Is This 1801 Scroll A Comic Book?

Just ran into this while surfing randomly online. It's a scroll from Japan dated 1801 recounting a story called the Ooishi Hyoroku Monogatari.

What is the story about? Heroes and weird villains.

Look at some samples (the complete scroll here):


Is this a type of comic book? Why or why not?

(via Pink Tentacle)