In her own glowing paintings and lucid text, Deborah Kogan Ray tells the fascinating life story of the Japanese artist Hokusai (1760-1849). He rose from poverty during the Samurai era, taught himself to draw, became the promising pupil of a great master, and then defied tradition to become one of the most important and influential artists in the world. His "thirty-six views of Mout Fuji" is still known and admired all over the world.