An authentic Meiji 9 (1876) woodblock-printed volume from the celebrated Meiji Taiheiki (明治太平記) series — a monumental chronicle of Japan’s transformation during the Meiji Restoration, written by Murai Gensai (村井弦齋) and illustrated by Sensai Eitaku (鮮齋永濯).
Published by Enjudō, Tokyo, this Volume 8 belongs to the early part of the serialized epic that dramatizes Japan’s political and military upheavals as it shifted from the Tokugawa shogunate to Imperial rule. The narrative combines historical record, moral instruction, and vivid storytelling, capturing the spirit of loyalty and rebellion that defined the 1870s.
The volume’s woodblock illustrations depict samurai confrontations, espionage, and duels, rendered in expressive linework that merges traditional ukiyo-e aesthetics with the emerging realism of the Meiji era. Each page is printed on handmade washi paper in vertical script and bound in the classic fukuro-toji (stab-bound) format, retaining its original green embossed cover.
Issued under official permission (“官許”) during a period of strict publication control, Meiji Taiheiki reflects how the new government sought to shape public memory of the Restoration. Today, complete surviving volumes from the 1870s are exceptionally scarce, especially those with intact illustrations and clear text.
A rare and historically significant artifact for collectors of Japanese history, samurai culture, and Meiji-era woodblock literature.
