Primary sourcePainting

The Thieves

Hokusai Katsushika

A Hokusai woodblock print showing a man climbing a tree above a gate, part of a narrative genre scene.

This narrative print was designed by Hokusai, showing his storytelling skill in genre scenes.

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Japanese woodblock print showing a man in a dark patterned robe climbing a tree with twisting branches above a wooden gate and stone wall. Two figures in conical hats and patterned robes stand at the gate, and a rooster perches on a roof at lower right. — Hokusai Katsushika, The Thieves. Albertina Museum, Vienna.

About this source

What it is

This woodblock print by Hokusai shows a man climbing a tree above a wooden gate, with two other figures standing nearby and a rooster on a roof. It is held by the Albertina Museum in Austria.

Why it matters

Hokusai produced many prints that told small stories or captured a dramatic moment, often with humour or suspense, as part of the ukiyo-e tradition. This print shows his skill at using figures and setting to suggest a narrative, letting the viewer imagine what happens next.

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Why might Hokusai have included the rooster in the scene?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hokusai on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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