If you’re the kind of person who lingers in front of The Great Wave off Kanagawa, mesmerized by the rhythm of the sea and the tiny boats beneath it, then TASCHEN’s Hokusai—authored by Japanese art scholar Andreas Marks—is something you need to sit down for. Not just because it’s emotionally stirring, but also because it’s enormous.
Published in December 2024, Hokusai is a 722-page visual and intellectual odyssey into the world of one of Japan’s most revered artists. At nearly 11 pounds and featuring over 740 artworks, this is no ordinary monograph. It’s TASCHEN at its most ambitious—lavish, scholarly, and stunningly printed. This is the kind of book that feels less like something you casually read and more like something you live with.
A Life in Lines: Who Was Hokusai?
Let’s start with the obvious: Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) was more than just the guy behind The Great Wave. His brush danced across genres—from bold landscapes and bustling city scenes to playful ghosts and erotic fantasies. He published books, painted, illustrated, and kept reinventing his style well into his eighties. Hokusai signed his works with over 30 names throughout his lifetime—a gesture that speaks volumes about his evolution as an artist.
This new TASCHEN book offers a rare chance to see the sheer scale of his genius. It includes woodblock prints, book illustrations, hanging scrolls, and paintings, many of which are rarely seen outside of Japan. There are even four double-page fold-outs—because sometimes, a regular page simply isn’t big enough for the weight of Hokusai’s imagination.
The Scholar Behind the Scenes: Andreas Marks
The book’s curator, Andreas Marks, is no stranger to Edo-period woodblock prints. Director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Head of the Japanese and Korean Art Department at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Marks has been writing, curating, and living Japanese art for over two decades. His scholarship blends a deep reverence for tradition with an eye for contemporary resonance.
This isn’t Marks’ first grand publication either. If you’ve ever picked up his Hiroshige: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo – The Definitive Collector’s Edition, you’ll know what kind of depth and clarity he brings to the table. That book examined over 4,700 prints to establish a comprehensive record of the series, revealing how Utagawa Hiroshige was not only an artist but a meticulous observer of urban transformation.
Marks also authored Hiroshige: Nature and the City, a wide-ranging survey that offered a bird’s eye view of Edo-period landscapes, fan prints, and floral studies. What makes his writing so approachable is the balance between academic precision and personal wonder. He doesn’t just explain; he invites.
With Hokusai, Marks once again finds the sweet spot—offering insight without robbing the artwork of its poetry.
A Book That Breathes — and Surprises
Physically, the TASCHEN edition is something of a marvel. This is a book that wants you to slow down. The paper is thick and textured. The colors are rich without being overly saturated. And because many of Hokusai’s works exist in multiple printed states—with subtle color shifts or fine details worn from use—Marks takes care to guide readers through what they’re actually seeing and why it matters.
But what truly sets this volume apart is its scope. Titled The (Almost) Complete Hokusai, it ventures far beyond The Great Wave. Inside, readers will discover not only the iconic landscapes of Mount Fuji, but also rarely reprinted pieces and under-appreciated gems.
You’ll find dramatic renderings of the Kirifuri Waterfall, intricate large-format maps of travel routes like the Tōkaidō and Kisokaidō, and even illustrated charts of Japan’s Bōsō Peninsula. There are spreads from Hokusai’s manga—his sketchbook manuals that inspired countless artists—as well as intimate, imaginative shunga (erotic art) that reveal his boundless curiosity about the human form.
The book also honors his deep fascination with the natural world. From graceful birds and blooming flowers to a tiger hanging mid-motion in the snow, these images show Hokusai’s gift for imbuing animals with both spirit and subtle emotion. Whether it’s ducks gliding through a stream or mythic creatures from folklore, each subject is drawn with the same energy and care.
TASCHEN’s Art of Publishing
For decades, TASCHEN has been doing something few publishers dare: making serious art books that are also beautiful objects. Founded by Benedikt Taschen in 1980, the company began as a comic shop in Cologne, Germany. Today, it’s synonymous with oversized, exquisitely designed volumes on art, architecture, fashion, film, and more.
From the legendary SUMO book on Helmut Newton to sprawling compendiums on Bosch, Ai Weiwei, or David Hockney, TASCHEN has consistently pushed the boundaries of art publishing. They make books that museums envy.
Their Japanese art books, in particular, are a collector’s dream. The previous Hiroshige volume also published by TASCHEN—edited by Sebastian Izzard—was a critical success. Now, with Hokusai, the publisher completes a kind of spiritual diptych of Edo-period masters.
And while other publishers might restrict such a book to a collector’s edition, TASCHEN offers an affordable version too, making great art accessible without sacrificing beauty.
Why This Matters Now
Hokusai is having a moment—but truthfully, he never left. His wave has appeared on everything from fashion runways to tech start-up logos. His fingerprints are on Van Gogh’s sketchbooks and Debussy’s symphonies. You’ll find echoes of him in anime, street art, and Instagram feeds.
But what makes this book so vital now is its reminder that Hokusai was not just an image-maker—he was a philosopher of nature, a chronicler of city life, and a restless soul who believed that true artistic greatness only begins after the age of 70. (He once said that everything he made before then was flawed.)
In an age of short attention spans, a book like this forces you to look—really look. And what you’ll see is not just Japan through Hokusai’s eyes, but life itself, rendered in swirling waves and distant mountains, in fox spirits and humble teahouses.
Final Thoughts
TASCHEN’s Hokusai is more than a coffee table book. It’s a monument—both to the artist and to the publishing house that brought his work to light in such a generous, unhurried way.
If you’re a collector, it’s a must-have. If you’re a student of Japanese art, it’s a goldmine. If you’re someone who simply wants to spend time with a master, it’s a deeply human experience.
And if you’re like me—someone who finds peace in a wave that never stops crashing, a Fuji that never moves—then this book isn’t just about Hokusai. It’s about wonder. And wonder, thankfully, is something that never goes out of print.
You can purchase TASCHEN’s Hokusai (Hardcover, clothbound, available in green or purple) directly from TASCHEN, good bookstores, as well as, Amazon.
Read more:
- 11 Things to Know About Collecting Japanese Woodblock Art
- The Tale of Genji and Its Representation in Ukiyo-e Art
- Chūshingura: The Epic of the Forty-Seven Ronin in Ukiyo-e Art
- The Significance of Japanese Cranes in Ukiyo-e Art
- Why Mono no Aware Is the Soul of Japanese Ukiyo-e
At The Art of Zen we carry a selection of our own hand-crafted original Japanese art prints in the ukiyo-e and Japandi style. Some of our best selling work is Mount Fuji wall art and Japandi wall art.
Add some zen to your space with brilliant original art from the Art of Zen shop.
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