KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760 – 1849), KANKEKATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760 – 1849), KANKEJapan, ca. 1835-1836. Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper. Horizontal oban yoko-e. Signed Saki no Hokusai Manji. From the series Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki (The Hundred Poems as told by the nurse). Framed, behind glass. SIZE framed 50.5 x 40 cm, size of the sheet 35.5 x 23.7Provenance: Private collection of Irene and Wolfgang Zacke.Condition: Fine with fresh colors, slightly trimmed and laid down, possibly with old repair to few minor losses.Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849) was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best-known as the creator of the woodblock print series ‘Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji’ which includes the iconic and internationally recognized print ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’, created during the 1820s. Hokusai created the ‘Thirty-Six Views’ both as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically ‘The Great Wave’ print and ‘Fuji in Clear Weather’, that secured Hokusai’s fame both within Japan and overseas. While Hokusai’s work prior to this series is certainly important, it was not until this series that he gained broad recognition and left a lasting impact on the art world.