Miss Hokusai

Edo, 1814—today’s Tokyo—thrums with life: peasants and samurai, merchants and courtesans, artists and nobles, and whispers of the uncanny. In a cluttered house-atelier, the renowned painter Tetsuzō works with relentless focus, taking commissions from across Japan and moving effortlessly between grand feats—like a colossal Bodhidharma on an enormous sheet of paper—and miniature wonders painted on something as small as a grain of rice. Sharp-tongued and exacting, he has little interest in sake or money and demands a steep price for work that fails to inspire him.

By his side is O-Ei, the outspoken 23-year-old third daughter from his second marriage, who shares both his talent and his stubborn streak. Often painting in his stead without credit, O-Ei’s striking work can draw unexpected trouble, as everyday life in Edo brushes up against the supernatural. Years later, the world would celebrate Tetsuzō under one of his many names—Katsushika Hokusai—while the contributions of the daughter who supported and shaped his art remained largely unseen, revealed here in a seasonal portrait of her life in his shadow.