EN SHO HI CHO: SECRET BOOK OF BIG LEAVES AND SWALLOW. [An Erotic Color Hand-Pain

[Japan n.d.ca.1860's]. Green silk brocade cloth covers, very clean, solid copy, 8.5 x 12 cm., accordion folded, painted on both sides, 12 double-page erotic color paintings, all edges gilt, on thick album leaves. OBSCURE CHARMING WORK . *** *** *** . . . A SUPERB POLYCHROME PAINTED MINIATURE EROTIC ALBUM . . . TWELVE DOUBLE-PAGE STUNNING EROTIC SCENES . . *** A miniature Japanese hand-painted erotic album. As was the custom at the time, these albums were seldom signed or signed with a pseudonym to hide the true artist's name. . This stunning and skillfully painted album is most likely the anonymous work of a famous Ukiyo-e artist, executed in polychrome with the utmost detail. . *** . THE TITLE: EN SHO HI CHO: SECRET BOOK OF BIG LEAVES AND THE SWALLOW: Is a play on words, the "big leaf" means the vagina, and the "swallow" refers to the penis, and of course most of the erotic books contain the character "Hi" [Himitsu = secret] secret or hidden book in the title. . **** TWELVE DOUBLE-PAGE EROTIC PAINTINGS: Front Side: . 1. A man with a large hard-on holds his penis projecting from his Kimono, as he listens to a couple on the other side of the Shoji screen making love. . The opposite page shows a sexually excited woman flushed and pink-faced, while she also listens to the adjacent couple making love. She prepares to wipe her freely flowing love-fluids, she holds a packet of Chirishi [toilet paper] at the ready. Her Kimono is parted, revealing her red under wear with her legs parted. . 2. A man inserts his fingers inside the his lover's vulva, she closes her eyes in ecstasy, pink-faced and flushed. . 3. A couple making love, the woman rides on top of the man, her rear end exposed, showing his penis entering her vagina. She is flushed and red-faced in excitement. . 4. A couple making love. The woman is on her knees offering her rear to him, as he enters her vagina, we can see his testacies and a fierce look on his face. His Kimono is pulled open, her Kimono is pulled over her back, revealing her bright red under Kimono. . 5. Before a grand screen of landscape and a plum tree in blossom, a couple make love. She clutches a packet of Chirishi [toilet paper] in her right hand. She is on her back, spread wide and open, he penetrates her fully-exposed vagina revealing his penis half-way inside her. He clutches her around the back of her neck with both arms, holding her Kimono firmly. He is flushed and pink-faced in ecstasy. . 6. A man makes love and enjoys two women. His penis penetrates the closest woman and sucks her nipple, while inserting his fingers into the vagina of the second. Both women have exposed vagina's. All three display very bright red-pink-flushed faces in fits of sexual passion. * VERSO OR BACK SIDE OF THE ALBUM: . 7. A naked woman is on her back, spread-eagle, right leg held up by his left arm. She is top-mounted by her passionate male lover. He is on his knees penetrating her anus. The woman flails her arms, squinting in pain, the man has a firm look on his pink-flushed face. Her Kimono is spread below, her wooden pillow is pushed off to the side. . 8. A fully naked and well-tattooed man sits on the Tatami mat, while holding a naked woman's left leg up enough to easily enters her exposed vagina from the rear. Love fluids freely flow from her vagina. She faces away from her lover while supporting herself by holding his right leg and left hand on the Tatami. He is pink-faced in ecstasy. . 9. A man catches a prostitute on the street. He pushes her against a building, while pulling up the back side of her Kimono. Spreading his Kimono open, he enters her vagina from the rear. They are both exposed from the hips downward, revealing their genitals. They are both quite red-faced in moment of sexual passion and ecstasy. . 10. An afternoon scene, the man wears a cloth over his head, hiding himself from the public. He secretly entered his lover's room. The eager and passionate lovers embrace, he is on his knees, she willingly sits back spreading her vagina while he penetrates her, ejaculating quickly with excitement. Love fluids flow from her vagina. Their Kimonos are pulled up to their hips, revealing their genitals. She is clutches him tightly holding his Kimono fast. Her face is brightly flushed pink. A white cockatoo observes from his cage. . 