About the Artist & Series
Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831–1889) was a prolific and wildly inventive artist of the late Edo to early Meiji era, renowned for his biting satire, mischievous humor, and bold imagination.  Often called the “demon painter,” Kyōsai seamlessly blended classical Japanese aesthetics with caricature, political commentary, and ribald humor.
 
This particular shunga woodblock print series titled The Great Tail (Ō-Shiri Monogatari, c. 1870) is one of Kyōsai’s rare and highly sought-after shunga (erotic art) series.  Unlike the more serene and intimate works of earlier shunga masters, Kyōsai’s approach bursts with energy and comic absurdity.  His figures are exaggerated, animated, and sometimes grotesque—mocking social conventions while celebrating the raw, unrestrained aspects of human desire.
 
This shunga woodblock print series captures Kyōsai’s signature mix of eroticism, wit, and theatrical chaos.  Each image tells a bawdy tale, revealing the artist’s playful rebellion against both artistic and societal norms of his time.  
 
Shunga picture measures 11.5 cm x 17.5 cm.  Good colors and impressions.  Good condition with some wear, soiling, bit of creasing, album backing on reverse.
 
Exhaustion and Lingering Desire
At the forefront, a single couple remains locked in a raw, almost primal act—the man thrusting himself between his partner’s thighs as she stretches out in open pleasure.  Behind them, two naked men lie sprawled in complete exhaustion, their limp bodies suggesting they’ve already surrendered to the night’s excesses.
 
Rather than chaotic movement, this shunga scene lingers on the aftermath of passion—some still consumed by desire, others utterly spent.  Kyōsai balances eroticism with a wry acknowledgment of human limits, turning even the act of collapse into part of the spectacle.