LIST OF CONTENTS

PART ONE

Introduction:

Brief History Of Hokusai
A Brief History Of Japan

Pre-historic to 800CE, 800CE- 1350CE, 1350CE - 1600CE, Description of the GoKaido

An Overview Of Woodblock Printmaking:

Introduction, Designing the print, Etching the blocks, Printing the design, Binding the Series

Hokusai, The Old Man Mad About Drawing:

The Floating World

Hokusai's Beginnings: Birth, Childhood and Early Apprenticeship, Ukiyo-e, Katsukawa Shunsho: Hokusai's first Print-Master, A Riot Of Colour..., L'Amour d'une Artiste..., Hokusai's Sori Period

Fame!...No Fortune

Katsushika Hokusai Period, Rock Star..., Taito Period,

Just A Few More Years

A more reflective Soul..., Humility...tinged with pride, A joy! in passing...

PART TWO

Notes On The Text

Select Japanese (Romanji) Glossary

Hokusai's Rivals: A Look At Some Of Hokusai's Contemporaries
Useful Links:

David Bull Tokyo Printmaker
Selected Further Reading
Various Ukiyo-e Sites
Sample Ukiyo-e Prints:

Surimono, Kakemono, Books, Cards.

General Links:

Museums and Galleries, Japanese History and Culture, Samurai-related Links, Kumihimo.

PART ONE

This is the short version of the article for those of you who are tourists rather than explorers....  ...and there is absolutely nothing wrong with "tourism" it's often all the time we have in our far too busy lives! ...right? Explorers can skip this bit and settle into the next section: "A Brief History of Japan". Either way...Enjoy! Peter

Katsushika Hokusai was an artist who lived in Japan from 1760 to 1849. He revolutionised a type of art that had been started about a hundred and twenty-five years earlier by a certain "Matahei".although there are those who attribute it's inception elsewhere. He worked firstly in a bookshop, then as an engraver and then, finally, before he went his own way, as a student with Katsukawa Shunsho, a very well-respected woodblock artist and painter in Edo (Tokyo).  Ukiyo-e was actually "looked down upon" by the noblility as vulgar..the view remains to this day in many areas of Japan.  Having finished his apprenticeship with Shunsho he experimented briefly with other schools including the Kano, a classical / traditional Chinese school much extolled by the nobility and those desirous of preserving the status quo in feudal Japan of the eighteenth century.

Hokusai worked at his profession under Shunsho's tutelage producing prints of actors, feminine beauties like Geisha, Oiren etc. and some nature and landscape work. After 3 years or so he started gaining  his own reputation, having been given an "Artist's name" by his "Sensei" of "Shunro" which is how he signed his work then. Eventually, after working a while, marrying twice, and falling out with the school ran by Shunsho, who had now passed away and was succeeded by one of his students (universally known for being a doppelganger of his erstwhile masters style and principles), he struck  out on his own having begun to establish a modest reputation... although, like many artists, he supplemented his income by selling calendars and other objects to the inhabitants of Edo where he lived.

Hokusai travelled a bit and created various series of prints which became more and more popular and was eventually recognised for his talent by fame in his city of birth. Since the Shogun had closed off Japan from the world, there wasn't much chance to gain a reputation abroad or gain financial advantage from that fact. His first real unique production was his 15 volume Manga sketches composed of a little under 4,000 designs. The 36 views of Fuji cemented his reputation and wore out the blocks it was printed from as well as being added to later by a series of 100 views of Japan's sacred mountain.  Hokusai had 5 children, the youngest girl of whom, also became an artist. He influenced many "western" artists including Picasso, Whistler and Mucha.  He was given an affectionate name: The Old Man Mad About Drawing.  He died when 89 having worked right up until the end.  A few years later, Japan opened up and his fame spread further afield.  His "Great Wave" picture is one of the biggest ever selling prints in the history of the world including Leonardo's, Rembrandt's, Picasso's and Monet's works.

Hokusai was very "eccentric" not suffering fools gladly and was generally poor as the sort of work he did wasn't considered of high value, well at least not until the very end of his career. He frequented the red light  district of Edo both for company and inspiration.  He also taught approx. 50 students during his life. He collaborated with many other artists and writers illustrating novels, travelogues, books of poetry as well as creating invitations and other publicity materials. His life's work consisted of circa 30,000 designs.

To paraphrase what Hokusai said when he was about 84:  "please just give me 5 or ten more years, I'm just beginning to get the hang of this..."


Introduction
I have included this first (of two) background mini-articles to give a cursory glance at the backdrop of Hokusai's life and work; the other being woodblock printmaking.  They are both  very short but crucial, I feel to an understanding of this amazing personnage.

Pre-historic to 800AD ( "Jomon - Yayoi - Kofun -Nara" Periods)
The earliest "Japanese" period, The "Jomon",  ( so called due to the cord markings Jo="rope", mon="pattern" produced as decoration on ceramicware made during the period), lasted from circa 10,000BCE to about 300BCE.  Like much of the planet, people were hunter-gatherers and the next significant step in Japan's evolution came with the introduction of rice-growing from Korea in the 600-year "Yayoi" Period.  The first 800 years after the "Yayoi", until about 800CE, saw the Imperial family established, influence in Japanese  law from China,  trade with Korea and China,  Bhuddism established... and a centralised government at what became the seat of both Bhuddism and government at Nara. Some of the very famous cultural events started in this period like formal histories of "Nihon", the building of the Great Buddha at the Todaiji temple in Nara, celebrated poems were written and so on. This last period was greatly influenced by Chinese culture in particular.



