Hokusai 

Issa, a sixty-year-old fisherman, is secretly in loveIn Japan, in the 18th century, when the imperial power was censuring artists, young Shunrô, learning the art of painting, was banished from his school because of his impetuous temperament and the unconventional style of his engravings. No one at the time imagined that he would become Hokusai, the famous artist known for ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’.
“In the film, Hokusai is not described as a personality over and above that of the common run of people, but as a human being filled with emotion. I wanted at all costs to avoid drawing the portrait of a man out of the ordinary. He was a remarkable person, but he was not out of reach, he had to try hard and face up to difficulties. I took it upon myself to imagine that jealousy and a competitive spirit were perhaps the driving force behind his creativity ... As far as I know, Hokusai was not involved in politics, he was free and independent and lived only for his art. But ukiyo-e (engravings) were a popular pastime ; he didn’t just draw what he wanted. He always had in mind to please those who would receive his work and set his heart on moving them profoundly.” Hajime Hashimoto