In 2020, the British Museum acquired a group of 102 block-ready drawings (hanshita-e) that Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) produced for an unpublished picture encyclopedia titled, The Great Picture Book of Everything (Banmotsu ehon daizen).  Precisely because the book went unpublished, Hokusai’s drawings escaped the block-cutter’s knife and survive for us to study and enjoy today.  The drawings represent a major rediscovery that adds to our understanding of Hokusai’s life and work in his later years, a time when he was living with his artist-daughter Ōi (about 1800–after 1857).  They may be examined from a variety of perspectives:  how, in terms to technique, they relate to other works by the artist and to each other; their narrative and subject content; and their intended function within an encyclopedia.

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About the speakers

Alfred Haft (PhD) is JTI Project Curator for Japanese Collections at the British Museum. His research focuses on Japanese prints and print culture. Publications include Aesthetic Strategies of the Floating World: Mitate, Yatsushi and Fūryū in Early Modern Japanese Popular Culture and ‘Cultural Migration in Edo Japan: The Case of Hokusai and Obuse' (forthcoming).

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How to book

Booking is essential. Please book via Eventbrite. Attendees will receive an e-ticket with a Zoom link and instructions for joining directly. To view the lecture or participate in the Q&A, please click on the link provided and enter your details when prompted.