AMANJAKU DEN: A PERVERSE EROTIC JAPANESE LEGEND. [A Bizarre and Unque Erotic Jap

[Edo ? c.1700-50, n.p.]. Brown & silver covered boards, very clean, 7 double-page b.w. erotic woodblock illustrations, mounted on mica flecked paper, 18 x 25 cm., accordion folded illustration size: 31 x 12 cm. FIRST & ONLY UNRECORDED COPY! . *** *** *** . . . A VERY RARE UNRECORDED EARLY BOOK . . . A BIZARRE & UNIQUE EROTIC BOOK . . . UNSIGNED, BUT CLEARLY THE WORK OF A MASTER ARTIST . *** BY SUKENOBU OR HIS :SCHOOL: . A unique and hitherto unfound odd and most unusual erotic book of the early-mid-18th century. One of the most bizarre erotic books ever done in Japan. . The graphically explicit work portrays men and women with genitals on their foreheads, engaged in heterosexual and homosexual intercourse. There is no other book with such unusual and strange illustrations. . *** . THE TITLE: THE LEGEND OF AMANJAKU or AMAN NO JAKU: [Chinese Title: TIAN XIE GUI YUN] . THE MEANING OF AMANJAKU: Japanese Buddhist literature is abundant with variations on the theme of "Aman-No-Jaku," aka. "Amanjaku," "Manojaku," commonly understood to be a "Heavenly Evil Spirit." . This spirit or demon-like creature in Japanese folklore is usually depicted as being a male during the day and female at night. The demon is usually depicted as a kind of small Oni [devil], and is thought to be able to provoke a person's darkest desires and instigate him into perpetrating wicked deeds. . Amanjaku is also depicted in Chinese and Japanese mythology, the AMANOJAKU is a changeling, a water spirit that infiltrates the human world to play cruel tricks on people, by reading their minds and twisting their requests or desires to be used against them. . The "AMANOJAKU" is also known the "Lord of the River" and in Japan serves Bishamonten, one of the four Deva kings of Buddhism as a minor demon. See Wikipedia below. . In Japanese, the term "Amanojaku" also refers to a person who is deliberately contradictory, someone who argues for the sake of arguing, or can be used in common Japanese conversation to refer to someone who is a "Perverted Demon." . *** THE ILLUSTRATIONS: THE BUDDHIST THEME:. This work is unusual in that the genitals of common people are located on their foreheads. A symbolist meaning can be in Buddhist concept, that sex and sexual hedonism is openly on the minds of 'lay' people. The Buddha and his disciples on the other hand do not have sex organs on their foreheads, meaning their organs are covered and in a different [usual] location. This can symbolize 'self control' over such biological energies. Devout Buddhist disregard sex as a pleasurable pastime, and devote themselves to monastic focus. By contrast, "lay" people are distracted with hedonistic pleasure, a path away from, rather than towards the Dharma, or teachings of Buddhism. . In a sense, this work illustrates the overwhelming force of evil, or the "Amanojaku" and how it distracts people from the "Righteous Path" towards the Dharma, and the ultimate goal of attaining Nirvana. It can be posited, that this work is designed to give understanding to "lay" people by way of visual example of what forces direct their energies away from the Buddhist teachings, in an effort to redirect them towards the "Righteous Path" and life style. . *** EXCEPTIONALLY RARE, UNIQUE WORK: . The work is exceptionally RARE, unusual and erotic, there are no other example showing genitals on the foreheads of any other Japanese book cited anywhere in the bibliographic literature, or record. . This work is certainly RARE in subject, content and quantity. Though it was woodblock printed, and unsigned which was usual for Japanese erotic works which were banned by the Shogun, we have not found anything similar or recorded anywhere in the bibliography. Being woodblock printed one assumes there are other copies in existence. The average printing from woodblocks were somewhere between 100-200 copies. However in this instance, no others exist. We have the strong feeling, the book could have been the production of a famous Japanese illustrator, and perhaps financed by a Buddhist temple, again there are no known facts about this rarity. . *** THE EROTIC ILLUSTRATIONS: . Number 1: This work begins showing the Buddha flanked by two of his disciple monks. The title is written in four Japanese Kanji in [Kambun] & Chinese characters. The Buddha and his two disciples listen to two elderly Buddhist believers: one is a male, he has and erect penis on his forehead. The other is a woman, she has a vagina on her forehead. Neither the Buddha, nor his two disciples monks show genitals on their foreheads. The couple have come to consult with the Buddha about their grievances. . * Number 2: Shows a man and a woman in a Tatami matted room, both wear lovely 18th century decorated Kimono. They embrace each other, and are engaged in making love from their foreheads, which show an erect penis and testicles, inserted into the woman's forehead where her vagina is located. Adjacent to the young couple is an older woman, who has become aroused by the adjacent couple's making love. The old woman uses a dildo tied to a post which she hugs while inserting the dildo into the vagina on her forehead. . * Number 3: Shows a couple laying on a blanket, their Kimono pulled down and opened and used as a top cover. They engage in love-making and kiss. The man has an erect penis on his forehead, the woman a vagina on hers. There is some used Chirishi [toilet paper] just above her head on the floor, used to wipe the love fluids. There is a folded package of yet unused Chirishi in readiness. Chishiri shown in Japanese Shunga [erotic prints] prints & paintings is