Authentic Edo-period woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806), from his famous erotic series Ehon takara gura (Treasure Room of Love).
Date: c. 1800
Size: approx. 15.6 × 21.8 cm
 
This seemingly serene depiction of a gnarled pine tree and its branches is in fact the opening image to Utamaro’s celebrated shunga book.  More than a botanical sketch, it is a deliberate metaphor: the twisting trunk and the conspicuous hollow in the tree serve as an unmistakable allusion to female sexuality.  Edo-period audiences, steeped in the visual codes of shunga, would have recognized this “natural” symbol as a poetic evocation of the vagina—setting the erotic tone for the scenes that follow in the series.
 
Condition:  Very good impressions with fine linework.  Paper shows typical age-related toning, soiling, and minor wormage; no backing.  Please refer to photos.
 
This shunga picture captures Utamaro’s genius for embedding eroticism within nature imagery, demonstrating his subtlety and wit as one of Japan’s greatest masters of shunga.