800AD - 1350 ( "Heian -Kamakura" Periods)
The Japanese government moved to "Heian", (Kyoto), and various clans effectively controlled the government instead of the Emperor who became mostly ceremonial; A "purer" "Japanese" culture now developed with famous sculpture and literature being created like the "Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon" which was fairly recently made into a film and "The Tale of Genji" as well as the statues in Nara's Temple precincts etc...  The Taira family, known for their battle prowess,  (despite their family "Mon" of a Butterfly,  (see Fig 3 ),  and their very famous Daimyo: Taira no Kiyomori, who formed the first Samourai-dominated (see Fig 2) government which was then overthrown by another celebrated Japanese family: the "Minamoto". Minamoto no Yoritomo became "Shogun" and had his headquarters at the town that gave it's name to this period: Kamakura. This period favoured military style politics, culture and stories.

1350AD - 1600 ( "Muromachi" -"Azuchi-Momoyama" Periods)
This period started with a political fight between Emperor Go-Daigo, (who had briefly restored control of the government to the imperial court), and former supporter: Ashikaga Takauji, who had overthrown Minamoto's Kamakura Shogunate...and now formed his own called the "Muromachi". The weakening and eventual collapse of the Ashikagas heralded the beginning of the famous "Sengoku Period" in Japan where many clans fought for control for some while with nobody successfully dominating until an alliance, principally between Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and, later, Tokugawa Ieyasu, (who vanquished his last opposition at the famous battle of Sekigahara), prevailed and established the capital at Edo...now: Tokyo.  During this latter period, chinese ink painting, (Sumi-e), Noh Theatre, Kyogen, The famous "Tea Ceremony" or "Way of Tea" and "Ikebana" (Flower arranging) appeared. Some of Japan's most elaborate castles including Ikeda Terumasa's amazing example of the genre at Himeji, to the west of Osaka, which is now a world heritage sitecontaining many of Japan's treasures.

Another interesting facet of this Pre-Hokusai period of peace and productivity", was the introduction, by Tokugawa IIeyasu, of a "police" force that patrolled the more prominent highways in Japan,(see Fig 6, a representation very roughly of Tokugawa's Japan just as he was settling into his new capital), notably the Tokaido" one of the "Gokaidō"or "five major highways" (Please see below and Fig 7.)  These highways, with their "Stations" or waypoints at villages, teahouses and places of particular beauty or interest...often with superb panoramas, waterfalls, (see Fig 8), etc,  inspired many works by many famous Ukiyo-e artists such as Hiroshige with his woodblock Printsof the Tokaido Stations, Hokusai with his famous: “A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces”, one of which is the subject of Fig 8, below K. Taito, Odai, and many more.

Description of the GoKaido:
1: Kisokaidō:       Edo-Tokyo Inland Route       (69 stations)

2: Tō kaidō:         Edo-Tokyo Coastal route         (53 stations)  Link  to Ando Hiroshige’s famous 53 Stations of the To-Kai-do woodblock Prints (by the way this highway has also been made into a Boardgame!

3: Kōshū Kaidō:   Edo-Shimosuwa-shuku      (44 stations)

4: Ōshū Kaidō:     Edo-Fukushima                    (27 stations)

5: Nikkō Kaidō:    Edo-Nikkō Tōshō-gū          (21 stations)

All the above highways, that started from Edo, had "mileposts" installed, (which were measured from the Nihonbashi Bridge and still bears the words "Origin of Roads in Japan" on a bronze signpost), called "ichiri-zuka", (ichiri = 2.44 miles), installed along highways around the country in 1604 by the Tokugawas...  (Originally built of wood, see Fig 7, Nihonbashi Bridge was reconstructed in stone during the Meiji period in 1911 ). This period introduced probably the longest era of "peace" in Japanese history.  Naturally as happens during peacetime, the pleasurable arts blossomed, Bushido, the "way of the Warrior" developed a poetic and artistic side, and entertainment expanded and diversified including:  illicit gambling using , principally, the "Hanafuda" or "Flower Cards" deck, (see fig 4),  playing games such as “KoiKoi" (please see Figs 4-5, below ), an upsurge in Brothels and Oiren, (Sex Workers), Geisha, (Entertainers), and  other personages that were to inspire woodblock artists for the next 2 centuries and heralded the beginning of what became known as the "Edo" Period,  which gave birth to the inspirational "Pictures of the Floating World" or: "Ukiyo-E"`  Having set the scene for Hokusai's birth, we ought to take a quick peek at the rudiments of woodblock printing to understand the task that was required for all the amazing finished prints we are about to discover.  Armed with this knowledge we can cheerfully plunge into our introduction to the master himself...

Printmaking

Introduction

Having set the scene for Hokusai's birth, we ought to take a quick peek at the rudiments of woodblock printing to understand the task that was required for all the amazing finished prints we are about to discover.  Armed with this knowledge we can cheerfully plunge into our introduction to the master himself...  The information, techniques and examples shown here are but a tiny fraction of the enormous amount of knowledge required to be an accomplished, or “Master” printermaker if you will: a venerable “Sensei”.  In those days, and to a certain extent amongst those practising traditional Japanese Arts today, The Sensei was truly venerated to the point where the student, not much nowadays..., would take on the Family name of the person who was teaching them;  In actual fact, it would be the Sensei who accorded this signal honour.

