Japan
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Katsushika Hokusai
Edo (Tokyo), Japan
Archival Overview
Supreme master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printing whose iconic series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji—above all The Great Wave off Kanagawa—captivated the world and inspired European Impressionism and Japonisme.
Biographical Record
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) was the undisputed colossus of Japan's Edo-period ukiyo-e ('floating world') printmaking. Throughout a relentless seventy-year career, constantly changing his artistic name and residence over ninety times, Hokusai produced an astonishing corpus of 30,000 prints, book illustrations, and paintings.
In his seventies, he published the landmark print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1830–1832), utilizing newly imported Prussian blue pigment. Its opening print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, juxtaposing a colossal, claw-like wave towering over fragile fishermen's boats with the serene, distant peak of sacred Mount Fuji, became one of the most recognized artworks in global history, profoundly influencing Monet, Van Gogh, and Debussy.
Key Life Milestones
Publication of Hokusai Manga (Vol. 1)
Published the first volume of his sketchbook encyclopedia, establishing the artistic term and foundation of modern manga.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Published The Great Wave in Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, creating an immortal global masterpiece of graphic design.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialEdo (Tokyo), Japan