Japanese illustrated manuscript entitled "Buko Setsugekka" ('Beautiful Military Exploits') by Matsuyama, 1721 (Kyoho 6)

This is a guide on how a samurai gets dressed with 21 hand drawn and coloured illustrations on fine paper, dating from 1721, reading right to left. Each drawing is accompanied by poems and descriptions in Japanese calligraphy. The book commences with a man putting on underwear ('fundoshi'), followed by step-by-step pictures of him adding more and more items of clothing and armour, ending with a complete suit of samurai chain kusari gosok armour. This sequence is followed by an illustration of him holding an enemy's decapitated head dripping blood, then by one of him eating a bowl a rice (resting after the battle?), and finally, by one of him painting a bird, which might represent the fact that samurai were expecty to be noble and highly educated.