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, stain at bottom, album backing on reverse.
 
Mischief Turns Overtly Homoerotic
While still playful in tone, this shunga scene leans firmly into gay eroticism.  At the bottom, a man lies spent, fully exposed, legs spread wide, while at the upper right, one man crouches atop another’s back—his clear erection leaving no doubt about the arousal in this act of male-on-male intimacy.
 
The two robed figures to the left watch with amused delight, fanning themselves as if enjoying a private show.  Kyōsai heightens the humor but doesn’t shy away from the erotic charge between the men, making this a sly yet unmistakably gay vignette within The Great Tail.