Hokusai Museum

The Hokusai Museum is an art museum in Obuse dedicated to the Japanese master Katsushika Hokusai, displaying woodblock prints, hanging scrolls, and decorated festival floats from his work. The collection spans different periods of his career and shows how this artist shaped Japanese visual art across multiple genres and scales.

The museum was established in 1976 and preserves the artistic legacy of Hokusai, who spent his final years in Obuse under the patronage of merchant Takai Kozan. This connection between the artist and the town shaped local history and led to the creation of this institution as a repository of his late works.

The museum presents works from the ukiyo-e tradition, a Japanese art form that captured scenes of daily life and nature. Visitors can see how these prints were woven into Japanese visual culture and shaped the way people perceived their surroundings.

The museum is easy to reach and located near the center of Obuse, where visitors can access it by local transport or on foot. It helps to check ahead about current exhibitions, as the collection rotates regularly.

A rare ceiling mural of a phoenix can be found at the nearby Ganshoin Temple, representing one of Hokusai's final large-scale artistic projects. This work shows how the artist continued to develop and apply his skills into his advanced years.