The Life of Shakyamuni Illustrated (Shaka goichidaiki zue kan yon) : [volume 4]

Katsushika, Hokusai, 1760-1849 · 1845 · Kyoto: Echigoya Jihei 越後屋治兵衛, Edo: Yamashiroya Sahei 山城屋佐兵衛, Osaka: Kawachiya Mohei 河内屋茂兵衛 · 5 pictures

A Japanese woodblock-printed picture book in album format, the fourth volume of a biography of the Buddha Shakyamuni, issued in 1845 by Kyoto, Edo and Osaka publishers and made by the painter Katsushika Hokusai for a general readership. The pages show ink-line scenes of figures in landscapes, buildings and crowds, with the printed text set in narrow columns beside them, so a designer can study its compact, uncluttered linework, dense crowd massing and diagonal compositions.

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library