Description
Unheard of even in the age / of the mighty gods: / the waters of the Tatsuta river / flowing under / crimson dye (ちはやふる / 神代もきかず / 竜田川 / からくれなゐに / 水くくるとは). This precious woodblock print is taken from the erotic book “A River of Admonitions for Women with Love Letters” (女令川趣文) made in 1771 by the artist Tsukioka Settei (月岡雪鼎) and is inspired by the famous verses of the courtier and poet Ariwara no Narihira (在原業平).
In the text visible at the top of the work, the author explains how Narihira was known to be brilliant in the ways of love and continues with a parody in verse of the aforementioned waka (和歌) poem, in which the gods symbolize the ancestral nature of sexual desire and the waters of the river recall the body fluids of lovers.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the obvious signs of aging including a thinning of the paper in the lower left part, is in overall fair condition.
