Hokusai Manga was the name of Katsushika Hokusai’s illustrated book series showing many kinds of drawings.
The series consists of fifteen volumes published from 1814 to 1878, although the final volume appeared after Hokusai’s death. It contains studies of people, animals, plants, landscapes, architecture, mythical beings, and movement. The word “manga” here means informal or whimsical drawings, not a modern serialized comic in the usual sense.
Hokusai created the books partly as teaching material for students and partly as a showcase of his extraordinary range. The images were reproduced as woodblock illustrations, allowing readers to study them in affordable printed volumes.
A common mistake is to treat Hokusai Manga as one continuous narrative. It is not a story with recurring characters; it is a large collection of visual studies. Hokusai’s later influence on European artists is often discussed alongside the popularity of such printed picture books.