Sarutobi goes wild (Great Rampage) | Akahon manga (red book) | Cover illustration

A whirlwind of slapstick ninja chaos, 'Sarutobi Ōabare' (Sarutobi’s Great Rampage) exemplifies the wacky, goofy, chaotic energy of early Akahon manga. This hand-colored cover, drawn by Nakai Yanosuke, bursts with movement, humor, and exaggerated expression ... all defining features of the postwar children’s manga boom!

Its hero, a cartoonish version of the legendary ninja Sarutobi Sasuke, battles bumbling villains and tentacled surprises in a world where feudal fantasy meets pop culture parody.
Like much of the Akahon tradition, this piece blurs lines between folklore, farce, and fierce imagination ... a rare surviving example of Japan’s early postwar manga | a period of revolution in popular printed media

Akahon (赤本, “red books”) were brightly colored, affordable comic books popular in Japan from the late 1940s to early 1950s. Often sold at festivals or candy shops, these small booklets featured action, humor, fairy tales, and heroes—both local and borrowed from Western stories. Printed quickly and vividly, Akahon played a key role in shaping Japan’s postwar manga culture, offering children a joyful escape in a time of recovery.