Miss Hokusai film explores life of Hokusai's artist daughter

The animated film Miss Hokusai (2015), directed by Keiichi Hara and based on the manga Sarusuberi by Hinako Sugiura, premiered in Italy last May at the Future Film Festival but has yet to secure distribution in the country. It is currently screening worldwide, including recent release in the United States, to positive reactions. The film tells the story of Katsushika O-Ei, an artist who lived in Edo (modern Tokyo) in the early 19th century and was the daughter of the renowned Japanese master Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849). O-Ei worked diligently in her father's studio, producing many works sold under his name, and was both fascinated and overshadowed by his imposing figure. She shared his home, work, and unusual habits, as she dismissively tells her mother, who lives elsewhere: "We don't cook and we don't clean; when the house gets too dirty, we move. We only need two brushes and four chopsticks to get by anywhere."