How did Ehon come into being?

Many people might have read Ehon in their childhood, have never had a chance to think about how they came into being?

I will explain simply how Ehon got to its present form of a book having pictures and story and explain how it became popular among many Japanese!

※I'm afraid to say that I regard it as most important to know that when Ehon with pictures and story spread among Japanese people. We can’t explain its present form any other way.

Its origin was in the sutra!

The first Ehon is considered to be a sutra called
“E innga kyou” made in the Nara period (710 C.E.~794 C.E.). One masterpiece is “Kako gennzai e innga kyou”.

This included painted pictures of Buddhist priest and people who wanted to listen to him on the upper side of a painting and a written story on the lower side.
The form of having pictures and a written story is similar to the present Ehon.

The next example which didn’t inherit it the form with pictures on the upper side and a written story on the lower side from “E innga kyou”. But, the next one gradually inherited the form of having pictures and a story.

The next one is a scroll!

It was a picture scroll that developed after the sutra.

The picture scroll repeats pictures and a story. The form of that story with written text next to pictures is similar to the present Ehon.

Masterpieces are “Taketori monogatari emaki” which is the origin of “Kaguya hime” which is famous among Japanese people, and “Genji monogatari emaki” which is well known among Japanese high school students.

However, unexpectedly, pictures and stories with many picture scrolls were not made in the same period.
The story “Genji monogatari” was written in the Heian period (794 E.C.~1185 E.C.) and the story “Taketori monogatari” is said to be the oldest story. However, it is “Genji monogatari emaki” which is said to be the oldest picture scroll. It was drawn in the Kamakura period, about 400 years after the Heian period. Also, “Taketori monogatari emaki” was maid in the Edo period, about 400 years from the Kamakura period.

Many picture scrolls were made long after the story was written.
That is similar to the present Ehon in terms of writing old tales. Of course, scrolls with picture and story made in the same period do exist.

Eventually, they took the form of books!

In the end of the Muromachi period (1336 E.C.~1573 E.C.), Ehon takes the form of a book.
The arrangement which has picture on one side and the story on the other side seems to separate from picture scroll into one set of picture and story. This picture book is called “Nara Ehon” , one of the masterpieces is “Monokusa taro”. It is funny that Nara Ehon wasn’t actually made in the Nara period.

But, in the Muromachi period, printing techniques didn’t develop well and the Ehon was valuable so the Ehon was not able to be read by many people.

Then, when did Ehon become to be read by many people?

Finally Ehon reaches everyone!

In the Edo period, printing techniques developed and many people were able to read Ehon.

Printing techniques in this period were woodblock printing. Besides not only monochrome print but also multicolor printing was used in this period because of the advent of craftspeople who were familiar with sketching, carving wood and printing in color. Many famous paintings were also made in this period with Ehon.

Also, many people learned reading and writing at “Terakoya” which was a type of school in the Edo period and most Japanese were able to read and enjoy Ehon.

The Ehon in the Edo period were called “Kusa zousi” and attracted many people to pictures unlike common novels.

It is the same as the present Ehon in that Kusa zousi has as many pictures as story which is a big charm.

Many Kusa zousi were published and there were also many secondhand bookshops and rental libraries in the Edo period. We can think many Japanese enjoyed reading Ehon.

That is how Ehon spread and became loved.