asa-no-ha byōshibon 麻の葉表紙本

A type of *ehon 絵本, a woodblock-printed picture book. Small books of kikuban 菊判 size (152 x 218 mm). A printed design of hemp, asa 麻, leaves appears on the book's cover *hyōshi 表紙, hence the name. Scattered amongst the design of asa leaves on the covers are circular designs of flowers and grasses. In examples with covers printed in red, the contents were geared toward adults, whereas blue covers containing simpler texts were designed for the family or the enjoyment of children. These books were popular from the Hōreki 宝暦 (1751-64) to the Bunsei 文政 (1818-30) eras. The majority of ehon designed by the *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 artists Ishikawa Toyonobu 石川豊信 (1711-85), Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (1724-70), and their followers are asa-no-ha byōshibon.