Although Buddhism has received worldwide attention through high-profile followers from the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch to film star Richard Gere, less is known in Western culture about the Buddha himself. In The Life of Buddha, talented Japanese illustrator Miho Sadogawa, also known as Erotic Dragon, tells the story of this religious figure in illustrations based on the traditional Buddhist painting style. The result is an opulent visual feast, which will both captivate and educate children and adults.

Erotic Dragon’s lush artwork combines Western influences from Gustav Klimt to Art Nouveau and Moebius with both traditional Japanese graphic design and futuristic Asian images such as Manga comics. This combination results in a wholly original, yet fitting style for her subject. The 100-page hardcover visualizes Siddhartha’s childhood in a royal family, his education, his spiritual awakening and his travels and teachings as Buddha. It also contains an impressive fold out depicting Buddha’s fight against his own evil thoughts.

Erotic Dragon’s unique illustration and graphic design was also featured in and on the cover of Grimm.