Photo/Illutration Katsushika Hokusai's “Secchu Bijin Zu” (Beautiful woman in the snow) believed to have been painted between 1813 and 1819 (Provided by Tozai New Art Co.)

A hand-painted artwork by Edo Period (1603-1867) artist Katsushika Hokusai was sold for 621 million yen ($4 million), the highest price ever paid at an auction for a solo work by the famed ukiyo-e master.

“Secchu Bijin Zu” (Beautiful woman in the snow), painted by Hokusai (1760-1849), was sold at an auction held by Tozai New Art Co. in Tokyo on Nov. 8. 

The winning bidder was major furniture retailer Nitori Co., based in Sapporo. The piece is scheduled to be housed and exhibited at the Otaru Ukiyo-e Museum within the Otaru Art Base in Hokkaido, operated by the Nitori Culture Foundation.

The artwork was designated an important art object before World War II.

“This work dates from the period when Hokusai began using the name ‘Taito’ after ‘Hokusai,’” said Masato Naito, a professor in the aesthetics and science of arts department at Keio University and an expert in Japanese art history. “It is one of his most exquisitely sensual masterpieces and could be considered worthy of designation as an Important Cultural Property.”

The canvas, measuring nearly one meter in height, depicts a woman—believed to be an Oiran courtesan from the Yoshiwara red-light district in Edo—standing quietly in falling snow.

The vivid blue tones are striking, and the piece is considered a masterpiece from Hokusai’s mature period during the Bunka-Bunsei period (1813–1819).

The initial estimated auction price ranged from 40 million to 60 million yen.

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