Title: Amorous Murasaki Finds Pleasure in Fifty-some Chapters (Enshi gojû yojō, 艶紫娯拾余帖)
Author: Ryūtei Tanehiko [柳亭種彦] (Japanese, 1783–1842)
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川国貞], a.k.a. Toyokuni III [三代豊国] (Japanese, 1786–1864)
Place of Publication: Edo (Tokyo)
Date: c. 1835 (Tenpō 6)
Format: Picture Book (ehon), complete in three volumes; each 258 × 182 mm
Media: Woodblock printed in full color with black lacquer-style printing and karazuri (embossing) on washi (Japanese handmade paper); text in printed calligraphy
Binding: Traditional Japanese fukuro-toji (袋綴じ); 4-hole stab binding with green silk thread
Covers: Cream torinoko paper embossed with gauffrage, stenciled in gilt with Genji-mon crests and stylized aoi (葵, wild ginger) leaves; vertical title slips in brown silk, inscribed in brush with volume titles:
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Volume 1, Moon (Tsuki, 月): 16 folded pages, including nine double-page illustrations
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Volume 2, Snow (Yuki, 雪): 13 folded pages, including one single-page and seven double-page illustrations
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Volume 3 Flowers (Hana, 花): 12 folded pages, including one single-page and seven double-page illustrations
Enshi gojū yojō (艶紫娯拾余帖) is a fully illustrated erotic parody (shunpon) based on Ryūtei Tanehiko’s Inaka Genji (田舎源氏), a comic and satirical adaptation of Murasaki Shikibu’s Genji monogatari (源氏物語, The Tale of Genji)—the classic Heian-period literary work. Written by Ryūtei Tanehiko (Japanese, 1783–1842), Inaka Genji reimagines the courtly world of Genji in a humorous, popular idiom aligned with Edo-period sensibilities.
Published in 1835 (Tenpō 6), Enshi gojū yojō adapts several episodes and character types from Inaka Genji, recasting them into a sequence of erotic tableaux that combine literary parody with visual satire. The work is illustrated by Utagawa Kunisada, who renders the scenes with vibrant color, delicate karazuri (embossing), and black lacquer-style printing. Kunisada’s compositions emphasize theatricality, narrative playfulness, and erotic elegance, echoing the witty tone of Tanehiko’s text.
The artist signs the work on a folding screen depicted in Volume 2 as 不器用 又平 画 (Bukiyō Matahei ga), accompanied by a red double-gourd seal, further contributing to the playful and self-aware character of the book.
References:
1) Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art / Timothy Clark et al. — London: British Museum Press; Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, 2013; p. 237. LIB-1473.2014
2) MFA Boston, Accession Number 2007.63.1-3
