Hokusai Manga

In 1814, the great Japanese artist and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) published the first volume of a handbook of his sketches: Hokusai Manga. Originally designed as a reference for his students to emulate, it surpassed all expectations and became a bestseller, eventually expanding to 15 volumes and over 4,000 images. This three-volume edition is an extensive selection of Hokusai’s sketches, which present all the themes, motifs and techniques found in his art. Although they are not based around an ongoing narrative, the caricatures, satirical drawings and multi-panel illustrations can clearly be seen as a forerunner of manga as it is understood today.