Like many Japanese arts, the tools for this particular calling were very simple-looking and depended very much on the “touch” or “feel” of the person using them to accom-plish their task.  Again, like most crafts practised by this Island race, the tools were designed to be made by the person who used them.  But, do not for one moment think that making these “Simple” tools was an easy matter, relegated perhaps to the one considered “The drudge” of the workshop... The “Baren” for example was often made by a specialist who did nothing else! ... and these tools for pressing down the paper on to the inked block could take up to 2 months to make since layers of paper and laquer had to be repeatedly applied and then you waited hours or days for them to dry before repeating the process.. please see Fig 14.

I have included, together with the information on the Baren, in Figs 10 - 14, an overview of the principal processes involved. I haven’t included the papermaking or cord making processes, vital as they are to production of woodblock prints and the books they are often bound into, due to space and: this is about Hokusai... not all Japanese crafts... fascinating and seductive as that thought may be to me... besides, I can justify with ease some background on Japanese history and woodblock printing as it affects Hokusai very directly... Cordmaking?... not so much....

Designing the print

I’m sure that many artists of the period like Hokusai, and like us, go through all sorts of stages when deciding upon giving birth to one of our creations. Does the idea have merit, if so to whom...and how many? Is it Art?, is it political, a satire, a look at life something that we have fallen in love with and wish to caress with the brush and paint....?   Will it earn us money to eat and have a roof over our heads?  Hokusai’s answer may well have been simply this: Just take a look at everything that's going on around you! Can you fathom it all? look at the colours! the sounds! and the smells... freshly boiled rice...and fish! flowers!, children! not afraid to grab a strangers sleeve to turn quickly and avoid their friend who’s chasing them.... the miller making rice flour, the sword smith rubbing,  with a single drop of water and a few grains of corundum on one fingertip, the edge of a steel blade that has been folded 40 times! The neck of that woman as she disappears on what errand?. life! Life! life! it’s around you within you.. breathe it in and savour it !    what could be a better subject for a drawing?......so much choice! and so little time!  And we haven’t even touched on myths and legends like the mice (Fig 14)  or the maiden (fig 15)  and those pesky Samourai, always lording it over us all......or some such, the point is Hokusai drew everything! So the first stage is easy look and draw.  Then maybe do a little editing and create a second version, and when you’re finally satisfied, (see the 5 “Manga” prints below),  take it to a woodblock carver.



Okay perhaps a quick few words on those manga pics:  The first of these five images (fig 14, below), from Hokusai’s Manga, (...er.... no relation...though I’m sure it inspired many modern “manga” artists, btw manga means: “sketchbooks from life” and the first volume was published in 1814 and had 52 pages of illustrations), shows the famous Mice in their hideout of “Kakure-Sato”probably just before the rice cakes roll in?... Next to them is the poor man who was on his way to a wrestling match(fig 15)  and thought he’d have his way with a passing maiden... sadly she simply clamped her arm shut as he grabbed her, and carried on home without spilling a drop from the water bucket she was transporting... The next one is believed by some to be auto biographical in part as Hokusai embraced his older years and in Japan,  there is a reverence for the age and wisdom or experience of those advanced in years that seems to be somewhat lacking in “western culture” To the Old  Man’s right, (fig 17) , is one of the innumerable uses of bamboo and water that may be found all over Japan from “bird-scarers” to outdoor clocks and  rice pounders like this picture  depicts... Finally, a rumbustious, teeming mass of humanity intent on a game of “Go” , playing a shamisen, transporting  goods or selling rice balls perhaps?... in any event, this is typical of many many pages in the manga that show many angles on many occupations...literally!

Etching the blocks

This is a very painstaking part of the process... see the Youtube video above... There are usually at least 4, often 5-9 and on occasion as many as twelve (I’m talking now about the Edo period...though it is just as true of today’s techniques by traditional artists in Japan and elsewhere). I feel that words are of little use here... so I have inserted a series of pictures, (for which I am indebted to the aforementioned David Bull for so generously allowing me to use them), with short commentaries to give a general overview. I have also included a video of the process with modern "Chibi" characters as the subject, for a look at the process from design to finished, (and posted!), Print. There are, also plenty of links for the reader to watch the various processes being used by the best teachers: those using the techniques very professionally... David is one of these and  quietly inserts apposite and useful comments with a “gentle enthusiasm”...

Printing the design

Master printer Keizaburo Matsuzaki visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales, (Australia), in March 2010, in conjunction with the exhibition “Hymn to Beauty: the art of Utamaro” He brought with him the woodblocks to recreate a print of "Takashima Ohisa", (the teahouse waitress), designed by Kitagawa Utamaro, (1754-1806, see also Part 2 of this article for more info on Utamaro), in the 1790s Please see the Youtube video below:




Another fine contemporary designer, carver and printer, is a certain Mr David Bull An (English-born Canadian but now resident in Tokyo, Japan), whose website contains just about anything you could wish to know on the subject of woodblock printmaking. There are hundreds of informative illustrations of the tools, carving, printing process and supplies on a monthly mail out basis, hand-made  prints for what I feel is a very modest price. Do check out his  Youtube video, (above, 15m46s), of David Bull producing a set of Ukiyo-e style chibi prints in this excellent short film. He also has a webcam on his studio where I spoke with him just a few hours ago...(the times of webcam live daily activity are on the site.)

