Drawings by Hokusai and His Students at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Oct 29, 2026

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Online lecture notes detailing drawings by Katsushika Hokusai and works connected to his pupils and studio practice, presented in the order they appeared. The text identifies specific artworks with accession numbers, dates, inscriptions, and collection provenance, and distinguishes preparatory drawings from block-ready designs, key blocks, and finished prints. It also specifies usage permissions for downloaded images for personal, educational, and limited scholarly publication purposes, and points to licensing requests for larger or commercial needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Lecture overview

Accessing and downloading images

Artworks discussed (accession numbers and provenance)

Drawings by Hokusai and His Students at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Sarah E. Thompson Online Third Thursday lecture, Thursday 15th June 2023 Works discussed, in the order that they appeared (not counting the introduction) For images that can be downloaded (if they are available; not everything has been photographed), goto the collection search page of the MFA’s online database: [https://collections.mfa.org/collections](https://collections.mfa.org/collections) and type in the accession number (for example, 11.9363 for the first item below) . Images downloaded from the website are free for personal and educational use, and for small scholarly publications with a circulation of 2000 or less. For larger publications or commercial licensing, and for higher-resolution images for research or personal use, please apply to the Digital Image Rights department: [https://www.mfa.org/collections/mfa-images/licensing/reproduction-request](https://www.mfa.org/collections/mfa-images/licensing/reproduction-request) form?title=Nichiren%20sh%C3%B4nin%20Writing%20on%20the%20Waves&accession=11 .9363 Two drawings made by Hokusai to show pupils how to do things: Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760–1849 葛飾北斎 Nichiren Shōnin Writing on the Waves, about 1830s–early 1840s 日蓮上人波題目画稿 Unmounted; ink on paper William Sturgis Bigelow Collection, 1911 11.9363 Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760–1849 葛飾北斎 Sketch of Figures Prepared for Instruction of a Pupil, 1830s 人物絵手本 Ink on paper Gift of Edward S. Morse, 1922 22.400 Three block-ready drawings in the Spaulding Collection, which by the terms of the gift cannot be exhibited: Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760–1849 葛飾北斎 Drawing for: Poem by Fujiwara no Mototoshi, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 「百人一首姥か恵とき藤原基後」（版下絵） Japanese, Edo period, about 1835–36 (Tenpō 6–7) Ink on paper Horizontal ōban; 25.7 x 38.2 cm (10 1/8 x 15 1/16 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston William S. and John T. Spaulding Collection, 1921 21.6747 Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760–1849 葛飾北斎 Drawing for: Poem by Kawara no Sadaijin (Minamoto no Tōru), from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 「百人一首乳母か絵説河原の左大臣」（版下絵） Japanese, Edo period, about 1835–36 (Tenpō 6–7) Ink on paper, with red seal Horizontal ōban; 25 x 37.5 cm (9 13/16 x 14 3/4 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston William S. and John T. Spaulding Collection, 1921 21.6727 Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760–1849 葛飾北斎 Drawing for: Poem by Minamoto no Shunrai (Minamoto no ToshiyoriAson), from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 「百人一首姥か恵とき源俊頼朝臣」（版下絵） Japanese, Edo period, about 1835–36 (Tenpō 6–7) Ink on paper Horizontal ōban; 25.6 x 37 cm (10 1/16 x 14 9/16 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston William S. and John T. Spaulding Collection, 1921 21.6746 For comparison, a key block print (made from a woodblock carved by using the artist’s drawing as a pattern) and a finished, full-color print of the same design: Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760–1849 葛飾北斎 Poem by Ono no Komachi, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 「百人一首うはかゑとき小墅小町」（校合摺） Japanese, Edo period, about 1835–36 (Tenpō 6–7) Woodblock print (key block); ink on paper Horizontal ōban; 27.4 x 39.3 cm (10 13/16 x 15 1/2 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston William Sturgis Bigelow Collection, 1911 11.17529 Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760–1849 葛飾北斎 Poem by Ono no Komachi, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 「百人一首うはかゑとき小墅小町」） Japanese, Edo period, about 1835–36 (Tenpō 6–7) Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper Horizontal ōban; 25.3 x 37.5 cm (9 15/16 x 14 3/4 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston William S. and John T. Spaulding Collection, 1921 21.6724 Two sets of drawings bound as bo

FAQs

How can downloaded images from the MFA database be used?

Downloaded images are free for personal and educational use, and for small scholarly publications with a circulation of 2000 or less.

Where should licensing requests be made for larger or commercial use?

For larger publications, commercial licensing, or higher-resolution images for research or personal use, apply to the Digital Image Rights department via the MFA reproduction request page.

What types of objects are compared in the lecture?

The notes compare preparatory drawings and block-ready drawings with a key block print and a finished full-color print of the same design.

Oct 29, 2026

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