葛飾北斎筆 鶏と木材鶏図|Album of Sketches by Katsushika Hokusai and His Disciples

Art Historical Context

This album of sketches, created by the celebrated Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in the 19th century during the Edo period, offers a rare glimpse into creative process of one of Japan’s most influential masters. Hokusai, renowned for his dynamic ukiyo-e prints, collaborated here with his disciples on ninety-seven leaves of ink and color on paper. The intimate format invites viewers to appreciate spontaneous studies of everyday subjects, from expressive human figures to lively animals like owls and squirrels, reflecting the period’s emphasis on observing the natural world. Such albums held special significance in Japanese artistic training, serving as both personal notebooks and teaching tools passed among students. The use of fluid ink lines combined with subtle color washes highlights Hokusai’s masterful control of brushwork, a technique central to East Asian painting traditions. Gifted to the Metropolitan Museum in 1914, this work preserves the lively spirit of Edo-era Japan and Hokusai’s enduring legacy of capturing movement and character in simple, evocative forms.

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...