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Quiz about 10 Paintings Katsushika Hokusai
Quiz about 10 Paintings Katsushika Hokusai

10 Paintings: Katsushika Hokusai Quiz


An esteemed printmaker and ukiyo-e artist, Hokusai inspired not only other Asian painters but also those from faraway Europe. Here are ten works from this master of Edo-period Japan.

A photo quiz by trident. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
trident
Time
3 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
408,021
Updated
Apr 13 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
253
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 47 (10/10), andymuenz (10/10), pollucci19 (8/10).
Author's Note: I highly recommend clicking on the images for a closer (and much clearer) look!
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Question 1 of 10
1. Perhaps the most recognizable work of Japanese art in history, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (1830) is a woodblock print depicting three boats struggling against a giant wave. If one looks closely at the background, one can see a famous landmark. That's because this work is part of a series where every image features what? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Hokusai famously broadened the field of topics of ukiyo-e prints to landscapes and nature scenes. This woodblock print by him shows the original focus of the artform, portraitures of which of these Japanese groups? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Utilizing the new nishiki-e technique, "Tenma Bridge in Setsu Province" comes from a set in which Hokusai painted several Japanese bridges. This scene shows spectators on a bridge watching ships pass by during the Tenjin festival. In which port city does the festival take place? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. "Fine Wind, Clear Morning" (c. 1830-1832) depicts Japan's famous Mount Fuji on a clear morning with a calm southerly wind. In these exact conditions, the rising sun can give the mountain a distinct appearance. Because of that, what is this painting nicknamed? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Hokusai's ukiyo-e series "One Hundred Ghost Stories" depicts various ghosts and other supernatural beings, coming from different sources. This kabuki character is named Oiwa, the wife of a samurai who is killed and haunts her husband, coming back as what? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "Kajikazawa in Kai Province" (c. 1830-1832) depicts the daily life of a Japanese worker in the small town of Kajikazawa. What was the occupation of the worker? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. For this woodblock print dated from 1831-1833, Hokusai traveled to Kurokami Mountain in Shimotsuke. What was he trying to capture in the print? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. One of his rarer woodblocks, "Whaling Off Goto" can be found in which of Hokusai's series?


Question 9 of 10
9. Paired with another painting that complements it, the waves in this work by Hokusai are meant to show peacefulness and accommodation while the waves in his other painting represent vigor and adventurousness. What are the two opposing wave paintings meant to be depicting? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Hokusai painted "Tiger in the Snow" only a few months before his death. He had taken to painting several "shishi," or imperial guardian lions, which many art historians believe may be connected to his late-in-life obsession with longevity. However, it wasn't a woodblock. On what medium did Hokusai paint this work?



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Mar 09 2024 : Guest 47: 10/10
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Perhaps the most recognizable work of Japanese art in history, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (1830) is a woodblock print depicting three boats struggling against a giant wave. If one looks closely at the background, one can see a famous landmark. That's because this work is part of a series where every image features what?

Answer: Mount Fuji

The "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" contains thirty-six different landscape prints, each one containing a different view of Japan's Mount Fuji. Hokusai created them when he was in his seventies, from 1830-1832. "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is easily the most recognizable, though there are several other views of Mount Fuji from the series that gained recognition in Japan and around the world.

The print was created using Prussian blue, a hue new to the Japanese islands and which Hokusai was fond of. The work has become so famous that plans were made to put the wave on the 1,000 yen bill in 2024.
2. Hokusai famously broadened the field of topics of ukiyo-e prints to landscapes and nature scenes. This woodblock print by him shows the original focus of the artform, portraitures of which of these Japanese groups?

Answer: courtesans

Most ukiyo-e artists had previously focused on capturing the lives of courtesans and actors in eighteenth-century Japan. Hokusai's early work follows this tradition, though his exploration into painting landscapes, plants, and animals completely turned the artform on its head.

While courtesan portraitures are still very much a part of Japanese art history, Hokusai was the pioneer that made images such as the "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" iconic in Japan and around the world. It was often these landscapes and distant portrayals of people's lives that led to the European adoption of Japanese styles in their own art, particularly the Impressionists.
3. Utilizing the new nishiki-e technique, "Tenma Bridge in Setsu Province" comes from a set in which Hokusai painted several Japanese bridges. This scene shows spectators on a bridge watching ships pass by during the Tenjin festival. In which port city does the festival take place?

Answer: Osaka

The Tenjin festival celebrates the Shinto god of art and learning, Tenman Tenjin. It continues in Osaka today as a spectacular boat festival. It begins with a ritual and prayers, and then drummers are dispatched to the city to inform the populace that it has begun.

