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Hokusai
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The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai shows a towering blue wave threatening boats, with Mount Fuji visible in the background. Hokusai: Woodcutter Gazing at Waterfall Hokusai: Scene from Fifty-three Stations on the Tōkaidō Road, Fuchū Hokusai: Fuji Seen in the Distance from Senju Pleasure Quarter Hokusai: Cherry Blossoms at Yoshino
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Color pastels, colored chalk, colorful chalk. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society
Ultimate Art Quiz
Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.
Artists, Painters, & Architects
Tate Modern extension Switch House, London, England. (Tavatnik, museums). Photo dated 2017.
Can You Match These Lesser-Known Paintings to Their Artists?
"The Birth of Venus," tempera on canvas by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1485; in the Uffizi, Florence.
Who Painted the Most Expensive Paintings in the World?
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Hokusai

Japanese artist
Also known as: Gakyōjin, Iitsu, Kakō, Katsushika Hokusai, Manji, Sōri, Shunrō, Taito(Show More)
Written by
Richard Lane
Research Associate, Honolulu Academy of Arts. Author of Masters of the Japanese Print; Hokusai: Life and Work; and others.
Richard Lane
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Hokusai (born October 1760, Edo [now Tokyo], Japan—died May 10, 1849, Edo) 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. Later he concentrated on the classical themes of the samurai and Chinese subjects. His famous print series “Thirty-six Views...

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