絵本荒木武勇伝
This is a Meiji-era Japanese illustrated book (ehon) compiled by Nakamura Asakichi and published by him in 1887, apparently a popular picture-book retelling of a tale of samurai exploits. The pictures are woodblock-style black-and-white prints with dense vertical kana text in balloons and columns around the figures. A designer might take the bold figure outlines, patterned kimono and striped hakama, and the energetic framing of text against action from them.
