The Complete HOKUSAI

The Complete Hokusai

A special exhibition featuring Katsushika Hokusai is being held at Tokyo Midtown Hall in Roppongi. The exhibition shows all the different aspects of Hokusai’s achievements, life and personality.

The exhibition consolidates all the piece of masterpieces, namely Hokusai Manga(883 pages), Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji(46 pieces) and One hundred Views of Mt. Fuji(102pieces).

His masterpiece entitled Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa is well known because it is used as designs for Japanese passports and banknotes and many other such things. I realized that he was really active in wide-ranging genres including Hokusai Manga, Drawing Manuals and Yomihon Illustrations.

Yomihon are novels with adaptations of the Ming or Qing dynasty Chinese novels, incorporating Japanese legends and history. I was overwhelmed by his vigorous sense of energy and vibrant imagination  in his illustrations. The movement of human figures are nothing short of brilliant given that I am always struggling to depict human movements.

Hokusai started his career as an ukiyo-e artist at the age of 20 and constantly challenged himself to depict every object on earth until he died at the age of 90.

I believe his enthusiasm and passion to draw pictures supported his health. Despite being over 80 years old, Hokusai is said to have sighed that he could not draw even a single cat properly. Even at that age, Hokusai devoted himself to developing his techniques. Just before passing away, he said, “If only I could have lived for five more years, I would have become a true artist.”

Takeshi Tane, an architect and Shin Sofue, an art director designed the exhibition hall filled with Hokusai paintings. In the room of “Digital Hokusai”, his drawings of ordinary people’s lives during the Edo period and ghosts are displayed on the large screen. You will get involved the Hokusai World.

This is an opportunity to encounter Hokusai's fascination.

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Date:  July 22, 2021 – Sept. 17, 2021 (Closed on August 10, Aug.24, September 7)

Price:  Yen1,800 for adults

Yen1,200 for college and vocational students

Yen900 for high school students and younger

Tokyo Midtown 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo