Japanese Woodblock Reproduction Print by Eisen "Maegami and a Girl" 20x16

Keisai Eisen 渓斎英泉 (1790 – 1848)

Maegami and a Girl
From The Secret Language of the Courtesan (廓の隠語)
Mid-Shōwa Period Reproduction (ca. 1960s)

A finely printed mid-Shōwa color woodblock reproduction after Keisai Eisen’s design Maegami and a Girl, from the erotic series The Secret Language of the Courtesan (廓の隠語). The scene portrays two lovers—an experienced courtesan, identified by her forelocks (maegami), and her young companion—engaged in a private, affectionate moment. The richly layered fabrics, subtle gestures, and gentle expressions transform an erotic subject into an image of tenderness and refinement, hallmarks of Eisen’s poetic approach to shunga.

The composition exemplifies the restrained sensuality and painterly precision that distinguished Eisen’s late-Edo works. Delicate bokashi shading, the glossy depth of the hair, and the meticulous patterning of the robes reveal both technical mastery and emotional nuance. This post-war reproduction, printed on handmade washi paper using traditional hanga techniques, was likely issued by the Adachi or Takamizawa woodblock workshop in Tokyo, which specialized in faithful re-creations of classical ukiyo-e.

Artist: Keisai Eisen (渓斎英泉)
Title: Maegami and a Girl (Kuruwa no Ingo — 廓の隠語)
Date of original design: ca. 1830s–1840s (Edo period)
This impression: Mid-Shōwa period reproduction (ca. 1950s–1960s)
Publisher: Unidentified Tokyo reprint publisher (possibly Adachi or Takamizawa)
Format: Ōban tate-e (大判竪絵)
Dimensions (frames): Framed size 20 × 16 inches (approx.)
Condition: Excellent color and impression; minor toning consistent with age; framed under glass.

Keisai Eisen, born Ikeda Eisen in Edo, was one of the leading artists of the late Edo period, celebrated for his sophisticated bijin-ga and emotionally charged shunga. Trained as a painter before joining the Utagawa school, Eisen’s work combines lyrical linework, elaborate textile design, and a refined sense of eroticism.

Eisen’s shunga series, including The Secret Language of the Courtesan, portrayed the private world of the pleasure quarters with rare psychological depth—blending wit, sensuality, and social commentary. His influence extended beyond erotic art: he also collaborated with Hiroshige on The Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaidō, and his portraits of women shaped the late-Edo ideal of feminine beauty.

Despite personal hardship, Eisen’s art endures for its balance of elegance and intimacy—an aesthetic bridge between the classical grace of Utamaro and the romantic realism of the late Edo masters.