The Quick Pictorial Dictionary (Ehon hayabiki 画本早引): [volume 2] 1819

This is a page from ‘The Quick Pictorial Dictionary,’ a multi-volume woodblock-printed book by Katsushika Hokusai, the celebrated Japanese artist, who lived from 1760 to 1849. Hokusai was a popular artist, and he made these books to teach his visual language to others. He wanted to show people how to depict all sorts of subjects from Japanese life. The figures in this page represent different actions, emotions, and social roles. This dictionary shows us something about the place of art in Japanese society at the time. Art wasn't just for the elite. Hokusai’s dictionary democratized the knowledge of artmaking. It was designed to reach a broader audience. To understand it better, you might look at the history of printing and publishing in Japan, the changing social structure of the period, and the growth of cities like Edo (now Tokyo). These are just some of the resources that help us understand the social life of art.