Shunga-Private print of-Toyoshige-(attribute)-Surinomo technique - Matsushima 松島 - Paper - Toyokuni II - Japan - Edo Period (1600-1868)

Toyoshige (Toyokuni II, attrib.)
Shunga, from a private album of 12 sheets
Japan, Edo period, ca. 1820
Polychrome woodblock print, surimono technique, koban yoko-e format (approx. 3 5/8 × 4 7/8 in.)

Refined shunga print attributed to Toyoshige (Toyokuni II), belonging to a rare private album consisting of twelve sheets, each set before a decorative screen. The work depicts an intimate scene between two figures lying on richly patterned textiles, in keeping with the elegant and restrained style of the early 19th-century Utagawa school.

The exceptional technical quality of the impression is particularly noteworthy:

metallic bronze pigments typical of high-grade surimono editions,

the presence of well-preserved gauffrage (blind embossing),

extremely precise block registration,

vivid and stable color rendering.


The screen in the background, with its delicate lake landscape, demonstrates an iconographic care uncommon in more popular shunga productions. The delicacy of the linework, the geometric patterns of the garments, and the controlled expressiveness of the faces all closely reflect the formal language of Toyokuni II.

A highly rare example, originating from a print run not intended for commercial publication and lacking publisher’s seals, as is typical of works created for private commission. This aspect, combined with the surimono quality, places the work in a category above standard production, making it particularly sought-after among collectors of erotic ukiyo-e.

Excellent condition: clean paper, fresh colors, minimal edge wear; impression of the highest quality.

A work of significant historical and collectible value.