Binding the Series

Before we start on the book-binding process, let’s have a very quick word on the other presentations used to sell their wares by print publishers. There was the “Surimono” or single-sheet print. This had the advantage of being less expensive than books or a whole series; There was also the “Kaketomo” or  “hanging scroll”,  although this was usually reserved for hand painted pictures,  (like “Sumi-e”), and calligraphy. Another product was small postcard-sized or less, cards and boxed sets.see also: “varieties of presentation below.  Examples of Surimono, Kakemono etc are included in the general links section, lower down, near the end of the article.
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Hokusai's Beginnings: Birth, Childhood and Early Apprenticeship 1760-78
When Hokusai was born there were still dangers aplenty in daily life. Bandits  could be hidden in any hilltop and rush down on unwary or unescorted travellers... very dangerous ones that would cut your arms off for a bowl of rice!, beautifully portrayed by Akira Kurosawa's romantic and touching, yet brutal and unforgiving, early essay on the samurai in his 1954 >Film (available via "bfi") called: "The Seven Samurai" starring the inimitable: Toshiro ; not too mention opportunist muggers in cities;  but there were few actual serious real battles, and the Samourai had mostly resorted to practising their skills rather than actually using them - except in the odd skirmish with those pesky aforementioned bandits or an uppity local Daimyo or two who was a trifle restless, (in fact the peace lasted for so long, about 250 years, that many samourai lost their "edge" after a while - (both their own skills and the edge of their swords!) - not even bothering to wear real swords at the end of the Edo, towards the Meiji Period, (restoration of the monarchy from about 1860ish).   Hokusai was born to artisan parents in the country’s capital: Edo in a nondescript district, Honjo/Katsushika. His father, whom one school of thought believe to be only his "foster-father"  ...there are many gaps in Hokusai's documented history.  a certain Nakajima Ise, was a mirror polisher and fairly "respectable", as far as his caste level were concerned.

Capital-isms, Commune-isms and Feudalities..
Edo was, as generally capitals are, a bustling, busy, multi-layered affair with very strict codes of behaviour and a caste system that went from the Emperor..., esconsed in his own capital of "Heian" (now: Kyoto), who was considered a Deity, ...down to the lowliest serf, which was not not dissimilar to the feudal medieval system in Europe or modern "Communist states and "Western" "democracies",  (...who was it who said: "Capitalism" is: "Man using Man"...and Communism is: the exact opposite"). Tokugawa Ieyasu, the legendary Daimyo who had united all of Japan for the first time under his shogunate (a military dictatorship)150 years or so previously, after the battle of Sekigahara, had made Edo his capital and it has remained so since... Edo was, as generally capitals are, a bustling, busy, multi-layered affair with very strict codes of behaviour and a caste system that went from the Emperor, esconsed in his own capital of "Heian" (now: Kyoto), who was considered a Deity, down to the lowliest serf... not dissimilar to the feudal medieval system in Europe or modern England. The Samourai were the rank below the Imperial family and The Daimyo families, and above the merchant class with the craftsmen next who were above, finally, the labourers. (some place the merchants above the samourai, but I'm not one of those, although the case could be argued.

The "Barrow-Boy" of Old Edo...
Hokusai would have thrived with his "Kiplinesque" 'satiable curiosity, in Edo as he would have, incidentally, in London's "East End"; amongst the stall-holders of Whitechapel and  Brick Lane with it's colourful Indian garment district, cafes, and wheeler-dealers ducking and diving in and out of the eagle*, (*Please see "Notes On The Text" in the "Useful Links" section near the bottom for this and other asterisk marked items in the text), and similar rumbustious, higgledy~piggledy waves of bustling porters and "pig-tailed" Chinese men in their exquisitely sewn "Mandarin" robes running restaurants near the docks* with the almost overpowering smell of pepper and other spices from Asia, would have like Edo, have inspired reams and reams of Hokusai's paper, particularly because, and here is why I have drawn this parallel: Hokusai was inordinately proud of his "Working class" origins, just like the East-End "cockney's".  Although (in our world), artists are often viewed by us contemporary folk as anything from "Exquisitely talented"  to "Total rip-offs" with people muttering: "My three year old could have done better than that heap of....etc", especially when more dubious or slightly less "understandable" works of "Art" hit the public consciousness. In Hokusai's day much of the production by artists such as He, Utamaro, Kuniyoshi, Shunsho et al was actually considered vulgar, and a product of the working classes... therefore not fit for noble consumption. Hokusai, however, was fiercely proud of his "workers" heritage just like the cockney's were, in, and of, East London. With a lengthy peace came luxury goods and entertainments. There was, therefore, time to pursue the gentler arts, especially for those that could afford it. As already mentioned, Tokitaro, (Hokusai's childhood name), started his "strut upon the stage" in 1760, the son of an artisan family, thought by some to have had a concubine as a mother, (supported by rumours that he wasn't a nominated heir to his father...), He was for a while engaged in a booksellers shop when 12, and then from 14 years old to 17 yrs old, he was apprenticed to a wood engraver in another part of the district which must have been a sound background to his future profession and perhaps helped, like his time in the bookshop/library, to inspire it? This is the time when he made his Ukiyo-e "debut" by being accepted by Katsukawa Shunsho, a very competent and well-known artist, as a pupil.


