Hokusai became one of the most influential artists in Japanese art, known for his prints, paintings, and drawings. He worked within ukiyo-e, a Japanese art tradition centered on the “floating world” of everyday life, popular culture, travel, and nature.

Born in Edo, now Tokyo, he trained as a printmaker and changed his artistic name several times throughout his life, a common practice among Japanese artists of the period. He remained active into old age and was famously devoted to continual improvement, seeing art as a lifelong discipline rather than a fixed achievement.

When Japan opened its borders to trade, his prints flooded into the West and completely electrified the global art scene. His radical approach to perspective and color served as a massive catalyst for Western modern art, permanently altering how artists worldwide look at the natural world.