Woodblock Print Book by Eitaku: Samurai Stories, E-hon Format

The binding thread has come loose and is looping off the edge like a question mark.

This woodblock print book, Samurai Stories, E-Hon Format, is from Japan and dates to the Meiji Period. It is ink on paper, by Eitaku. Japanese e-hon were printed from carved blocks and sewn along one side, often issued as numbered volumes in a longer series. The cover is a dark indigo paper with a crinkled, bark-like texture. A cream title slip at upper left carries bold characters with finer text beneath. A loose strand of the white stitching trails along the spine. It is 6.1 inches wide and 8.8 high.

Even the thread looks ready to tell a story.