HOKUSAI SOURCES

A complete guide to digitized original images

KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760–1849) was a world-renowned Japanese artist and educator who sought to bridge Eastern and Western traditions. He created instructional manuals called manga* that went on to inspire contemporary art education through a systematic methodology and approach that algorithmically breaks down complex artistic processes into accessible steps and elements. Hokusai’s impact extends beyond traditional Japanese art. His innovative use of perspective and composition influenced Impressionists such as Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. Without Hokusai, disciplines such as modern woodcutting, graphic design, comics, manga, anime and even tattooing would not be the same.

* The word manga in this context does not refer to contemporary manga storytelling, as the sketches in the work are not connected to each other. While manga has come to mean "comics" in modern Japanese, the word was used during the Edo period to mean informal drawings and, possibly, preparatory sketches for paintings.

Digitized Hokusai works can be found in a variety of sources. We have compiled a complete list of the most comprehensive and reliable platforms.

The Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution digital library features high-quality digitizations of the Hokusai collection. Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is a US-based research and educational institution with several museums. Descriptions of each work contain the title and year of creation. It is a real treasure! Turning the pages of each volume, you are amazed by the skill and productivity of the great Japanese master.

There is also a collection of manga books on a separate Smithsonian website, where all 15 are digitized.

Google Arts and Culture

Google has devoted a special section of its culture the platform to Hokusai — featuring 27 digitized manga from the Bujalance collection (Spain), which contains a selection of 19th-century ukiyo-e prints as well as ehon books illustrated with ukiyo-e prints. Together, they showcase the thematic and artistic evolution which can be observed throughout the Edo and Meiji periods. The collection includes prints reflecting most subject matters explored by more than 150 artists, some of whom are well-known today.

Google Arts and Culture also has a special Hokusai project featuring two articles about the origins of manga and its connection with other genres.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hokusai’s works are also featured on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York: The Met is one of the largest and most visited museums in the world. It has 17 thematic departments, divided by continents and periods of history, including the most comprehensive Asian art collection in the West. And here’s a link to the general card of the drawing books (manga). You can find additional links about manga drawings here and here.

British Museum

The British Museum shares 13 digitized manga books from its collection, with easy viewing functionality. The museum also published a very interesting article, «The rediscovery of Hokusai’s drawings of ’everything’» — made for an exhibition entitled «The Great Picture Book of Everything,» featuring 103 drawings acquired in 2020. The existence of these exquisite small drawings had been forgotten: Last publicly recorded at a Parisian auction in 1948, they are said to have been in a private collection in France before resurfacing in 2019. Purchased thanks to a grant from the Theresia Gerda Buch Bequest and Art Fund, the works are now available online and will be featured at an upcoming exhibition.

New York Public Library

The NYPL shares 10 sheets from manga books. All data is presented in high resolution. A convenient filter system will help you explore the material. Hokusai’s manga books are part of the Spencer Collection, which contains illustrated books of all periods and regions, as well as around 300 manuscripts and 1,500 printed books from Japan; the manuscripts range from the 12th to the 20th century, and the printed works from the year 770 to the present. Their careful gathering was the work of three curators, including the late Karl Kup — who was assiduous in acquiring manuscripts and printed books in the years just before and just after World War II. His carefully cultivated friendships with scholarly Japanese booksellers, including the great Shigeo Sorimachi, enabled the Library to acquire manuscripts that are considered as national treasures. In the mid-1970s, the late Joseph T. Rankin acquired en bloc Charles H. Mitchell’s collection of some 750 printed books.

JSTOR

This comprehensive digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources shares digitized volumes of Hokusai manga, mainly from the Gorham Manufacturing Company Design Library, in high quality with a convenient search system. Detailed information about each work and the ability to zoom in on the drawings give you a feeling of holding the original in your hands.

Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts presents 64 prints and paintings by Hokusai from its collection. The renowned Moscow institution has one of the largest collections of Japanese art in Russia, as well as one of the earliest to be assembled there. The description of the collection contains important facts from Hokusai biography including a fascinating fact about his productivity: He made over 30,000 prints, sketches and paintings in total. He really was one of the greatest draftsmen in the world, with many pupils then and now.

Digital Commons @ RISD

This academic platform shares nine digitized books. All scanned texts are conveniently uploaded. They are part of the Fleet Library — at the Rhode Island School of Design Research (RISD), founded in 1878 — which contains over 165,000 volumes and 300 periodicals covering architecture, art, design and photography.

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Harvard Art Museums

Harvard provides 12 images from manga books — all images are digitized in high quality, clickable and easy to use. You can also find information about identification and creation, physical descriptions — including dimensions — as well as special inscriptions and marks, additional details, publications and exhibition history.

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Russian State Library

The Russian State Library contains an article by M. I. Melanin about manga and 15 digitized books in good quality. All information is provided in Russian and Japanese. The notes to each volume contain detailed information about the physical condition of the object.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES

An article from the web portal Open Culture will tell you about manga drawing techniques and includes a good selection of links
A site dedicated to sketching and book illustration has an interesting article about Hokusai’s drawings
A Japanese site about Ukiyo-e shares all 15 books by Hokusai (although not the highest quality)
A Japanese website about Tokyo museums provides a list of manga books in Japanese
Artist Juan Hernaz shares a digital restoration of manga books via Behance.

Hokusai-Katsushika.org

Hokusai-Katsushika.org is the largest database of Katsushika Hokusai’s work for reference and educational purposes. The website is maintained by Stephane Jardonnet — an antique art dealer specializing in Asia. As of May 2024, 2085 original artworks are referenced. We estimate there are at least 800 more original works to be listed, and thousands of replicas to be added for comparison. Importantly, all 15 manga books have been digitized here.

You can also find all three volumes of «Quick Lessons in Simplified Drawings» — a series of lessons written by Katsushika Hokusai.