Katsushika Hokusai {1760- 1849} is the most famous Japanese artist of the Edo period.
This elegant slipcase box consists of an accordion-fold silk – bound book of the 46 prints, and a booklet that explains the full set of forty-six prints (the original thirty-six views published in 1830s, and ten more that were commissioned later upon the success of the original prints ) .
Devoted entirely to landscapes, Hokusai’s series shows Mount Fuji from various viewpoints. Using the newly invented Prussian blue artificial pigment, manufactured in Holland, which is richer and more intense than natural dyes, Hokusai gave us an exquisite illustration of the Japanese Shinto belief in ukiyo – e. This term was defined by the writer Asai Ryoi in his Tales of the Floating World published in 1661 as ” Living solely in the present moment”. A concept akin to the Roman memento mori and the Homerian carpe diem. (page 8 booklet}
This book by Ishiguro is a modern retelling of the ukiyo philosophy. Name his best novel.