Hokusai's Artistic Legacy
Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai produced over 30,000 artworks throughout an extraordinary career spanning nearly ninety years.
Among his creations, one image from two centuries ago—The Great Wave off Kanagawa—has inspired numerous adaptations, including animations and apparel.
The latest tribute is a new opera by Scottish Opera, composed by Japanese musician Dai Fujikura with a libretto by Scottish writer Harry Ross.
Inspiration and Collaboration
Dai and Harry had previously collaborated on three operas when, in 2017, Dai and his family attended an exhibition of Hokusai's work in London.
"We didn't know anything about Hokusai," says Dai, who was born in Osaka and relocated to London at age 15.
"We'd seen that picture, the image of The Great Wave, but that was it.
"So we went and we were really moved by it then my wife said you should write an opera about Hokusai's life."
Harry explains that their research into Hokusai's life revealed it to be "long and storied."
"I was put in touch with some academics in Tokyo who had translated a previously untranslated biography of Hokusai," he says.
"It's slightly embellished but it made me realise this person is incredible."
Hokusai's Life and Artistic Range
Katsushika Hokusai was born in Japan in 1760 and began painting at the age of six.
While best known for his woodblock prints, he also worked in various other mediums, including a collection of informal sketches called Manga.
Harry notes that the Manga book was what made Hokusai most famous during his lifetime.
"He has pictures of all sorts of different things there, such as a camel," he says.
"He didn't even know what they looked like, but he asked someone from an international delegation to tell him and then he drew a camel and it's actually pretty accurate."
Hokusai continually pushed artistic boundaries, experimenting with both subject matter and materials.
The breakthrough for The Great Wave off Kanagawa was the introduction of a new pigment, Prussian Blue.
Bringing Hokusai's Art to the Stage
The production team at Scottish Opera collaborated with the Japanese company KAJIMOTO to translate these innovations into a stage setting.
"We've taken objects from Hokusai's sketches and made exact replicas of them so it is as if they've just popped out of the art," says Emma Robinson, deputy head of props.
She adds that the creative team drew inspiration from various sources, including a Japanese restaurant in New York called Shirokuro, where everything is designed with black outlines.
"So we've taken that concept and used it on our stage as well."
Historical Cultural Connections Between Scotland and Japan
This cultural exchange between Scotland and Japan is not new.
Over a century ago, Scottish artists such as The Glasgow Boys and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh were fascinated by Japanese art and culture.
Glasgow art dealer Alexander Reid imported Japanese woodblocks from Paris for his clients.
They were familiar not only with the art but also with the artists themselves, including Hokusai.
At a notable fundraising event for the Glasgow Art Club in 1889, painter Edward Arthur Walton dressed as Hokusai, wearing his distinctive Prussian Blue kimono and headscarf.
This moment was immortalized in Sir John Lavery's painting Hokusai and the Butterfly, which remains on display at the National Galleries of Scotland.
Hokusai's Struggles and Legacy
Despite his prolific output and influence, Hokusai faced financial difficulties as an artist, a theme explored in the opera.
"He writes parodies of himself when he's writing to his publishers, trying to find some more investment and he's angry with them," Harry explains.
"He doesn't want the money to have the money, he wants the money to make the work.
"Although he became really famous, he had to support all these people working in his workshop."
The work for which he is best remembered was not exhibited until the 1867 International Exposition in Paris, 18 years after his death. Its timing allowed it to influence French Impressionists such as Manet and Degas.
Hokusai's imagery continues to appear on everyday items including banknotes, passports, and even smartphone emojis.
Renewed Interest in Hokusai and Japanese Culture
Since Dai and Harry began their opera project a decade ago, there has been a resurgence of interest in Japanese culture and especially in Hokusai, who was the subject of a major Japanese TV biopic in 2020.
"Hokusai is everywhere. He has never been more popular," says Dai.
"Train stations, stationery, calendars, there are people wearing the image without knowing what it is.
"There's an awareness and a respect for Hokusai, beyond his popularity, so to have The Great Wave opera premiered now is perfect timing."
The opera The Great Wave is scheduled to be performed at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow on 14 February, and at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on 19 and 21 February.
