Bath House, No. 12 from Twelve Bouts in the Way of Love (Shikidō torikumi jūniban), Isoda Koryūsai | Mia

nine figures--male and female, of different ages--in a public bath; all are nude except for man at right with scruffy beard, wearing blue-grey kimono with black and white I-shaped patterns; woman at center has a red plaid garment around her shoulders; woman at left receiving a back massage from a man while holding his penis; young man next to man in kimono has erection — Bath House, No. 12 from Twelve Bouts in the Way of Love (Shikidō torikumi jūniban), c. 1775-1777
Isoda Koryūsai
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund 2014.65.3.12
Not on View
The last sheet depicts a group of figures on a smaller scale with a similar compositional balance as the first sheet. Even though almost everyone is completely nude, the scene is partially innocent depicting men and women of all ages in a public bath house. A young woman at the far left is enjoying a massage, and returning the favor. At the right is a young man who is aroused by the view and to his side is a fully-clothed older man- most likely the proprietor of the house. There were mixed public bath houses until they were banned during the Kansei Reforms (1787-93).

file_download

Details

Title: Bath House, No. 12 from Twelve Bouts in the Way of Love (Shikidō torikumi jūniban)
Dated: c. 1775-1777
Artist: Isoda Koryūsai
Nationality: Japanese
Artist Life: 1735 - 1790 ?
Role: Artist
Gallery: Not on View
Department: Asian Art
Dimension: 9 1/4 × 14 3/4 in. (23.5 × 37.47 cm) (sheet, horizontal ōban)
Credit: The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund
Accession Number: 2014.65.3.12
Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Country: Japan
Century: 18th century
Rights: Public Domain
Classification: Prints
Object Name: Print (shunga)
Wikipedia: Cite this information
Portfolio: From Twelve Bouts in the Way of Love (Shikidō torikumi jūniban 色道取組十二番)
Metadata: Click here to see the machine readable JSON data that underpins this page.
Curator Approved: This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.