Author Description

In 1814, Hokusai's sketches were published in a handbook of over 4,000 images: 'Hokusai Manga'. It surpassed expectations as a student reference book, and became a bestseller. Here, in an elegant, three-volume package, an expansive selection of these works are revealed, presenting all of the themes, motifs and drawing techniques found in his art. The caricatures, satirical drawings, multi-panel illustrations and narrative depictions found in the book can clearly be seen as the basis for manga as it is understood today. One volume explores 'The Life and Manners of the Day' (studying habits and objects of the everyday, from architectural features to wrestling moves and facial expressions); the second 'The Whole Earth Catalogue' (largely concerned with nature, from animals to rock faces and fish); and the third presents the 'Fanciful, Mythical and Supernatural' (with images narrating myths and displaying fantastical creatures).