The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife

An erotic woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, published in 1814, depicting a woman entwined with two octopuses. It is a celebrated example of Japanese shunga.

Shunga: Japanese erotic art, especially prints and illustrated books produced from the early modern period onward. The print belongs to this tradition of explicitly erotic images.
Woodblock printing in Japan: A printmaking process in which carved wooden blocks transfer ink and color onto paper. The print’s linework and colors were produced through carved blocks and paper impressions.
Katsushika Hokusai: A Japanese artist and printmaker (1760–1849), known for ukiyo-e and works including Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. He designed the image and helped define its distinctive line and composition.
Japonisme: The influence of Japanese art and design on Western artists and collectors, especially in the late nineteenth century. Its Western reputation grew as Japanese prints entered European collections.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa: A color woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, published around 1831 as part of Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. Its fame contrasts with the intimate, private subject of Hokusai’s erotic print.
Ukiyo-e: A genre of Japanese art using woodblock prints and paintings, especially prominent during the Edo period. Its woodblock technique and popular-print culture place it within ukiyo-e.
Hokusai manga: A multi-volume collection of Katsushika Hokusai’s sketches, first published in 1814. Published the same year, it shows Hokusai’s broader practice of expressive drawing.
Tetsujin: The pen name of the writer credited with the text accompanying The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife. The accompanying dialogue is attributed to this writer rather than to Hokusai.
Eroticism in art: The representation of sexual desire and sensuality in visual art. The print’s explicit imagery makes it a landmark case in debates over erotic art.
The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife in modern culture: The later adaptations and references to Hokusai’s 1814 erotic print in art and popular culture. Later artists repeatedly reworked its entwined bodies and tentacles.

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