Hokusai, who had posted a piece of paper on his wall stating, “No need for bows or gifts,” remained true throughout his life to the stance that he would create whatever he wanted to create. There was even a time when a megastar kabuki actor, the third-generation Onoe Kikugoro (1784-1849), came by Hokusai’s home to commission a piece of artwork and, seeing how filthy the tatami floor was, laid down a rug before he sat down. Hokusai was angered by this, and chose to ignore the guest until he left. By contrast, however, he would sometimes give his artwork to the young order-taker boys as gifts to take home.

When Hokusai received more and more requests from those who wanted to work for him as apprentices, he published a book that teaches how to draw efficiently in an easy-to-follow manner. Hokusai Manga (1814-1878) purely shows samples of pictures, and Ryakuga Haya-oshie (“Quick Lessons in Simplified Drawing,” Part One 1812, Part Two 1814) explains how to draw human figures and animals in practical terms by breaking them down into circles and lines.

When books like Hokusai Manga and Fugaku Sanjūrokkei were introduced to the West in the late 19th century, they sent shockwaves through many western artists including Van Gogh, Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin. Within Japan, the introduction of such elements of expression that Hokusai invented as speech balloons and radial speed lines was seen as revolutionary, and they are considered the origins of today’s manga and animation culture.
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Supervised by Sumida Hokusai Museum