Kibyoshi (“yellow covers”) were popular picture-books produced in the middle of the Edo Period (1600-1860). They combined woodblock printed scenes with satirical text and dialogue. The text moves through the image like sound through space. Translations of several kibyoshi can be found in Manga of the Floating World: Comicbook Culture and the Kibyoshi of Edo Japan by Adam L. Kern (Harvard University Press). Link to online collection:
Tokyo University
