Hokusai the Influencer

Introduction

We hear a lot about “influencers” these days—people who have a broad impact on others through the information they send out. Familiar figures in our everyday lives, they share content about fashion, travel, food, and a range of other topics on social media, popularize trends, and generate new ideas.

Hokusai was a painter and designer but can also be described as an Edo period influencer. His books such as New Textile Patterns and Modern Designs for Combs and Tobacco Pipes were tremendously popular. They were also very influential as their illustrations and designs captivated comb and tobacco pipe craftsmen and inspired them to incorporate Hokusai-style elements in their own work.

In addition to shaping the Edo period, Hokusai’s art has remained broadly influential across time to the present day. Even now during the Reiwa period, roughly 200 years after it was produced, his work remains as vibrant as ever and continues to resonate with countless admirers.
For this exhibition, in addition to presenting design collections that Hokusai published during the Edo period, we also showcase work by contemporary artisans such as Nishijin-ori brocade kimono sashes that incorporate Hokusai’s designs as well as textiles and kimono in Hokusai-inspired komon patterns produced using traditional dying techniques. With the cooperation of Nishijin Asagi Museum, Komonya Takadakatsu, and Kameda Tomi Dye Works of Kyoto, Kume Textile Industries of Tokyo, and Kesennuma Knitting of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, we are pleased to exhibit Hokusai-themed works carefully crafted by artisans from each workshop.
The exhibition shines a light on these artisans’ dedication to their craft and on the future promise and possibilities of Hokusai’s work.

Finally, we wish to extend our thanks to the companies, artisans, and everyone else who contributed their time and effort to make this exhibition possible.