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 pictures measure 11.5 cm x 17.5 cm each.  Good colors and impressions.  Decent to good condition with some wear, soiling, bit of creasing, some water stains, album backing on reverse.
 
Courtly Scenes of Subtle Intrigue
Unlike the explicit orgies and homoerotic spectacles elsewhere in The Great Tail, these prints depict a more restrained, almost theatrical side of desire.  Elegant courtiers and attendants sit in refined interiors, exchanging glances and gestures heavy with unspoken suggestion.  The focus is less on physicality and more on the social rituals and playful anticipation that precede intimacy.
 
The delicate use of color, with bold robes of red, green, and purple, contrasts sharply with the rawness of the other prints in the series, showing Kyōsai’s range in tone—from absurd and carnal to composed and ceremonial.  These images act as a visual “breather” within the series, offering subtle erotic tension rather than overt action.