"Susano-o no Mikoto " (03:36)

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"Making a Pact with the Spirits of Disease" was a three meter painting destroyed by the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. In 2015, a project began recreating Katsushika Hokusai's masterpiece. It combined digital technology with traditional restoration techniques.

Hokusai Restoration Project (03:11)

The artist donated "Susano-o no Mikoto" to the Ushijima Shrine near Tokyo. The Sumida Hokusai Museum commissioned Yu Kinoshita to recreate the painting. Digital scanning reveals the sole remaining photograph is high quality; colors are expressed as shades of gray.

Identifying Colors (01:56)

Kinoshita photographs an existing screen in color and compares it to a black and white photograph by the same artist who shot "Susano-o no Mikoto." He correlates colors to their gray values and asks restoration expert Akira Yamauchi to recreate Hokusai's colors.

Recreating Hokusai's Colors (03:04)

Yamauchi smooths gradation for ease of computer reading, but Kinoshita needs natural brushstrokes imitating Hokusai's style. Finally, they reach an agreement and Yamauchi sends samples.

Color Mystery (03:47)

Some gray values could represent more than one color for a man’s robe in Hokusai's "Susano-o no Mikoto." Yamauchi eliminates vermillion based on pigment particle size; a smooth gradation suggests purple.

Finding Hokusai's Purple (04:47)

Hokusai used Prussian blue pigment in "Under the Wave off Kanagawa." Yamauchi believes he mixed it with lac dye wafer. After several attempts, he achieves a deep purple; Kinoshita adds it to a digital image of "Susano-o no Mikoto."

Hokusai's Life Work (05:38)

The Sumida Hokusai Art Museum recovered a landscape scroll depicting the Sumida River in Hokusai's neighborhood. Learn about the artist's career as described by biographer Iijima Kyoshin.

"Making a Pact with the Spirits of Disease" (05:01)

Hokusai created images for the common people, including a large scale portrait of Buddhist saint Bodhidharma at the Gokoku-ji temple. Professor Noriko Suzuki discusses Edo period diseases inspiring "Susano-o no Mikoto.” The Ushijima Shrine was believed to protect against smallpox.

Lines in Japanese Art (02:38)

Yamauchi's team attempts to recreate the lines of "Susano-o no Mikoto” from a photo. Early camera lenses softened focus around the edges; they must guess how Hokusai painted the original version.

Finishing Line Technique (02:18)

Yamauchi and Kinoshita inspect "Buddha's Disciple," a rare painting on which Hokusai overlaid dark lines for emphasis. Yamauchi believes he used the same method on "Susano-o no Mikoto.”

Expressing Vitality (02:04)

Electromyography sensors measure invisible muscle movements in a man imitating the subject's pose in "Buddha's Disciple." Experts believe Hokusai used finishing lines to bring life to the figure by suggesting internal movement.

Hokusai's Mastery (02:30)

"Hokusai's Temporary Home" by Tsuyuki Iitsu depicts the artist in old age. He considered everything painted before age 70 to be worthless, and aspired to paint like a god.

"Susano-o no Mikoto" in the Ushijima Shrine (03:17)

Art historian Kazutaka Higuchi advises Kinoshita to consider Hokusai's intention for hanging the painting high. Kinoshita brightens colors to counteract indoor shadows and adds gold leaf to the background.

"Susano-o no Mikoto" Recreated (04:36)

After two years, Kinoshita delivers Hokusai's restored work to the Sumida Hokusai Museum in October 2016. He and Yamauchi reflect on restoring color from a black and white photograph. Hokusai died at 90, feeling he had not yet mastered art.

Credits: The Lost Hokusai (00:33)

Credits: The Lost Hokusai