The cover design is inspired by the pivotal moments featured in the book — the shift from the Meiji era to modern Japan. On the left, is an old Japanese scenery, and on the right is scenery of modern Japan. The disproportion in the sizes of these two sceneries emphasizes the Meiji era, in which most of the book is set in.
Sensei’s monthly visit to his friend’s grave and his last testament to the narrator, which makes him the only person to know about Sensei’s past, become the critical part of the book. I have captured this significance through a tombstone (his friend’s grave) and two figures (Sensei and the narrator) at the bottom, positioning them in their respective eras. On the left is a woman representing Sensei’s wife, who remains in the dark about Sensei’s past.
