Daily Sketches for Exorcism and Longevity

The Daily Sketches for Longevity and Exorcism depict lions in various forms, as well as lion dancers. Katsushika Hokusai created this series of daily sketches at age 84–85, when he resided in Obuse, Shinshu (present-day Nagano Prefecture). They were painted not for a commission, but rather as a wish for his own longevity. Several sheets from this series are known to exist in both domestic and overseas collections. However, the pieces donated to Kyushu National Museum are noted for how remarkably well they have survived as a whole set of 219 sheets, as well as their clear provenance. Originally, they were in the care of Hokusai’s daughter, O-Ei. She later gifted them to Miyamoto Shinsuke, a retainer of the Matsushiro domain in Shinshu, as a replacement for an undelivered hanging scroll that Shinsuke had commissioned of Hokusai. These paintings feature dynamic brushstrokes that fully capture Hokusai’s overflowing creativity on paper.

— Museum description: Kyushu National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.