Japan is issuing its passports with a new design: the background of each page is a reproduction of one an ukiyo-e woodblock painting by 19th century master Katsushika Hokusai, whose work was not only popular in Japan, but was instrumental in bringing Japanese art into the world of European artists.
The passport images are drawn from Hokusai’s portfolio of Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. They were painted between 1830 and 1832 as he traveled around the country, always keeping at least a distant view of the iconic mountain in the background, in a manner similar to later series paintings by Monet and others.
It’s not the only public display of his work these days; a prefecture in Tokyo has used a version of his painting The Wave in its license plate for scooters, and three Japanese brewers, in collaboration with museums, have produced limited edition beers featuring prints by Hokusai and his contemporaries.
