ezoushi　絵草子

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Also written 絵双紙. An illustrated booklet published during the Edo period. These were short publications written in kana 仮名 and illustrated with pictures reporting contemporary events, in journalistic or fictional fashion, or sometimes a mixture of the two. In a broader sense, various kinds of illustrated books such as *akahon 赤本, *aohon 青本, *kurohon 黒本, *kibyoushi 黄表紙, *goukan 合巻 and *eiri joururibon 絵入浄瑠璃本 are included in the category of ezoushi. These books were published in great numbers during the Edo period, and the publishers, who were often also booksellers, were known as ezoushiya 絵草子屋 or jihon tonya 地本問屋 (wholesalers of jihon). Jihon was a term used to distinguish the popular picture books and novelettes produced in Edo from similar books published elsewhere, or from books which were more difficult to read, such as scholarly works or classics.

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