Hokusai: One Hundred Poets

What an extraordinary treasure is Hokusai's series of prints and drawings that celebrate the 100 Japanese poets whose verses appear in the medieval collection known as the "Hyakunin Isshu" (one poem apiece by 100 poets). At the time that these poets lived--in the earlier Nara and Heian periods--portraiture was generally linked to Buddhist veneration. However, by several centuries later, Japan had developed major commercial and urban centers that supported high rates of literacy and a vibrant publishing industry based on the technology of woodblock printing. At this juncture, the country's leading artists created iconic images of the Hyakunin Isshu's 100 poets. Such images remain in wide circulation even today as portraits gracing the illustrated playing cards associated with the poetry collection. Eventually late-era woodblock artists used the 100 verses to create prints that focused on scenes of everyday life thematically consistent with the 31-syllable poems in the Hyakunin Isshu. Peter Morse's reproduction and explanations of Hokusai's woodblocks are in a class by themselves and provide a most marvelous contextual richness. Among the other reasons to celebrate this book is the fact that Morse added an appendix that includes several dozen translations of poem number 9 by the female poet Ono no Komachi, for this reveals how allusive and subject to multiple interpretations is the Japanese language.

I read this on my bus commutes... and quickly found it such a treat that I relished each page, found myself feasting over every page as leisurely as I could because I didn't want the book to end.One Hundred Poets is an ancient accumulation of poems (100 poems by 100 poets) done around 1200 in Japan or so; a classic text, that Hokusai began to illustrate. Roughly 1/3 of his illustrations were published, the rest never were, but he did complete the drawing work for the 100 poems.The author has a great grasp on the poems, and delights in tracing how Hokusai's illustrations cleverly take the theme of each poem and carries it off in an unexpected or unusual direction, thus creating a second level of artistry. It's hard to find any book that will give Westerners like myself a glimpse of the particularly Japanese way of looking at these poems and art, but this author clearly gives us a keyhole through which I can peek... one of the best I've read, in that regard.You should know, that when Hokusai drew a picture, that picture got destroyed by the process of carving wood-block plates. So it turns out to be a particular treat to see the roughly half of this book that are Hokusai's original drawings which were NEVER turned into plates. Those drawings, I feel, are far more beautiful than the full-color plates we all know. The variability in thickness of strokes never got captured by the wood-block carvers, and I relished seeing it in these drawings.In short, it was a perfect way to spend half-hour increments of quiet time; reading the poem, mulling over what it might mean, exploring different translations with the writer of this book and thereby getting a deeper understanding of the poem; tracing the elements of the poem that Hokusai picked out for his drawings; appreciating his sense of humor, pun, and fun in how he chose his drawings' subjects; delighting in the balance, artistry, and whimsy of the drawings; simply enjoying the beauty of each two-page spread. I've never encountered a better book about Japanese drawings than this. It's a treasured piece, one of about 50 books I've stumbled across over the years that I truly hold dear.

Hokusai worked on his One Hundred Poets late in his life and because of this, he was not able to complete what clearly is an important work.This excellent edition by Peter Morse and his famous publisher is unique as no one has attempted to publish the complete corpus of One Hundred Poets--until now.Clearly there was an effort made to find the best extant examples of each plate--and the author has succeeded admirably on what must have been an arduous and challenging task. For this, we are grateful.The Reader is best advised to secure a copy now as, in time, copies will become scarce and expensive.

George Braziller publishes the most beautiful Japanese print books and this book is as excellent as the other Braziller books. The notes on each poem and print are both illuminating and fascinating. I treasure this book.

Peter Morse perfectly covers the marriage of two of the greatest arts; of poetry and wood-block prints. Hokusai one of the greatest attempted the illustration of the classic One Hundred Poets. He never achieved the herculean task but Morse's narrative adeptly puts the work in context. If you seek to understand Japan I recommend starting with it's art. A massive coffee table issue you will return to many times.

wonderful juxtaposition of the woodblock prints, their associated texts and the poems with their translations and interpretations

I like the concept and the association of the poems and the illustrations. I wish the paper and printing quality had been done with more care.

This a one of those rare and spectacular books that captures the blending of two forms of media - poetry and art. Highly recommended

Beau livre paru originellement en 1989, cette édition de 2002, en langue anglaise US, couverture reliée (rigide), de dimensions généreuses 25,6 x 35,8 cm, imprimé en Chine pour l'éditeur de New York, George Braziller. La qualité d'impression réalisée sur un papier satiné de bonne épaisseur est considérablement supérieure et bien plus fine que celle des ouvrages français récents ayant trait aux estampes de Hokusai, La présentation des oeuvres est sans surprise selon le principe d'une double page pour chaque estampe ou croquis. A gauche une page de texte décrivant le poète, le poème et une étude du dessin ou de l'estampe. A droite l'estampe ou le dessin en pleine page. Les notes qui terminent l'ouvrage ne sont pas abondantes mais appréciables. Un bel exercice de reconstruction d'une série d'estampes marquée par le mauvais sort.

Excellent ouvrage pour spécialistes