北斎かける百人一首

Hokusai's last major series was begun in 1836, and each of the prints he produced was based on a poem from one of Japan's most renowned poets, taken from the famous collection of ancient poetry called the Hyakunin Isshu. For a new spin on this lofty literature, however, the artist reimagined each of the poems as seen through the eyes of a little old lady (or sometimes "nurse"), perhaps as she regaled the children in her care. The resulting woodblock prints are the "One Hundred Poems Explained by a Nurse," and this exhibition is a great chance to see Hokusai "at play" with this unique scenario.