In Front of a Shop

About this artwork

**In Front of a Shop**, created by the legendary Katsushika Hokusai 1780, offers a vivid glimpse into everyday life during Japan's Edo period (16151868). At just 20 years old, Hokusai—later famed for ukiyo-eblock prints like *The Wave*—produced this hanging scroll as an ink and color painting on silk. The scene captures a lively street moment outside a shop, featuring men, women, infants, dogs, embodying the ukiyo-e spirit of "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated urban pleasures and ordinary joys amid Edo's (modern Tokyo) growing merchant culture. Rendered on luxurious silk, the medium allowed Hokusai to layer delicate inks and vibrant colors, creating depth and texture suited for intimate display when unrolled. Hanging scrolls like this were prized in private Japanese homes, rolled for storage and hung seasonally, highlighting their role in personal connoisseurship rather than public exhibition. This early work showcases Hokusai's budding genius for dynamic composition and human observation, foreshadowing his mastery of genre scenes. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1914 from the Charles Stewart Smith Collection, it remains a treasure of Asian Art, inviting visitors to ponder the timeless charm of street life in historic Japan. (198 words)