Exhibition shows importance of manga in exposing Japanese culture to the world
A touring exhibition examining the legacy of the 19th century artist Katsushika Hokusai is not only a reminder of Japan’s rich visual tradition, it also puts a spotlight on the contemporary Japanese comic book or illustration form known as manga.
From a Western perspective, the ascendency of Japanese popular culture is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning in the late 1980s with the explosion of animated films known as anime, such as Akira, and currently recognised in the fascination with J-pop acts such as Babymetal.
