The "Ryoha shigen" (Words on the Wine Cup of the Pleasure Quarters, 1728) and "Shirin zanka" (Remaining Flowers of the Historical Forest), published in the Kyoho era and humorously describing the manners and customs of Yoshiwara in Edo (the most famous pleasure quarter during the Edo period) in kanbun (Sino-Japanese) style, are regarded as the first well-known sharebon works.
洒落本の元祖と目されるのは享保年間出版の『両巴巵言（りょうはしげん）』（1728年）、『史林残花』で、漢文体で江戸・吉原の風俗を滑稽に描いたものである。