EDITORIAL: In this issue of Andon we offer you three articles for non-specialists. Arendie Kempers has collected events in the life of the legendary monk Benkei, often depicted in netsuke, lacquerware, prints and paintings, and compiled these into a coherent story. The second article, by Richard Lane, is an introduction to early ukiyo-e prints from its roots in Momoyama genre paintings up to the brocade prints by Harunobu and Koryûsai. Prints and paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum serve as illustrations. Finally, Robert Kinsey presents a short intoduction to one of the ultimate forms of miniature art: ojime. These sliding beads, made of all kinds of materials and usually less than two centimeters in size, secure the fastening of inrô, tobacco containers and other utensils worn from the sash.