Today, I found an exciting entry in BibliOdyssey, a blog devoted to interesting and rare book illustrations. The entry showcased illustrations from the Japanese novel, Nansō Satomi Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin.
The story follows the fortunes of 8 samurai brothers, the offspring of a princess and a dog. The themes of loyalty and honour are intertwined with the virtues attributed to the dog in this tale. Each brother has the kanji for ‘dog’ in his name.
The illustrations for the first edition of the novel were done by Yanagawa Shigenobu. To Shiba and other Japanese dog fanciers, they may look somewhat familiar:
For more beautiful Japanese dog illustrations from this book, go to BibliOdyssey: The Eight Dog Chronicles.
Fantastic find! Thanks for sharing.