Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai came to Obuse 4 times late in life, after the age of 80. Hokusai was an Edo period artist best known for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints, especially the Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji series, which includes The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. Every time he came he left many paintings behind in Obuse.

Some of these can be seen at the Hokusai Museum. The Hokusai Museum exbibits many original paintings as well as ukiyo-e. The paintings of waves and a dragon on the ceilings of festival floats are especially wonderful.

The ceiling painting of a phoenix at Ganshoin Temple is said to be Hokusai’s last major work. No matter where you stand when you look at it, the phoenix seems to look right back at you.