A street procession then takes place, followed by a boat procession. Similar to Hokusai's woodprint, bridges are closed to car traffic and visitors can save themselves a spot from which they can view the boats.
4. "Fine Wind, Clear Morning" (c. 1830-1832) depicts Japan's famous Mount Fuji on a clear morning with a calm southerly wind. In these exact conditions, the rising sun can give the mountain a distinct appearance. Because of that, what is this painting nicknamed?

Answer: Red Fuji

"Fine Wind, Clear Morning", like "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", is part of the collection of Mt. Fuji paintings known as "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji". In perfect weather conditions, Mount Fuji turns red, and this painting displays that exact moment.

It's no wonder that Hokusai chose the mountain as a subject for so many of his woodprints since the geographical feature has so much historical, cultural, and spiritual significance in Japan. Tourists purchasing postcards or other knickknacks can often find the "Red Fuji" image printed on those items since it is so iconic and features Mt. Fuji so prominently.
5. Hokusai's ukiyo-e series "One Hundred Ghost Stories" depicts various ghosts and other supernatural beings, coming from different sources. This kabuki character is named Oiwa, the wife of a samurai who is killed and haunts her husband, coming back as what?

Answer: a paper lantern

There are several variations on the kabuki legend, but perhaps my favorite includes a plan hatched by a group of friends of the lover of samurai Tamiya Iemon's. After the samurai falls in love with the girl, her friends give Oiwa, the samurai's wife, a gift of poisoned face cream.

Her face now ugly and deteriorating, she is abandoned by Tamiya Iemon. In a fit of grief, she sprints wildly and is impaled on a samurai sword. With her last breath, she curses her husband and comes back to haunt him as a possessed lantern.
6. "Kajikazawa in Kai Province" (c. 1830-1832) depicts the daily life of a Japanese worker in the small town of Kajikazawa. What was the occupation of the worker?

Answer: fisherman

A fisherman and his son are located on a rocky outcrop, the fisherman with his net in the water. The woodblock shows how dangerous this line of work was, even if not every fisherman in the profession stood on such precarious ground. This scene is another from Hokusai's "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji", which, if you can't already tell, dominates as his most popular series.

As one can see, Mount Fuji graces the background.
7. For this woodblock print dated from 1831-1833, Hokusai traveled to Kurokami Mountain in Shimotsuke. What was he trying to capture in the print?

Answer: a waterfall

Hokusai completed eight prints in his series titled "A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces." As a follower of the Japanese version of Buddhism, he believed in the animistic idea that there are gods and spirits in nature, and this kind of spirituality is said to be found in this woodblock print.

Hokusai's other prints in this series depict the various waterfalls of Japan from many different vantage points, offering differing forms of beauty when viewing these natural wonders.
8. One of his rarer woodblocks, "Whaling Off Goto" can be found in which of Hokusai's series?

Answer: Oceans of Wisdom

Hokusai's "Whaling Off Goto" is certainly not something that can be taught as a quick lesson and is also not a simplified drawing. Instead, Hokusai saved that for some simple illustrations he included in three volumes that were created to help potential future artists thrive at their craft. One of these illustrations is titled "Egrets" and includes several quick drawings of the bird on one page.

This series, "Oceans of Wisdom," depicts the daily life of ocean workers. Whalers work in this woodblock, but others in the series include fishermen and shellfish gatherers.
9. Paired with another painting that complements it, the waves in this work by Hokusai are meant to show peacefulness and accommodation while the waves in his other painting represent vigor and adventurousness. What are the two opposing wave paintings meant to be depicting?

Answer: femininity and masculinity

Titled "Feminine Wave" and "Masculine Wave," Hokusai's paintings are very similar in style, but the slight variabilities between the two are meant to represent traditionally feminine and masculine traits. Japanese society in the Edo period was certainly traditionalist, and Japanese women were forced to adopt submissive gender roles.
10. Hokusai painted "Tiger in the Snow" only a few months before his death. He had taken to painting several "shishi," or imperial guardian lions, which many art historians believe may be connected to his late-in-life obsession with longevity. However, it wasn't a woodblock. On what medium did Hokusai paint this work?

Answer: hanging scroll

Hokusai had become weak and emaciated at the end of his life, but his work still displayed seemingly effortless skill. Some art historians believe that Hokusai was painting some version of himself in the tiger, which looks as though it is quite pleased with itself.

In 1998, the hanging scroll was purchased by an American collector for $772,500 (U.S.).
Source: Author trident

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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