The Story Behind these Hokusai Prints

Hokusai (c1760-1849) was a Japanese artist that lived during the Edo period. The Edo period is considered the final period of traditional Japan, a time in which there was political balance, societal peace, and a thriving economy. It is unclear who raised Hokusai but his childhood was spent in an artisan community in Edo (now Tokyo). He started painting and carving woodblocks at a young age of around 6 years old. During his teenage years, he earned money as a library clerk before moving on to working as a woodblock cutter in 1774.

Hokusai travelled extensively during his life and lived in 93 different places. He infamously produced 30,000 pieces of artwork including woodblock prints and paintings. His style lent itself to the Ukiyo-e genre which can be translated as “pictures of the floating world”. The Ukiyo-e style generally depicted characters such as sumo wrestlers and geishas; natural landscapes; and scenes from history or folk tales.

Hokusai’s career spanned 7 decades, and he produced several series, including a series focusing on subjects such as Mount Fuji, and kabuki actors. He was known under multiple pseudonyms, which he embraced to explore his various artistic styles. He was notorious for being an eccentric character who worked from dawn until well after dusk. In the 1830s, a fire tore through his city ad sadly perished many of his works. His work has been recognised by many artistic movements throughout time, including French impressionism, Japonisme, and as inspiration for Manga comic books.