"Ukiyo-e"
Having so recently touched upon the regard in which certain genres and lower castes were held, and the fact that the  phrase "Ukiyo-e" has now been repeated a couple of times.. let us examine it properly before continuing, a useful and brief digression...

The most commonly accepted "translation" is "The Floating World", another school insists upon "The Fleeting World" and yet others: "Pictures of Fun and Lively Life" (it was: "Gay" life but the meaning in english has been usurped because people were unable to be original in inventing a new word...sigh...),  in all cases however, the germ of the idea of a "transitory existence" is implied.  

Although the phrase was, in fact, an insult, nonetheless, it couldn't have been merely the subject matter that offended, (as Coward lyrically writes: "...even educated fleas do it, let's do it, lets fall in..love..."), ) as the highest in the land had their perfectly usual experiences of courtesans. The other objection, that of extolling the life of the lower classes, by using them as illustrations in these "dime novels" or "penny dreadfulesque" books was countered by the fact that: Daimyo and Samurai alike could appreciate the work that, say, a swordsmith, (see also links at endish.. of article) put into their commissioned work...especially considering how important a sword was to it's user, containing as it did, "The Soul" or "Honour" of it's Samurai owner, or the kumihimo braiders that made the cords that held their armour together...no!  

It was more likely that the real reason for the faces covered in disapproving frowns and voicing the negative soubriquets is due to the non-compliance with the the accepted methods of schools of art in favour with the ruling classes.... "plus ca change!, plus ca reste pareil...." as the saying goes....("The more things change: the more they stay just the same...")  So, given the distaste for the genre by those ruling classes, (often due to a need to conceal a guilty, sneaking admiration for the form - such is human nature), not to mention the fact that members of the "more refined schools of art" probably had a strong lobby group and exercised it against their competition   (er I mean: "The great unwashed" who have naught to offer of real value...), they gave this form of "Art" the title: "fleeting", an insult implying that it was about mere transitoriness and superficialities,  and not about truly worthwhile ideas and concepts that needed to be, and were worth preserving, ...or had inherent "permanence" thus at least deserving to be recorded to give some semblance of longevity to them for the benefit and education of generations to come..

Katsukawa Shunsho: Hokusai's first Print-Master (Shunro period: 1779 to 1795)

Shunsho was a Master and the leading light, in the late eighteenth century, of the Katsukawa school.

The Founder of the 17th-18th century Miyagawa school, Shunsui, was the Master of a certain Miyagawa Chōshun who actually founded the Katsukawa school, that Hokusai joined, after Shunsho had taken over the reins when Chosun retired...this school, especially by the time Shunsho had been guiding it for a while, (and by the time Hokusai was running around Edo as a 5-year-old), had already bathed in it's fame for it's paintings, actor and wrestler fan prints and, naturally...that universal best-seller, beautiful women, for a number of years.  Shunsho was, therefore, a well-respected and well-known painter when Hokusai was taken on as a pupil, and had, at least in part, followed Matahei's Ukiyo-e lead: to whom the birth of Ukiyo-e "Style" is attributed in the 17th century.  However, although using methods of both the classical "Kano school", ( much venerated and of Chinese-Origin..), and "Tosa school", ( also a classic school from the mid-15th century, that was also the official "court-style" for a while), ...the two most "respectable"  schools...  used subjects that persuaded the upper classes that this "art" was vulgar in both senses of the word, and therfore to be avoided,  even though Shunsho's fame was fairly widespread. Much of what Sunsho did, as mentioned obliquely above,  was about the theatre. There was money to be made from slim small "fan pictures" of notable actors that were available and sold well; naturally there were also the usual surimono and kakemono, but these were more in the older Ukiyo-e style like Moronobu.

So what were these subjects?... (yeah, I know.. we've already mentioned most of them as subjects of the school Shunsho directed, but I'm making a point...thank you for your patience!),

Quite simply, "to our modern minds" the everyday lives of working folk plus, for a little piquancy, the  adventurous evenings of off-duty Samurai in the "Keiseimachi" or 'Courtesan district'; ( lit: 'district of destroyers of cities'), of the sprawling capital. By the way, around 1800, however, the Utagawa school(with people like Hiroshige, Utamaro, Kuniyoshi and the like), rose to prominence, (...unsurprisingly in hindsight!), replacing the Katsukawa in popularity with their own more characterful, in an "individual" sense, actor portraits as well as surimono and landscape prints and series'. The Katsukawa school ended around 1840.

A Riot Of Colour...
The streets of Edo were always a riot of colour, sounds and smells. There were the garments, of those to-ing and fro-ing from the simplest loincloth, long shirt and straw sandals of those scratching a meagre existence  to the many layered exquisitely and painstakingly coiffured wives and daughters of the nobility with their Yojimbo (bodyguards), he incessant chatter and argument of the denizens, and dozens of minor or major emergencies including, on a regular basis, firemen carrying their "matoi"*, to signify their name and status; Samurai strutting about and disdainfully looking down on the non-noble inhabitants, even though many merchants were much richer; the usual selection of bookshops, print shops, groceries, fruit stalls, rice sellers and the smell of those ubiquitous and all pervasive fish stalls as well as the rich aroma of take-away stalls at night, with it's array of glittering, wavering candles within paper lampshades... must have been very attractive to the perpetually curious young Hokusai!
Hokusai worked hard and by the time he was about 19 had clearly finished his apprenticeship and was, before and after being accorded the name "Shunro" by his master, producing a series of very typical Ukiyo-e prints particularly of male actors, like his master-and in the same way as masters and apprentices in Italy's renaissance period like Michaelangelo,  that were in fact much more similar to those of his peers and antecedents, not to mention his master, than his future ones were to become. Lots of these actor / theatre/ prints were in an accessible, more affordable narrow vertical format of "hoso-e"  about the same size as David Bull's chibi prints here , except that they were usually "portrait" rather than "landscape" as David's are.