an 'erotic symbol' indicative of sexual excitement, with lots of love fluids flowing. Ergo the need for paper to clean up the results of erotic love-making. . * Number 4 shows an adult man with an erect penis on his forehead, penetrating the anus of a younger man, who's smaller but erect penis is seen on his forehead, as he faces his lover. The younger man has no pubic hair yet, indicating his youth. . Adjacent to these two men is a woman in the next room. The door is open, she is a secret voyeur of the two men. Her vagina is also on her forehead. A Shogi board and two bowls for stones is located in the front left of the illustration. Gay activities in Japanese society were accepted as a norm, and were not especially unusual. However to find graphic examples in Japanese erotic books are exceptionally rare and seldom found. . * Number 5: Depicts a fully clothed man on his knees, he bends over a sleeping woman. He has a very large erect penis and begins to penetrate a woman with her vagina on her forehead. She is fully clothed and sleeping on a wooden "pillow" which supports her elaborate hair coiffeur. . * Number 6: Depicts a lively scene of two men and a woman. One man with a very large and erect penis pulls the woman's arm toward him, while she fends him off with a straight arm to his head. A second excited man also with a large and erect penis on his forehead masturbates and ejaculates in ecstasy. The woman has a vagina on her forehead. The scene is likely an intended rape of a young girl. She looks away in an effort not to allow him to pull her close enough to insert his penis into her exposed vagina. . * Number 7: Illustrating a lonely old man in bed. He has an erect penis on his forehead and holds a kind of pot with a large opening. He faces down and inserts his penis into the pot for gratification. . *** THE TEXT: The text in Shunga [erotic Japanese books & prints] is often an erotic dialogue, describing the erotic action. Often these words are onomatopoetic mimicking the sounds of people in orgasm, or making comments about making love or the pleasure and good feelings. The size and hardness of the penis or the flavor and the juices of the vagina, and its supple feelings of euphoria when engaged in love-making. All wear 18thcentury period Kimono. . *** MODE AND FASHION OF THE MID-18TH CENTURY: The room furnishing and Kimono of the participants in this work all wear 18th century period Kimono, with period decorations. The style of Kimono and room screens reflect this period. . ***** BINDING AND MOUNTING: Binding: The book has probably been rebound sometime after the 1750's with a more recent thin brown decorated paper with a silver chrysanthemum, and a Mon [family crest] with gold and black on both front and rear covers. Each cover has a distinctly different kind of illustration but of the same theme. The corners and edges are a bit worn, some loss to the paper, as usual for a work from this period. . Mounting: At an earlier time, each page was expertly mounted on a stiff Washi [hand-made Japanese paper], into an accordion folded book. Each illustration is bordered with a rare and stunning crushed oyster-shell powder mixed with rice-glue and overlaid on the border paper. The stunning effect is a rare shimmering pearl-like color and hue with a remarkable effect. This rare and largely unknown effect has been used for print backgrounds by some of the later masters. . This was no ordinary mounting, and appropriate for an exceptionally and most unusual RARE book ! . Contents: By and large, the contents are clean, solid, with a two old worm holes for the first 6 of 7 pages. These are small and towards the edge, and does not detract from the overall quality of the illustration. On page 7 there are a few center margin old minor worm holes. All of these have been restored when the prints were laid down on the thick Washi paper, creating book format. The work is otherwise solid and firm. There are a few 'rubs' on the old Washi paper, which was made from very soft Kozo fibers, common to any item of this period on this on handmade papers of the period. . *** CONDITION OF THE WOODBLOCK PRINTS: . These are very early black and white woodcut prints. Each print has an excellent and vivid impression, key blocks are black and superbly printed with strong images. The paper is old and has the patina of paper from that age, the usual minor, mild surface rubbing or thumbing in the lower corners, which is common. . We tend to be overly critical of any flaws found on our books, and believe it is better to overly describe rather than avoid such discussion any imperfections. Suffice to say, by and large this is an excellent item in very nice condition, something that any collector or museum would be proud to own. Please review photos posted to our website. . *** R A R I T Y OF SUBJECT: The placement of the genitals on the forehead gives one a lot of room to theorize on the meaning of such artistic expression. In our 50 years of experience in dealing Japanese woodblock printed books and painted original art, this is the first and only example with such imaginative and symbolist expression. With the beginning of the work showing the Buddha and his two disciples lacking any genitals on their foreheads, one can simply assume, that in a Buddhist way, they have given up carnal desire, as represented by common people who's foreheads display genitals, perhaps meaning that sex is on their minds or they simply view others as sexual objects, eager to make love and engage in carnal thoughts and activities. Obviously seeing an erect penis on some man whiles others see what he thinks and feels is an insight to his innermost thoughts and