japanese history – tag –

Hokusai spent most of his life in the Sumida area of Edo. The river, its bridges, its festivals, and its floods appear throughout his work. A history of art's most storied waterway.

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.

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.