L'Amour d'une Artiste...
And what of Hokusai's personal and social life during these latter years?  Well, during the decade he worked with Shunsho, he met and married no less than two women.  The first one died before the first half of the decade had run it's course, and he married the second one just before it did in 1789. ?He produced5 children, in total, from these unions, 2 boys and three girls, the youngest of which, "Oi", as she was nicknamed, became an artist also...  Very little is known of this period as far as relationships are concerned, though there are many rumours, particularly concerning later life, including one where, during one of his innumerable visits to the courtesan quarter, he was credited with inventing a new "position" unknown to the Joro, much to their amusement and that of  "Oiren", and "Geisha" and others of his acquaintance...  One thing, however, is fairly certain, he often visited this district which afforded him company, on a friendly level, that all people need... as well as female company, in particular - in closeted situations - especially since it must be remembered that he produced a number of those banned erotic "Shunga" prints, particularly in later life, that even the disdainful nobility somehow procured.....

Upon the death of Shunsho in 1793, Hokusai began exploring other styles of art, including European styles he was exposed to through French and Dutch copper engravings he was able to acquire. He was expelled from the Katsukawa school fairly rapidly by Shunko, the chief disciple of Shunsho possibly due to studies at the rival Kano school. This event was, in his own words, inspirational: "What really motivated the development of my artistic style was the embarrassment I suffered at Shunko's hands."

Hokusai's Sori Period(Circa1795-1804)
By 1800, Hokusai used ukiyo-e for purposes other than the usual kabuki, Noh theatre and bijin portraiture. He had also adopted the name he would most widely be known by, ....and the next name change!: "Katsushika Hokusai",  referring back to the part of Edo where he was born, followed by Hokusai: 'north (facing) studio'. In 1800 also he published his "Famous Sights of Edo" He also began to attract students of his own. (eventually teaching circa 50 pupils... )  He became famous and due to a talent for self-made publicity, like the "Edo festival temple incident" *, continued to grow more and more so.  "Fireworks at Ryogoku Bridge" (1790) dates from this period of Hokusai's life and was part of his departure from traditional "Ukiyo-e" heralding the type of revolutionary ukiyo-e he started and was to be practiced by the likes of Ando Hiroshige so consummately and successfully; not to mention being the form most of ten recognised by lovers of this unique art form.

This period also saw Hokusai's association with the Tawaraya School and next name change to:  "Tawaraya Sori". He produced many brush paintings, and illustrations for "kyoka-ehon" or: "illustrated comic poems",  during this period and his fame continued to spread.... A principal occupation during this period was the production of Surimono which were a private way of sending greetings or messages/invitations to ones friends, relatives, associates etc.  They were often sent by literary guilds to their members at new years, often including a calendar* or an enigmatic piece of writing or poetry.   Surimono were never produced as an item for the general public.

In 1798, Hokusai passed his name on to a pupil setting out as an independent artist, free from ties to a school for the first time, and, next name change: adopting the name Hokusai Tomisa.  In 1800, the nickname "Gakyojin Hokusai", or "Gakyō Rōjin Manji" meaning: ”Old Man Mad About Drawing”, was given him, (perhaps partly due to the hearsay that stated he created a complete design every morning before midday), reputedly by some of the ladies in the courtesan district of Old Edo, where, it is also rumoured, he managed to discover an amorous position unknown to those giggling ladies that he whiled away some of his time with amidst their tinkling laughter at some of his drawings of the nature of their profession, called: "Shunga".  The laughter was also very nervous since  these drawings, like gambling which often used the famous "flower card game" or "Hanafuda", was prohibited in most areas of Japan... and had been, on and off for many centuries.  He also did these forbidden Shunga drawings with as much insight, tenderness and gusto as the landscapes and figures that he was so much more famous for.



Ukiyo-e Rock Star: Katsushika Hokusai Period (Circa1804/5-10)
By 1800, Hokusai used ukiyo-e for purposes other than the usual kabuki, Noh theatre and "bijin" female portraiture. He had also adopted the name he would most widely be known by, (and the next name change!): "Katsushika Hokusai", referring back to the part of Edo where he was born, followed by "Hokusai", Lit: 'north (facing) studio'. In 1800 also, he published his "Famous Sights of Edo" He also began to attract students of his own. (eventually teaching circa 50 pupils in his lifetime... )  He became famous, and, due to a talent for self-made publicity, like the "Edo festival temple incident" *, continued to grow more and more so. "Fireworks at Ryogoku Bridge" (1790) dates from this period of Hokusai's life and was part of his departure from traditional "Ukiyo-e" heralding the type of revolutionary ukiyo-e he started, and was emulated / practiced by the likes of Ando Hiroshige so consummately and successfully; not to mention being the "form" most often recognised by lovers of this unique art form.

