Fender Japan brings master ukiyo-e artist Hokusai's work to the Esquire

 Fender Esquire .
Credit: Fender

If you're familiar with the Japanese genre of art known as ukiyo-e the name Katsushika Hokusai will be very familiar, but even if you aren't his Great Wave Off Kanagawa is one of the most instantly recognisable works of all time. And now it's coming to the Fender Esquire, along with two other Hokusai classics. 

The trio of special finishes from Hokusai's early 1830s Thirty-Six Views Of Mount Fuji series celebrate the first-year anniversary of Fender's Tokyo store. And the Esquire proves to be the perfect platform for this latest addition to the Fender Art Canvas series, allowing more interrupted space for Hokusai's landscapes. They're undoubtedly our favourite examples of the series yet and have already featured on Japan-exclusive Acoustastonic Teles.

Fender Esquire
Fender Esquire

Alongside The Great Wave Off off Kanagawa, the other two Esquire Art Canvas guitars feature Hokusai’s Thunderstorm Beneath The Summit and Tama River In Musashi Province works. They're a stunning trio.

Fender Japan Made in Japan Art Canvas Esquire Hokusai
Fender Japan Made in Japan Art Canvas Esquire Hokusai
Fender Japan Made in Japan Art Canvas Esquire Hokusai
Fender Japan Made in Japan Art Canvas Esquire Hokusai
Fender Japan Made in Japan Art Canvas Esquire Hokusai
Fender Japan Made in Japan Art Canvas Esquire Hokusai

The single pickup models feature an American Vintage ‘58 single-coil, with the three Esquire switching modes of standard single-coil bridge, pickup routed through volume pot only and thirdly, pickup with the tone control bypassed.

These Japan-exclusive guitars are priced at 198,000 yen according to the Japanese press release, which converts to around $1,254.