiga, the famous Nanga painter, also did some genre work, and use studio names: Ikeno, Arina, Kyuuka-sanshoh, Sangaku-dohja, Taigadoh. * MITCHELL, C.H. et al.: THE ILLUSTRATED BOOKS OF THE NANGA, MARUYAMA, SHIJO AND OTHER RELATED SCHOOLS OF JAPAN: A Bibliography, p.180-181 where he has a very generous paragraph on Taigado. He also attributes his 'studio' name as Arina, his true name was Kin, other studio names used were Taisei, Kaemon, later as Shuhei, Kasho and others ! An excellent Nanga ["Southern Style" artist], and native to Kyoto. * SUSKI, P.M.: THE YEAR NAMES OF CHINA AND JAPAN. See p.30 for Emperor's name and dates. * NOT IN: Laurance P. Roberts: DICTIONARY OF JAPANESE ARTISTS. On page 239 he lists several choices for studio name "Hoshu," but we cannot find the exact one Lane cites. Shibata entries again did not yield additional details. We shall leave it there and defer to the eminent professor Dr. Richard Lane's excellent scholarship. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_no_Taiga *** .