The Thirty-six Immortals of Haikai Verse (Haikai sanjūrokkasen 俳諧三十六歌僊)
The Thirty-six Immortals of Haikai Verse is a 1799 Japanese illustrated book of haiku poets, printed in Osaka and Kyoto by Kawachiya Tasuke and Noda Jihei, with poems by Yosa Buson. Each double-page spread pairs a seated, ink-and-wash portrait of a poet with his handwritten verse in cursive calligraphy. A designer could take the economical brush line, the flat grey and green washes, and the generous white space around figures and text as a model for minimal editorial illustration.
