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.  Decent condition with some wear, soiling, bit of creasing, stains, album backing on reverse.
 
The Grand Phallic Contest
Here Kyōsai stages a wildly homoerotic spectacle—a raucous “King Cock” contest where men proudly display their erections before a gleeful audience.  At the forefront, contestants pose and crawl with exaggerated confidence, showing off their manhood for judgment.  Some laugh, others look on in awe or shock, while seated figures in colorful robes act as amused spectators, as if officiating the competition.
 
It’s overtly gay, unapologetically humorous, and deeply satirical—mocking both male vanity and the absurdity of turning desire into a public performance.  This is one of the most boldly homoerotic and theatrical shunga works in The Great Tail, making it a standout for collectors of rare male-centered shunga.