Books~~Illustrations~~Science~~History~~Visual Materia Obscura~~Eclectic Bookart. 'Nansō Satomi Hakkenden' is a truly epic novel (100+ volumes) that was published in Japan over a thirty year period in the first half of the 19th century. Its author, Kyokutei Bakin (1767-1848), was blind towards the end and his daughter-in-law had to transcribe his dictation. Bakin was the first person to make a liv