Immerse yourself in the dramatic history of Japan’s Meiji Restoration with this original woodblock-printed volume of Meiji Taiheiki (明治太平記), compiled by Murai Gensai (村井弦齋) and illustrated by Sensai Eitaku (鮮齋永濯) — two of the most prominent cultural figures of the early Meiji period.
Printed by Enjudō (延壽堂) in Tokyo during the 1870s–1880s, this volume belongs to a serialized historical chronicle that visually and textually records the great upheavals following the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Meiji Taiheiki narrates the Boshin War, Saigō Takamori’s Satsuma Rebellion, and the early modernization of Japan’s army and society, accompanied by beautiful ukiyo-e-style color illustrations that capture both samurai valor and the dawn of a new era.
Each page is printed using traditional woodblocks on handmade washi paper, sewn in the fukuro-toji (bound pouch) style, typical of Meiji-era publishing. The book combines calligraphic text with finely detailed battle scenes and portraits, making it both a literary and artistic artifact.
This copy remains in very good antique condition, with vivid impressions and minimal staining — a remarkable survival from the early Meiji press era. Due to the limited publication and fragile nature of these serialized war chronicles, authentic Meiji Taiheiki editions are now exceptionally rare on the international market and sought after by collectors of Meiji-era history, woodblock prints, and Japanese military epics.
