[Title]
Soseki Meisaku Manga (Classic Natsume Soseki Masterpieces in Manga / Graphic Novel Format)
Author/Illustrator: Ippei Okamoto (The founding father of modern Japanese Manga)
Original Author: Soseki Natsume (The most legendary novelist in Japanese history)
Publisher: Nihon Kindai Bungakukan (Museum of Modern Japanese Literature) /
Tosho Geppan Exclusive (Limited Commemorative Miniature Book Edition, Out of Print)
Pages: 103 pages
Size: Approx. 12.0 cm × 8.3 cm
※Note on Publication Year: Although there is no explicit date printed inside,
based on the official history of the Museum (the elite reproduction series launched in Autumn 1968),
this exclusive archive piece is strongly estimated to have been printed around 1969.
As a limited commemorative giveaway, no later printings or second editions exist, making this
a true one-time historical first print deadstock.
[INSERT]
- Includes the original exclusive Japanese explanatory commentary sheet
[Historical & Academic Importance]
This exquisite miniature book is a highly prized masterpiece created by the Nihon Kindai Bungakukan
to commemorate the publication of their elite literary reproduction series.
It replicates the legendary pre-war mid-Showa era manga adaptations originally published in
"Gendai Manga Taikan Vol.2 (1928)" and "Ippei Zenshu Vol.7 (1929)" by Ippei Okamoto.
It contains iconic visual-textual retellings of Soseki Natsume's global masterpieces:
- "Botchan Picture Story" (坊ちゃん絵物語)
- "Botchan Historic Site Tour" (坊ちゃん遺跡めぐり)
- "Kusamakura Picture Story" (草枕絵物語)
Because this was an exclusive, limited commemorative edition distributed only in Japan
by the Museum of Literature, finding an unused archive copy with the original commentary sheet
is a true miracle for global collectors of historical Manga evolution and Japanese classic literature.