desires. In all cases in this book the men all show an erect penis. The women are a bit more difficult to fathom. Their vaginas are simply visible on their foreheads, and no fluids are visible or other evidence of their carnal desire or sexually excited stated. All of the men have public hair adjacent to their sex organs, while all women are lacking any pubic hair completely. This is an erotic symbolism, giving full view to women's genitals. . *** "BANNED" or "PROHIBITED" BOOKS: Shun Pon, Haru Bon: In the case of this item, it is very likely that it was printed in a much smaller discreet quantity than the 200 copies possible off the blocks. Due to the "banned" nature of such books, there is no date, publisher nor place cited. One is simply left to determine the date and artist by stylistic analysis. It is well-known that during the Tokugawa period [1603-1868], erotic prints and books were "BANNED" or "PROHIBITED" by decree of the Shogun. One of the influencing factors was that during this period some Shoguns were changing their views and being influenced by Christians who entered Japan during this period. The Shogun did not want foreigners, and Jesuit missionaries to think that Japan was a crass and base nation. Naturally foreigners soon learned that prostitution was rampant and so this strange logic from the Shogun never had much affect on the Christians and surely not on the Japanese. . The Shogun enforced severe punishments for persons involved in drawing, printing, carving blocks and publishing erotic books and prints. With out the "Kiwame" or censor's approval seal, all such items were "Banned" outright by the Shogun decree. . While these "Prohibited" books and prints were widely circulated in an "underground" society, there are ample examples of famous artists taking on commissions to produce erotic books and prints fun or profit. The record and bibliography is loaded with these examples. "Banning" such erotic works simply meant that the number printed were limited to smaller numbers and distribution was done under the table, discretely circulating such books privately among collectors. During these times it was not necessary for artists to sign their such artistic creations, by-and-large the population had a very good idea who the artist was by being familiar with their style and other works, it was simply a "public secret" who the artist was. Often the artist poked fun at the Shogun with political jokes and assumed names to confound any chance of being discovered by the authorities. . Over the centuries, this knowledge decreased and is now the domain of the art historian or scholar to identify and determine the actual artist. Stylistic analysis remains the standard method for unsigned works. . *** THE ARTIST/SCHOOLS: While there are no signatures or seals indicating the artist's name or even his alternate Go [studio name], we believe this work is part of the "Primitives and First Century of Ukiyo-e School 1660-1765" period. [See Lane below]. The women's coiffeur is very similar to those found in this period, as well as the drawing style, technique and genre. It is this cataloger's opinion that this work was likely the creation of one of the Moronobu School masters. Perhaps done by Sukenobu, Yoshikiyo, Morishige, Sugimura, Moronobu, Kiyonobu, Masanobu, or others from this period. We believe this work was likely done from around 1710-1750. It was also likely that it was done by one of the artists listed below. . *** LIKELY ARTIST ATTRIBUTION: . MORONOBU SUKENOBU SCHOOL: Nishikawa Sukenobu [1671 -August 20, 1750] often called simply "Sukenobu", was a Japanese printmaker from Kyoto. He was unusual for a Ukiyo-e in being based in the imperial capital of Kyoto. He did prints of actors, but gained note for his works concerning women. His Hyakunin Joro Shinasadame: Appreciating 100 Women, in two volumes published in 1723, depicted women of all classes, from the empress to prostitutes, and received favorable results His Hyakunin Joro Shinasadame: Appreciating 100 women, in two volumes published in 1723, depicted women of all classes, from the empress to prostitutes, and received favorable results Leading members of this school were: Nishikawa Sukenobu the founder; Nishikawa Suketada; Kawashima Nobukiyo; Nishikawa Terunobu; and Takagi Sadatake. . * NISHIKAWA MORONOBU SCHOOL: Nishikawa Moronobu [1618-July 25, 1694] was a Japanese painter and printmaker known for his advancement of the Ukiyo-e woodcut style starting in the 1670s. Leading members of the MORONOBU school were: Nishikawa Moronobu the founder; Hishikawa Morofusa; Hishikawa Moroyoshi; Hishikawa Moronaga; Hishikawa Moroshige; Hishikawa Morohira; and Tamazaki Ryujo. . *** BIBLIOGRAPHY: . This title is NOT listed in any of the below resources: * SHIBUI, Kiyoshi. UKIYO-E NAISHI. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF JAPANESE EROTIC ILLUSTRATED WOODBLOCK PRINTED BOOKS. * H. KERLEN. CATALOGUE OF PRE-MEIJI JAPANESE BOOKS & MAPS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS. * Richard Lane: IMAGES FROM THE FLOATING WORLD THE JAPANESE PRINT; pages 28, 40-60 show examples of the Ukiyo-e primitives [1660-1765], especially the Moronobu school, pp.60-88 et al. . *** NOT LISTED IN: . KSM * SHIBUI, Kiyoshi: UKIYO-E NAISI. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF JAPANESE EROTIC ILLUSTRATED WOODBLOCK PRINTED BOOKS. [Modern Reading: UKIYO-E NAISHI] * KERLEN, H.: CATALOGUE OF PRE-MEIJI JAPANESE BOOKS & MAPS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS. * Not in any other usual bibliographies on Japanese E-hon [woodblock printed books]. . *** See: WIKIPEDIA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanjaku *** .