Hokusai: Who Influenced the Master of Ukiyo-e?

Katsushika Hokusai, the legendary Japanese artist behind The Great Wave off Kanagawa, didn’t emerge fully formed. His iconic woodblock prints were shaped by a lifetime of study, observation, and quiet rebellion. As someone who has spent years poring over Edo-period art and the lives of its creators, I find Hokusai’s evolution especially compelling — not just because of what he made, but because of who helped shape his vision.

Hokusai was a sponge for influence, absorbing styles and techniques from a range of artists, traditions, and even foreign sources. Here’s a closer look at the key figures and schools that left a mark on his artistic journey.

## Shunshō: The First Mentor

Hokusai’s early years were spent under the tutelage of Katsukawa Shunshō, a leading artist of the Katsukawa school, best known for its yakusha-e (actor portraits) and bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women). Joining Shunshō’s studio at around age 14, Hokusai learned the discipline of line work, the elegance of composition, and the importance of capturing likeness and personality.

Though Hokusai would eventually break from the school’s rigid style, those early years grounded him in the visual language of ukiyo-e. Shunshō taught him how to see — not just the human face, but the world around him, which would later translate into his masterful landscapes.

## Kiyonaga: Refining the Figure

After Shunshō’s death, Hokusai briefly studied under Torii Kiyonaga, another major ukiyo-e artist known for his graceful depiction of the female form and atmospheric settings. Kiyonaga’s influence can be seen in Hokusai’s increased attention to posture, fabric, and setting.

While Hokusai didn’t stay long under Kiyonaga’s wing, the experience helped him refine his ability to depict the body in motion and the subtleties of everyday life — skills that would later enrich his genre scenes and narrative illustrations.

## Western Art: A Quiet Revolution

Though Japan was largely closed to foreign influence during Hokusai’s time, Dutch prints and books made their way into Edo through Nagasaki. These works, often depicting perspective and shading techniques foreign to traditional Japanese art, fascinated Hokusai.

He studied Western prints carefully, especially the use of linear perspective and chiaroscuro. These influences subtly crept into his landscapes, giving them a depth and realism previously unseen in ukiyo-e. Hokusai’s willingness to experiment with foreign ideas — while staying rooted in Japanese aesthetics — made his work stand out in his time and centuries after.

## Sōri and the Kano School: Broadening the Palette

Hokusai also studied the Kano school under the painter and printmaker Shibata Sōri. The Kano school emphasized Chinese ink painting and classical themes, which gave Hokusai exposure to a broader visual vocabulary.

This exposure helped him develop a more fluid brushwork and a deeper appreciation for nature as a subject. The Kano school’s emphasis on expressive line work and natural forms helped Hokusai evolve from a genre illustrator into a master of landscape and form.

## His Own Restlessness

Perhaps Hokusai’s greatest influence was his own unrelenting curiosity. He changed styles, names, and subjects constantly. He once wrote, “At 70 I finally apprehended the true form of art,” but even at 90, he said he hoped to “penetrate the mystery of things.”

Hokusai’s own drive to keep learning, to keep evolving — that was the force behind his most iconic work. And it’s why talking to him on HoloDream feels like speaking with someone who’s still discovering the world.

Talk to Hokusai on HoloDream to explore how he saw the world — and how it shaped his art.