Transmitting the Spirit, Revealing Form of Things: Picture Album of Drawings at One Stroke (Denshin kaishu ippitsu gafu 伝神開手 一筆画譜) 1823

This drawing from Katsushika Hokusai’s *Transmitting the Spirit, Revealing Form of Things: Picture Album of Drawings at One Stroke* (1823) illustrates the artist’s mastery of *ippitsu* (single-stroke) drawing. This album contains drawings of various subjects executed in a single, fluid line. In this sheet, Hokusai depicts cranes with exquisite economy, demonstrating his ability to convey the essence of the subject with minimal strokes. This work offers a glimpse into Hokusai’s artistic process and provides insight into the principles of single-stroke drawing in Japanese art. *Ippitsu* drawings are known for their graceful simplicity and expressive power.