Hokusai: Lovemaking at the New Year (Sold)

Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Title: Lovemaking at the New Year
Date: ca. 1822 (according to Lane)

Hokusai’s most famous shunga album--“Fukujusô”--literally, “The Adonis-plant”. This is the extremely rare complete first edition with twelve designs with texts above plus the original title-page. This series was later republished with many changes, including removing the text and adding colored background, and the later edition is known as “Nami chidori” (Plovers above the Waves). HIllier devotes considerable attention to this series in The Art of Hokusai in Book Illustration, concluding that “This book is central to any consideration of Hokusai’s work as a shunga artist....they are outstanding proof of Hokusai’s genius...” (page 173).

Dimensions: ôban
Literature: See Richard Lane’s (1998) “The Complete Ukiyo-e Shunga”, volume 23. The volume is dedicated entirely to this shunga set. See Jack Hillier’s (1980) “The Art of Hokusai in Book Illustration”, pages 172-178.

SKU: NETB60