Collection

Edehon (examples of paintings). The “manga” in this context means a random selection of images, and more than 3,900 images of all things in nature are drawn in the books. In addition to the encyclopedic picture collection of elements such as the seven gods of good fortune, it also features craftsmen, historical figures, landscapes, illustrations of famous spots, images of natural history, and design drawings. It is thought that more than 200 Hokusai's disciples throughout Japan used this book as a model for learning to paint subjects and painting techniques. Following the success of the first volume, a total of 15 volumes were published over the next 64 years. The 13th to 15th volumes were published after Hokusai's death. This book was welcomed not only by Hokusai's disciples and craftsmen, but also by ordinary people, and each volume became remained popular for a long time and reprints were also produced. In his later years, Hokusai called himself “Gakyo Rojin Manji (the old man mad about pictures)”. Printed materials of his great accomplishment during his life were not in the field of Ukiyo-e woodcut prints, but in the field of illustrated books including Edehon (examples of paintings) , Kibyoshi (yellow covers), Kyokabon (comic tanka books), and yomihon (reader books).