Kanagaki Robun (假名垣魯文)
Kanagaki Robun (假名垣魯文; February 2, 1829 - November 8, 1894) was the pen name of Nozaki Bunzō (野崎文蔵). Born in the Kyobashi neighborhood of Edo (Tokyo) to a fishmonger, Kanagaki was drawn to literature and poetry at an early age. After briefly working as a clerk, he began publishing poetry and gesaku literature, though he continued to operate a shop to support himself. Kanagaki's big break came with the 1855 Edo earthquake, when his brief description of the event (which he barely survived himself) was joined to a visual depiction by the painter Kawanabe Kyōsai; later, he and Kawanabe collaborated to create what is often considered Japan's first manga magazine, the Illustrated News (絵新聞日本地). Afterwards, he continued to write poems, plays, and other works of fiction, but in the 1870s turned to journalism. His background in gesaku, often seen as frivolous and satirical, and geared towards a popular audience rather than the literary elite, prepared Kanagaki well for the era of mass journalism. He also wrote illustrated biographies of famous individuals and a series on female murderers, which proved highly popular.
AKA: 假名垣魯文
Geographical Games.
各國航海境界雙錄[六] / [Sugoroku of Each Country's Maritime Boundaries].
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A brilliantly-colored game from the early Meiji, this c. 1870 ukiyo-e sugoroku sheet reflects the interests of the times, focusing on foreign countries and modern naval technology. (more details)
A Different Sort of 'Journey to the West.'
西洋道中膝栗毛 / ['Travels on the Western Road: Hizakurige']. [Vol. 4, Part 2; Vol. 6, Part 1 and 2].
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A rare set of three books from a fictional serialized comic travelogue written in the early 1870s by Kanagaki Robun. The series, titled 'Travels on the Western Road,' is a distinctive product of the early Meiji period, when fascination with Western technology and culture peaked, a phenomenon the book both reinforces and ridicules. (more details)