The historic exhibition Hokusai contains almost 500 works (about 310 woodblock prints, 130 paintings, 40 published books, and 20 drawings) by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), arguably the best-known Japanese artist outside Japan and the creator of the Great Wave (ca. 1831). According to the Tokyo National Museum press materials, there had been one other Hokusai exhibition of this scale, which was in Vienna in 1901. However, the exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum reflected a century of subsequent international scholarship. The exhibition follows a more focused Hokusai: Prints and Drawings (1991) at the Royal Academy of Art, London, with 133 prints and drawings (with a catalogue by Matthi Forrer published by Prestel). Of the nearly 500 works on display at the Tokyo National Museum, only about 300 works at a time were actually shown, as most of the works required changeover with other examples of the same or similar images to minimize exposure to light. Still, the sheer volume of works was rather daunting, and a notice at the entrance of the exhibition advised visitors to plan their viewing. The visitor was also provided with a list of works indicating the display period for each work. This same list was available...