Description
Rare woodblock printed double-page illustration depicting two legendary lovers listed among the Rokkasen (六歌仙) “six poetry immortals”: in the foreground the noble and poet Ariwara no Narihira (在原業平) and, behind him, the poetess renowned among contemporaries also for her incredible beauty Ono no Komachi (小野小町).
The work is taken from the first volume “Heaven” (天) of the erotic shunpon (春本) “Umegonomi neya no utsuriga” (梅好閨乃伝染香), that is “Lingering Plum Scent in the Sleeping Chamber”, made in 1841 by the artist Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞), who signs himself with the pseudonym Matabei (又平), in collaboration with the writers Iroha Chinbo (いろは陳房), author of the preface, and Kino Ikiyasu (紀行安).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging, is in good condition.
