Inside Out Library · Explore

[絵本] 〔３〕 宮本武蔵二刀伝

堤吉兵衛 編 · 1891 · 堤吉兵衛 · 3 pictures

This is a Meiji-era Japanese picture book (ehon) published in 1891 by Tsutsumi Kichibei, illustrating the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi's two-sword tale for a general readership. Its woodblock-style pages show dynamic fight scenes on wooden decking under billowing dark waves, with figures in mid-action, swinging blades and tumbling bodies. A designer could draw on the bold black-and-white contrast, the diagonal compositions and the dramatic motion lines of the swordplay.

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