Selected Insects from Close at Hand (Chūka senzen)

In this finely printed book, images of insects and plants alternate with pages of Chinese poetry. Color woodblock-printed books were more expensive and labor-intensive than those printed with ink. Each color necessitated a separate woodblock, and a single colored image required a printer to print on the same sheet multiple times. This publication also presents the illustrations as if they are prints by omitting the typical framing lines seen in books, allowing the picture to extend from one page to another.