[絵本役割] 明治２０年８月刊

斎藤長八編 · 1887 · 斎藤長八 · 13 pictures

A Meiji-era Japanese picture book (ehon) compiled by Saitō Chōhachi and published by him in 1887, apparently for a general readership of kabuki and popular print enthusiasts. Its woodblock-printed pages show crowded groups of samurai in kimono and hakama, many with crest-marked garments, arranged in tense interior scenes with sliding screens, low tables and gathered retainers. A designer might take from them the dense, busy compositional rhythm of crowded figures, the bold black-and-white hatching of patterned fabric, and the stylised crests and calligraphic captions set into the picture.

Japanese picture books (ehon)

National Diet Library, Japan (国立国会図書館) · Public Domain Mark (PDM), National Diet Library · More from this library