From: kishik@parkcity.ne.jp   
      
   Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) who I think is the inventor of   
   the word "manga". To commemorate his greate works and vast   
   influences on the art, Tokyo National Museum held Hokusai Exhibition   
   this fall. The Freer galleries in the Smithonian Institute in Washinton   
   D.C will present the complementary Hokusai exhibition in the   
   next spring.   
      
   In the exhibition, I saw all 15 volumes of "Hokusai Manga". They   
   were in a show case and I could only saw some pages of the art   
   books. The first book was published in 1814 and the last book   
   was in 1878 that is almost 30 years after Hokusai passed and   
   10 years after the Meiji Restoration. The primary purpose of the   
   books was to give picure examples to professions of wraping   
   paper, "fusma" paper, fan, wood craft etc. But pictures in the   
   books are sometimes humorous and even constructed in a   
   sequence that looks like a few panels of contemporary manga.   
   The books contain 3000+ illustrations totally.   
      
   My favorite his work is "Fugaku 36 Kei" [36 scenaries of Mt.   
   Fuji] woodprint series. It has 46 senaries actually though.   
   We can still see "The Big Wave" in everywhere from commercial   
   art, wall painting to truck panel painting. There is a company   
   which reproduces famous Ukiyoe with the same technique, paint   
   and paper as the original. You can check it at:   
   http://www.adachi-hanga.com   
      
   I bought some of their copies from "Fugaku 36 Kei" at about   
   US$100 each. Its size is about A2. The color and lines are   
   extremely vivid, beautiful and fascinating. The pictures are   
   marvellously sophisticated, appealing, powerful and unique.   
   Unfortunately, those material are too weak to expose to sun   
   light and I can't keep displaying them on the wall of my room.   
      
   Anyway, if you have any chance to visit the exhibition in   
   Washington D.C. in the next spring, give it a try.   
      
   --   
         / Ishikawa Kazuo /   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)