11. A night scene, the man has secretly entered his lover's room, he uses his Kimono to block out the lantern light. Holding a lighted candle in his left hand, he sheds light to reveal the sight of the couple's love-making. She is on her back, knees spread wide revealing her naked vagina, he sits on his knee, fully penetrating her vagina, which flows love-fluids. He holds her firmly with right hand. She is locked in a passionate grip behind her neck, eyes closed lost in ecstasy. His face and neck are pink-flushed with sexual passion. Her Kimono is thrown open, her bright-red under Kimono above her pubic area. . 12. The last scene is a classic of Japanese erotica. A man visits his beloved and favorite prostitute. She has pulled open her Kimono revealing her breasts and vagina. She sits back, resting both feet on her lover's chest, offering her vagina to him. He sits back resting against the door jam near naked as his Kimono is pulled off his shoulders. His penis penetrates her vagina as he suddenly notices a person just outside the doorway. . Just beyond the open sliding doors is an unashamed young prostitute, who is voyeuring the couple making love, which greatly excites her. Pulling her Kimono up over her back and on all fours, reveals her naked rear end and vagina. She reaches under and between her legs with her right hand, masturbating her vagina with her fingers. Her whole body is a sexually excited pink-flush. . *** . EXCELLENT AND HIGHLY SKILLED PAINTING TECHNIQUE AND DESIGN: . This adorable and charming miniature album is a very solid, with excellent color and fine detail, executed by a first class artist. Much attention has been paid to the facial details, sensual facial expressions, the elaborately designed Kimono, rooms, their design and art work, and every facet of common life during the mid-19th century Japanese culture. The book reflects the average person, and their dwellings, costume, coiffeur and erotic social customs. . *** EROTIC ART BANNED BY THE SHOGUN: From the Tokugawa period [1604], the Shogun banned erotica in all forms. This was an effort to demonstrate to foreign missionaries and foreign traders [i.e. Dutch merchants in the Nagasaki] that the Japan and the Japanese were a high-cultured people, not a "base people or culture" by prohibiting erotic books and paintings from their culture. . Being illegal, these books mostly circulated privately or "underground," being passed around discreetly. Artists either avoided signing their erotic woodblock-printed books and prints, or signed them with some ironic anti-political or anti-Shogunate name. Nevertheless the public could easily identify the painting style and know the artist's name. Many artists were jailed for either erotic art production or anti-Shogunate political satirical books and prints. . Regardless, substantially large number of anti-Shogun and erotic works were popularly circulated in society continually down to the modern period. Erotica in Japan is an ancient art form, continuing for millennium. . *** SIZE AND FORMAT: The album is small, commonly called "Mamebon" or "Bean Book" in Japan due to its miniature size. This kind of miniature book was easily concealed in the Kimono sleeve and joyfully carried around and shared among friends, loaned or sold in the street. . *** Color photos are posted to our website. . *** REFERENCES: . LANE, Richard.: IMAGES FROM THE FLOATING WORLD: THE JAPANESE PRINT, INCLUDING AN ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF UKIYO-E. . LANE, Richard.: THE EARLY SHUNGA SCROLLS. Tokyo 1979, Gabundo. . LANE, Richard.: THE EROTIC THEME IN JAPANESE PAINTING AND PRINTS. [Tokyo 1968-69, Gabundo.] . LANE, Richard.: EROTIC THEME IN JAPANESE PAINTING: THE EARLY SHUNGA SCROLL. [Tokyo 1979, Gabundo] . BEURDELEY, Michel. et al.: EROTIC ART OF JAPAN: The Pillow Poem. * FAGIOLI, Marco.: SHUNGA THE EROTIC ART OF JAPAN. * ILLING, Richard.: JAPANESE EROTIC ART: And the Life of the Courtesan. . Note: Some of the above references may be in stock, Pease inquire at our website. . * .