Keeping To A Japanese Theme,

if you like Ukiyo-e have I got great news for you!

firstly the term, Ukiyo-e means 'Pictures of the Floating World', images of everyday Japan, mass-produced for popular consumption in the Edo period (1615-1868), they represent one of the highpoints of Japanese cultural achievement, popular themes include famous beauties and well-known actors, renowned landscapes, heroic tales and folk stories, arguably one of the most well known is pictured above, it is a woodblock print, 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The GreatWave off the Coast of Kanagawa', Katsushika Hokusai, about 1831, housed in the British Museum,

well the good news if you like this period and live in Japan, the much-anticipated Sumida Hokusai Museum, dedicated to world-renowned ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, opened this week, the museum was designed by Kazuyo Sejima, perhaps Japan’s most well-known female architect, the 4-storied structure will have permanent but also rotating special exhibitions that display the massive 1800+ collection of Hokusai’s work that’s part of the collection, and the museum’s location is no coincidence, Hokusai spent the majority of his career working and creating artwork in the Sumida Ward of Tokyo, there’s even a map on the museum’s website that lets you explore certain locations of interest,

 the logo for the museum is also interesting. It was chosen based on an open call for entries back in 2009, the winner, Kiyoji Takase, came up with the unique idea to borrow the lightning bolt that appear’s in one of Hokusai’s more famous works. The logo “has a sharp and strong form,” says the museum, and “makes us feel its intensity and energy.” The spreading of lightning bolts also represents the philosophy of this museum – “disseminating information to the world.” What a fabulous place to visit.