The Old Man, the Doll and the Chicken...
This name and the style of paintings and prints associated with it, is, of course, the most pervasive and loved of Hokusai's incarnations...hence the use in this article's title. In a totalling of all his incarnations, he is credited with producing over 30,000 designs of every kind and in every format from books to surimono, ( single sheet pictures), and has influenced many western European artists , particularly Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec, Picasso and Van Gogh and to a certain very modest extent the pre-Raphaelites and many late 19th to early 20th century poster designers like Mucha. There was also an intense resurgence in the popularity of his work from the 1960's onwards.

In 1800, the nickname "Gakyojin Hokusai", or "Gakyo Rojin Manji" meaning: ”Old Man Mad About Drawing”, was given him, (perhaps due to the rumour that he created a finished design every morning), reputedly by some of the ladies in the courtesan district of Old Edo, where, he whiled away some of his time, productively, or ..."productively" with those giggling ladies amidst their tinkling laughter at some of his drawings of the nature of their profession. The laughter was, also, very nervous since these drawings, like gambling which often used the famous "flower card game" or "Hanafuda", was prohibited in most areas of Japan... and had been, on and off for many centuries. He also did these forbidden drawings with as much insight, tenderness and gusto as the landscapes and figures that he was so much more famous for.

In the courtyard of an Edo temple, using a broom and a bucket of Chinese ink, in 1804, he painted a giant Daruma*, covering a reputed 240 square metres that could only be truly appreciated from above. On another occasion he was a participant at an impromptu contest in brushwork in front of the Shogun.  On his paper he drew with a flourish an undulating broad wash of blue in a single stroke; after which he allowed a chicken, it's feet having been dipped in red paint, was allowed to wander across the paper.  Then, picking up the paper, he declared to the Shogun: "A picture of the Sumida River with Floating Maple Leaves in Autumn"... This naturally gave him a certain notoriety and fame, and was probably not the only "Publicity Stunts" he did.... and the commissions rolled in... and his fame grew.

Down and out in Edo and Osaka...
Now you would be forgiven for thinking that an artist that was so famous in his own lifetime, and relatively early on at that, would not be short of a few ryo (please see "Glossary") for a saki or two with his mates... or a ticket for the local Kabuki theatre. However, in actual fact, some of those same courtesans that he entertained on one day, were reputed to be hiding him on other days from the tax collectors chasing him for debts on the earnings he must "surely" be making from his work. In essence, what must be understood is that in the late 18th century and well into the 19th, if not 20th century, the art of woodblock printing was considered a vulgar profession, and it's products "distasteful" by the higher castes of Japanese society who looked to Poetry, Calligraphy, and Sumi-e etc as outlets for their artistic and aesthetic leanings, and therefore Hokusai, unlike the Michaelangelo's and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowskies of this world, wasn't paid that much... so much so that apparently he sometimes begged a place to stay on a kindly friends tatami who remembered his well-known generosity of spirit, and money ...when he had any.


Taito Period and I-itsu Period(Circa 1810-33)
This period saw the "Manga" series arrive. These took the Edo public by complete surprise with the haphazard juxtapositions of sketches and variety of subject-matter, and his fame spread outwards to Japan as a country, rather than just Edo and the surrounding area.  The first Manga volume was published in 1814, and 11 more by the time 1820 had arrived.  During this period Hokusai concentrated on books more than anything else including the famous "yellow-backs" a sort of "penny-dreadful" or "Pulp-Fiction";  collaborations with poets and writers, on books destined for the public booksellers, and also richly illustrated and expensively-bound ones, reserved for exclusive private use.  Originally in about 1807 or so, a team effort began with Hokusai joining up with the famous "Bakin", author of the huge million-word-long "Tale of the eight Hero Dogs of the Satomi", (Nansō Satomi Hakkenden*), and celebrated to this day by many in Japan as their greatest ever writer,  which ambled on well enough for a while but eventually descended into squabbles since both were well-known and desired the official credit as conrtibuting the most towards their series' success.  The ego's clashed and finally the publisher had to choose which to keep and continue the series.  Hokkusai was chosenwhich shows how important illustration had grown in importance; in fact, some "Books" in Japan were produced without any text other than the title/introduction/credits!  It is to be noted also, that part of the Shogunates reforms were the introduction of more widespread public education which often required illustrated books for the learning process.  And Hokusai's fame still grew.

This period also includes those series which made him a household name in Japan, but, with the Shogun's embargo on communication with the outside world, did nothing to further his international fame which only came posthumously. His most famous work: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, including the famous Great Wave off Kanagawa, dates from this period, (the individual prints were published in stages from 1823-1829). In fact, it proved so immensly popular that Hokusai added ten more prints to the series at a later date.   Amongst other popular series of prints that he had published during this period, as well as the Manga volumes, are:  A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces, (which is almost as famous and includes an iconic picture like the great wave called: "The Amida Waterfall" ),  and Unusual Views of Celebrated Bridges in the Provinces He also began producing a number of detailed single pictures of flowers and birds, including the minutely detailed "Poppies" and "Flock of Chickens".
Another aspect of this period was the books of instruction to artists including one that used geometric forms like lozenges, circles and squares etc, to assist those new to the art with forms of "Shortcuts" to producing a picture of a boar or cranes. One such volume was consecrated to producing whole "sketches of an item or bird etc" using just one brushstroke.  Although there are many who ascribe the descriptions: "Masterpiece" "Magnum Opus" and so on, to the Manga's incredible 15 volumes and nearly 4,000 drawings, another work which was intended by Hokusai to summarise his skills called the"Shashin Gwafu" appeared.  This set was a series of 14 "pictures from nature" and was continually being reproduced, such was it's acclaim, until the blocks of wood wore out. Hokusai had "arrived"
Hokusai inevitably got numerous requests from actors, the Shogun's retainers and many others, notwithstanding his well-known habit of leaving his studio in a very unkempt state as well as having the words: "No Bribery" and "No Flattery" on his walls, and an "eccentric" peremptory attitude towards those wishing his services.  Most put up with his "unsociablities" and character traits as part and parcel of his genius.

