ukiyo-e– tag –

Both are legends of Japanese woodblock prints — but their visions of the world couldn't be more different. A side-by-side comparison of their styles, subjects, and legacies.

From actor portraits to landscapes, from single-sheet prints to illustrated books — the complete beginner's guide to Japan's most influential art form.

It gave the word 'manga' to the world. It sparked the European Japonisme movement. It contains 4,000 drawings across 15 volumes. This is the story of the most influential sketchbook in history.

Four specialists, multiple woodblocks, thousands of hand impressions — how a single ukiyo-e print was made from artist's sketch to finished product.

A German paint maker's 1704 mistake created a color that, over a century later, gave Hokusai the vivid blue to paint The Great Wave. The full story of Bero Ai.

Hokusai changed his name over 30 times. Each new name was a declaration of reinvention. Here's the complete accounting of every significant identity — and the philosophy behind them.