Who is Hokusai?

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a Japanese painter active during the Edo period (1603-1868) who created many Ukiyo-e, genre paintings that were popular during the Edo period. He was born in Sumida-ku, Tokyo, and later moved from one place to another as he continued to create Ukiyo-e. It is said that he spent most of his life in Sumida-ku and took his name from the name of the place, which was called Katsushika at that time.

Hokusai was a man who sought to master the essence of painting in Japan at that time, and from the age of 19, he studied not only Ukiyo-e, but also the traditional schools of Japanese painting such as the Kano-ha and Rimpa, as well as various Western painting styles. Later, he left all styles and continued to paint with the universe, earth, and nature itself as his teacher. 

Hokusai was an extremely diligent artist, and even after he passed the age of 70, he never became conceited, always striving to improve his skills. At the age of 71, a collection of prints, which could be said to be the culmination of his painting career, was published.

It is "Fugaku Sanjurokkei" (Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji), a catalogue collection consisting of thirty-six landscape prints of Japan's most famous mountain, Mt. Fuji. The prints have been popular since their publication, so 10 landscapes had been added, bringing the total number of prints in Fugaku Sanjurokkei to 46.

Fugaku Sanjurokkei has influenced every Western artist, including the French painter Henri Rivière and the composer Debussy.Although Hokusai is said to have said that the works he painted before the age of 70 were insignificant, they still influenced Impressionist painters such as Vincent Van Gogh and Edgar Degas, as well as glass artist Emile Gallé, even in his 52-year-old version of the Hokusai manga. As one of the ukiyo-e artists introduced in the style of Japonisme at the Paris Exposition of 1867, Hokusai became a world-renowned artist.

In 1960, he was honored as one of the world's cultural masters at the World Peace Council in Vienna, and in 1998, American photo journal LIFE ”The Life Millennium”, "The 100 most important world figures of the last 1,000 years". Hokusai was the only Japanese artist selected for this honor.

What is Ukiyo-e?

Ukiyo-e is a style of painting established in the Edo period (1603-1868), especially genre paintings based on themes such as the lifestyle and fashion of common people, Yu-Jo (prostitutes), Kabuki actors, and landscapes. The style has the meaning of "picture" in “Ukiyo," which refers to the world in which the bearers of culture shifted from the ruling class (e.g., samurai) to the townspeople, who spent their time enjoying themselves after the end of the Warring States period.

Although some ukiyo-e are handwritten, called Nihitsu-ga, but most are woodblock prints. The vivid multi-colored prints were called Nishiki-e, meaning "beautiful and splendid" (=Nishiki) in those days.

Ukiyo-e published in woodblock prints is a kind of craft that is completed by a division of labor, with specialists such as "E-shi," the artist who draws the original, like Hokusai, "Horsi-shi," who engraves the woodblock from the original, and "Suri-shi," who prints the paint based on the woodblock.