New Thames & Hudson volume explores Hokusai's teaching methods through 15 drawing manuals

Kyoko Wada's edited volume 'Hokusai's Method' presents the Japanese master primarily as an educator rather than just the creator of iconic works like 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' (1831). The book reproduces 15 edehon (drawing manuals) originally published by Hokusai, organized from beginner to advanced levels. Published by Thames & Hudson for £35 in hardcover, this 400+ page work targets non-Japanese speakers but leaves the artist's original explanatory texts untranslated. Instead, each manual receives a brief introduction from Wada, while the drawings themselves dominate the presentation. The volume opens with an extract from Hokusai's 1848 manual 'All About Painting in Colour… Part I,' which makes instructional promises the book doesn't fully deliver. Image-based techniques prove more successfully conveyed, particularly in children's instruction manuals that demonstrate simple drawing methods. Wada's contextual notes reveal Hokusai taught over 200 disciples and wielded significant influence during his lifetime. These insights remain sparse amid the extensive visual content, making the book function more as an art object than a comprehensive study. The title page cleverly integrates the Thames & Hudson logo within rearranged Hokusai illustrations. Readers are encouraged to select images from the collection to practice drawing themselves. Translated by Lis-Britt Dalkarl, the publication appears in the Spring 2025 issue of ArtReview Asia.