Three leading designers of Japan reinterpret "Hokusai Patterns"
"Hokusai Design Contemporary Printsfrom Hokusai Design Sketchbook"by Katsumi Asaba, Koichi Sato and Shin Matsunaga
Katsushika Hokusai was a genious ukiyo-e artist who brought numerous masterpieces into the world. He also drew designs for fine-patterned dyeing, which were compiled in a book entitled "Hokusai Moyo Gafu (Hokusai Design Sketchbook)." In 1986, the woodblocks used to print "Hokusai Moyo Gafu" were discovered in storage at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in the United States. The old woodblocks were returned to Japan and used to make new prints by artisans at the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints who have mastered traditional woodcut printing techniques.
When "Hokusai Moyo Gafu" was released nearly 150 years after its first publication, Hokusai's modern and ingenious designs became the focus of public attention once again and stimulated the imagination of contemporary creators.
In 1987, the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints invited three top Japanese designers who resonated with Hokusai's sensibilities to join in a project called "Hokusai Design Contemporary Prints from Hokusai Design Sketchbook". Katsumi Asaba, Koichi Sato and Shin Matsunaga recomposed the patterns included in "Hokusai Moyo Gafu" to create a new world of woodcut prints.
- Katsumi Asaba
- Koichi Sato
- Shin Matsunaga
Koichi Sato（1944-2016）
Koichi Sato was born in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture in 1944. He completed the course in visual design at the Department of Crafts, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts). After working in the advertising department of Shiseido, he became a freelance graphic designer in 1971. He has been a recipient of the Tokyo ADC Award, the Mainichi Design Award and the Education Minister's Art Encouragement Prize for young artists. He has also won numerous awards at international poster competitions, including at the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). His works are part of permanent collections at many art museums both in Japan and abroad. He passed away in May 2016.
