Drunken Asaina
ca. 1810
Medium
Fan mounted as hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 9 7/16 × 20 3/16 in. (24 × 51.3 cm) Overall with mounting: 54 3/4 × 28 3/4 in. (139 × 73 cm) Overall with knobs: 54 3/4 × 31 in. (139 × 78.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 1991
Accession Number
1991.151
Tags
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokusai's *Drunken Asaina*, created around 1810 during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), captures the playful spirit of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday life, theater, and fleeting pleasures. Hokusai, one of Japan's most renowned artists, was a master of this vibrant woodblock print and painting tradition, famous for works like *The Great Wave off Kanagawa*. Here, he depicts a drunken male figure—likely inspired by kabuki theater or urban folklore—stumbling in exuberant revelry, embodying the era's fascination with human foibles and festive indulg...
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...