Shunga menuki

[lonely panet]

never seen one,  this metal smith was a perv

 

[8024] Tsutsumimono (Edo-Meiji) Original Shakudo Ground Shunga Metal Fittings Weight 7g (First Item, Purchased Item) | Jauce Shopping Service | Yahoo Japan Auctions. eBay Japan

[Lewis B]

Quite a common subject matter in Japanese art. Loads of netsuke have a similar theme.

[lonely panet]

just thought they where prints,  but atleast everthings correctly sized this time

[Bugyotsuji]

When you call the smith a ‘perv’, do you mean he (or the one who placed the order), was perverted, as in… peeping Tom perhaps?

 

Saw a Kozuka recently with a sliding screen in a Japanese house; the screen slides open to reveal hanky panky in the bedroom.

[Curran]

10 hours ago, lonely panet said:

never seen one,  this metal smith was a perv

 

[8024] Tsutsumimono (Edo-Meiji) Original Shakudo Ground Shunga Metal Fittings Weight 7g (First Item, Purchased Item) | Jauce Shopping Service | Yahoo Japan Auctions. eBay Japan

 

While I have seen kozuka and kogai with such themes on one side, I don't remember having seen menuki before.

Early in my collecting, I had a set of menuki depicting drunk foreigners under street lamps. I had no idea how unique they were, and I ended up selling them less than 1 year into owning them.

[Gunome]

11 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Saw a Kozuka recently with a sliding screen in a Japanese house; the screen slides open to reveal hanky panky in the bedroom.

I also see such kozuka. Here is a photo (sorry for its quality, it has been taken around 15 years ago...)

 

[Bugyotsuji]

That looks very similar, Sebastien. I might have bought it, but then Hamfish would have called me a perv.

[Robert S]

The carving on this is relatively crude.  Does anyone have any idea what the history is of these relatively poorly carved tosogu is?  A friend has a katana in koshirae with a kabuto gane showing a sumo wrestler which is similar quality workmanship, and I took it to be probably a non-Japanese imitation... but maybe I was wrong.

 

[Gunome]

Piers, unfortunately I didn't bought it too. No funds at this time.

 

Robert, indeed, you could find some tosogu with better carving quality. But here you need to consider the sliding screen workmanship. Not sure it is easy to do.

 

I never see another example since. Nive to know there may be another one like this one ?!