Japanese Culture– category –

Hokusai was born, lived, and died in Edo. The city he knew was one of the world's largest — and its streets, bridges, rivers, and markets appear throughout his work.

From the ink wash paintings of Song-dynasty China to the spare gardens of Kyoto's temples — how Zen philosophy shaped the most distinctive aesthetic in world art.

The 500-kilometer road between Edo and Kyoto was the spine of Edo Japan. Hiroshige turned it into the most influential travel art series in history. Here's its story.

Every major ukiyo-e master produced shunga. It was respected, collected across all social classes, and given as wedding gifts. Here's the history of Japan's erotic print tradition.

Kabuki was Edo Japan's popular theater — and its stars were the celebrities of the age. Actor prints were the trading cards of the Edo period. Here's how they worked.

Sumo was Edo Japan's national sport and a major subject of woodblock prints. Here's how Hokusai and his contemporaries depicted the wrestlers, ceremonies, and culture of the ring.

A timeline of Japanese artistic tradition — from prehistoric Jomon pottery to Heian court painting, Zen ink brushwork, ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and modern manga.

To understand Hokusai, you have to understand Edo. A thriving city of a million people, a rigid social hierarchy, and a commercial art market unlike anything that had come before.