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 Finish Line of a Homoerotic Race
This curious scene feels like the chaotic end of some strange, homoerotic contest.  Two naked men stagger forward, one riding on the other’s back in a posture that’s as intimate as it is awkward.  Nearby, another nude figure lounges along the draped curtain, watching with a knowing smile.
 
Meanwhile, robed attendants and onlookers—half amused, half ceremonious—await at what seems like the “finish line,” one holding a bowl as if offering a prize or refreshment.  The atmosphere is both competitive and erotic, with Kyōsai blurring the line between a formal event and a bawdy male spectacle.  It’s a more subtle gay moment compared to other gay shunga prints in The Great Tail, but still charged with physical intimacy and cheeky humor.