Illustrated Life of Nichiren

Several versions of Nichiren's illustrated life have been published since the Edo period. Next to the famous hand painted Kano scrolls, the most important is surely Ogawa Taido's iconic Nichiren daishi shinjitsuden. The first woodblock print version, illustrated by Hasegawa Setsudai, was published in the first month of 1895. The present booklet does not have the pretense to portray the historical Nichiren, but rather the legendary religious leader as known in popular culture. To this purpose, more illustrations from the Nichiren shonin ichidai zu-e, illustrated by Katsushika Isai, as well as a series of prints from Utagawa Kuniyoshi were added.