Like A True Artiste...(1834-49)
One would think that the last 15 years of a life that had already reached it's 74th year, would encourage it's owner to perhaps ease off just a little.  Hokusai's reputation was already well assured, and he had already amassed a body of work, which apart from being more than ample in size to be enviable by many a prodigious artist, included in his late 60's and early 70's, (and later), some of the very best of his life's work including the "Hundred Views Of Fuji", several subtle revolutionary brush paintings that combined the Ukiyo-e with the classical traditions of the traditional Chinese schools, much to the consternation of many who weren't always quite sure whether to castigate or admire his efforts; as well as the amazing "Flower and  Birds" series and the "Imagery of the Poets of China and Japan" yet another spectacular series using the actual poems as a point of departure in his compositions, rather than the end point or crux of the affair. Like the tradition of those classic broadway artists in the US or a couple that I've "witnessed" here in England in my lifetime, (Cooper and Morecombe who collapsed whilst doing their acts..), Hokusai died, almost literally, with his brushes in his hands..

Aladdins door opened...
There are so many many more treasures in the form of stories, ideas, anecdotes and illustrations that could be presented to the reader here, (...we've hardly touched on so many aspects contributing to the subjects of Hokusai's work), much of the mysteries of Japan, it's myths and legends, and I could easily fill another several pages for the reader to scroll down in the effort to give some genuine idea of this incredible 18th - to - 19th century artist; but there is so much more to discover that it would be difficult to know what to include, as much so as what has been presented thus far, and I feel that some inkling of this colourful and colour-filled life has already, hopefully, stimulated at least some of this articles readers to explore not only Hokusai, but the many other types of art and artists in the Japan that Hokusai inhabited which was the last period of isolation that Japan was to experience before Commodore Perry from the US landed and forced an opening in trade with his naval might in the middle 1850's  For those who wish to pursue, for at least a little while, the subject; then Part two has a brief overview of some of Hokusai's contemporaries and peers, as well as some few links on the subject in general and particular to Hokusai.

Afterword and Summary

In Japan predictably, ("you are never a prophet in your own country...), critics place him as a "B" rank artist on account of "the vulgarity of his subjects", (that old chestnut again! and, by definition, his "superficiality"), but European critics consider him " amongst the foremost painters from Japan". His influence on other artists from all over the world in every discipline continues to this day....Whistler called him: "the greatest pictorial artist since Van Dyke." One wonders how many Picasso's, Reubens, Rembrandts and Monets he may have eclipsed? ...if he had only produced paintings rather than woodblocks.  One can see his influence in Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Mucha and many film posters, advertisements and animations to the present day.  He, like many talented folk, had an interest in many subjects and was as much viewing life like an engineer and scientist as much as a "romantic" or artist...

He apparently looked on life non-judgementally evidenced by the variety and insightful way he drew, particularly in his "Manga" series.  He "simply", but with an unfailing regard of benificence and subtlety, drew what he saw. His achievements are to be envied both in size and quality, the best known being: "The Wave" from his " Thirty-six Views of Fuji"; the 15 volume series: "Manga (drawing aids / ehon)", which, as the reader has seen, "is a wonderful cornucopia of Japanese life and art"; naturally also: his "Waterfalls"; those "Famous Bridges"; and "Twelve Scenes from the Chiushingura" , not to mention his second even bigger Fuji series of 100 views! about which people have stated: the 100 views of Fuji "...are a splendid epic, instinctively poetic and filled to the brim with beauty, romance and the keenest and most kindly sense of 'humanity'..." and that: "(His Manga) ...covers the whole ground of Japanese life, legend, art and handicraft."
He died on May 10, 1849 at the age of 90, (by our reckoning: "89", because the Japanese traditionally included the time in the womb rounded up to one year ie: age=from birth+1 year).

His Epitaph: "Here lies Hokusai, a famous artist - honest and true."

And Finally:"The Last Word" ...by the master himself:
"...Humility is a trait many creative leaders do not possess, yet a behavior we all should cultivate.  In fact, the lack of humility has caused the downfall of many leaders. They start believing what their admirers say and acting in accordance with what is said. In the words of my childhood:  "they grow too big for their britches ..." and begin to believe their own press.  Learn to cultivate the trait of humility. None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes — both in our personal lives and our artistic creations. It takes a lifetime to become a master and even then we may not achieve that designation.  Be thankful for what you have been given and seek to be humble. Sometimes we become so caught up in the day to day activities of living that we forget how short life is. We are here today and gone tomorrow. In the eons of time, we live for only a second. That fact alone should make us humble. And if you look at our place in the universe, we shrink even more...
...Practice humility. "