Chirimen-bon
In short: An illustrated Japanese booklet printed on crepe paper with a cloth-like texture.
Term
How does it work in the tale?
The sparrow booklet puts woodblock-printed pictures alongside the text. The crinkled paper gives the format its name. The 1885 booklet about the crab and the monkey is another example. I’m Black Horse. If you could draw only one page, which moment would you pick?
How did a fairy-tale booklet become a souvenir?
The Library of Congress records that these illustrated translations originally helped Japanese readers encounter foreign languages. The booklets later became small gifts visitors from abroad could take home. The 1885 Tongue-Cut Sparrow credits David Thompson as translator and Kobayashi Eitaku as illustrator. Both helped readers encounter the tale in another language.