Translated from the Japanese

The first volume of Osamu Tezuka's fictional biography of Siddhartha, Gautama Buddha. Introduces Chapra, a slave boy who tries to escape his fate; Chapra's slave mother, who sticks by him no matter what; Tatta, a crazed wild child pariah who communes with animals; and Naradatta, a monk attempting to decipher strange portents of the Buddha's birth

"Originally published in Japanese as Budda dai ikkan Kapiravasutu by Ushio Shuppansha, Tokyo, 1987"--Title page verso

"The artwork of the original has been produced as a mirror-image in order to conform with the English language"--Title page verso

"This work of fiction contains characters and episodes that are not part of the historical record"--Title page verso

Brahmin -- Tatta the urchin -- General Budai -- Announcement -- Chapra -- King's cup -- Birth -- Contest -- All for a cure -- Prophecy -- Judgment -- Wall of death