The British Museum will remedy that in late September with the exhibition “Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything”, which will feature more than 100 unseen postcard-sized drawings by the artist.

Hokusai is known for “Under the Wave off Kanagawa”, or “The Great Wave”, but he is thought to have produced 30,000 works in his lifetime.

Among them are 103 previously unseen drawings, which were acquired last year by the British Museum. Their existence had been all but forgotten until 2019, when they resurfaced at an auction in Paris and were purchased by the cultural institution for £270,000.

It is believed Hokusai created these drawings between the 1820s and the 1840s for the “Great Picture Book of Everything” illustrated encyclopaedia. He wanted to present vignettes about the origins of Buddhism in India, ancient China and the natural world.

Despite creating the drawings for the book, the project was never completed.

Historians at the British Museum claim that, if the book had been published, these illustrations would not exist. A professional block-cutter would have pasted each one face-down onto a plank of cherrywood, and cut through the back of the paper with chisels and knives to create detailed printing blocks.

This process would have destroyed the drawings. Instead, they were kept in a box and have not been seen publicly since.

The drawings will be exhibited for the first time until Jan 30 at the British Museum. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see Hokusai’s masterpiece “Under the Wave off Kanagawa”, alongside objects that give further insight into his working practices.

Hokusai is said to have worked with frenetic energy, rising early to paint and continuing until well after dark. “The show shines a light on the last chapter of his career and life, uncovering a restless talent that burnt brightly into his final years,” the British Museum says.

Those who cannot travel to London can discover Hokusai’s drawings on the museum’s website.