Dimensions: 25 x 36 cm
Frame: yes
Katsushika Hokusai was born on around 31 October 1760 - according to the modern western calendar - in the Japanese capital city of Tokyo, then known as Edo. His birthname was Tokitaro, and his first drawing attempts took place at the age of five, as told in his biography which the artist himself compiled at the age of 73. Hoksusai grew up in a family skilled at crafts and art, and his father designed mirrors. Because Hokusai was not included in his father's will, it is thought his mother was a concubine. The twelve-year-old Katsushika Hokusai worked in a bookshop and began an apprenticeship as wood carver at fifteen. Upon turning eighteen, he entered the studio of Katsukawa Shunshō and thus belonged to the circle of Ukiyo-e artists, an art direction of the 17th to 19th centuries which focused on woodcut prints. Hokusai remained connected to his teacher Shunshō for around fourteen years, although he took lessons from other masters during this time. After Shunshō's death, Hokusai was expelled from his school - perhaps because he was always open to other influences.
