『画本葛飾振』|Picture Book in the Katsushika Style (Ehon Katsushika-buri)
ca. 1836
Medium
Folding album of twenty-eight block-ready drawings (hanshita-e) for book illustrations; ink on paper with woodblock-printed borders and titles
Dimensions
10 x 15 1/2 in. (25.4 x 39.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914
Accession Number
14.76.58.1–.25
Tags
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokus, the legendary Japanese artist renowned for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints like *The Great Wave off Kanagawa created *Picture Book in the Katsushika Style (Ehonushika-buri)* 1836 during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868). This folding album captures Hokusai's dynamic mastery of everyday subjects—men, animals, and horsesrendered in his signature Katsushika style, named after his birthplace. As a rare *ehon* (picture book), it offers a window into the vibrant urban culture of 19th-century Japan, where art blended realism with expressive flair. The work consists of twenty-eight *hansh...
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...