Which ukiyo-e artist used the seal 'Gakyō Rōjin Manji' (Old Man Mad About Art)?

The ukiyo-e artist who used the seal “Gakyō Rōjin Manji” was Katsushika Hokusai.

The phrase is commonly translated as “Old Man Mad About Art,” an exuberant self-description that suited Hokusai’s lifelong artistic restlessness. He used the name and associated seal during the later part of his career, especially from about 1834 to 1849. The character Manji, written 卍, appears as the final element of the name and is also a traditional Buddhist symbol in Japan, unrelated to its later political associations in Europe.

Hokusai repeatedly changed his professional names—more than 30 are associated with his career. These changes could mark shifts in style, status, or artistic identity, so “Hokusai” is only one chapter in his naming history. His late-period work includes One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, published in the 1830s.

A common mix-up is the similar name “Gakyō Rōjin Hokusai,” which Hokusai used earlier, around 1805–1806. The distinctive “Gakyō Rōjin Manji” form belongs to the mature artist best known for The Great Wave and his late landscapes.