Katsushika Hokusai at age 83, portrait by one of his disciples

About the Artist

Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai, known simply as Hokusai (1760—1849) was a Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) school. His early works represent the full spectrum of ukiyo-e art, including single-sheet prints of landscapes and actors, hand paintings, and surimono (“printed things”), such as greetings and announcements. His famous print series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” published between 1826 and 1833, marked the summit in the history of the Japanese landscape print.