The Hokusai Museum is a museum located in Obuse, Kamitakai District, Nagano Prefecture, dedicated primarily to the works of Katsushika Hokusai, one of Japan’s most internationally renowned ukiyo-e artists. The museum is also a member of the Japan Ukiyo-e Association and has earned recognition both in Japan and abroad as an important center for Hokusai research.
Although it is situated in the quiet town of Obuse, the museum is known around the world for its valuable collection and exhibitions. It offers visitors an opportunity to appreciate the depth and beauty of Japanese art while learning about Hokusai’s extraordinary artistic career.
The collection includes rare original hand-painted works by Hokusai, as well as woodblock prints, letters, and other related materials. Among the highlights are the magnificent ceiling paintings created for Obuse’s festival floats, which represent some of the most remarkable achievements of Hokusai’s later years.
Katsushika Hokusai devoted his entire life to painting and is said to have moved 93 times during his lifetime. In his later years, when he was already 83 years old, he made an extended stay in Obuse, a place that would become particularly important to his artistic career.
For Hokusai, Obuse was more than simply a place to stay. It became a setting where he could bring together the experience of roughly 70 years of artistic activity. Away from the bustle of Edo, he found an environment blessed with beautiful nature and supportive relationships, allowing him to concentrate on his work.
During his time in Obuse, Hokusai produced numerous masterpieces, including large-scale paintings for local festival floats. The Hokusai Museum preserves and introduces this important connection between the artist and the town.
Hokusai’s works began reaching Europe and other parts of the world as Japan opened to international trade and cultural exchange. His distinctive compositions, colors, and depictions of nature had a major influence on Western artists.
Artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Edgar Degas were among those who drew inspiration from Japanese ukiyo-e and Hokusai’s artistic approach. His work played an important role in the development of the Japonisme movement that influenced European art in the late 19th century.
Hokusai has also received recognition as a figure of international cultural importance. In a list published by the American magazine LIFE featuring 100 people considered to have made particularly significant contributions over the past millennium, Hokusai was selected as the only Japanese person, ranking 86th.
During the final years of the Edo period, Hokusai was invited to Obuse by Takai Kozan, a wealthy merchant and cultured local figure who greatly admired his artistic talent. Kozan provided an environment where Hokusai could devote himself to painting.
While staying in Obuse, Hokusai created not only hand-painted works but also ambitious ceiling paintings for the town’s festival floats. These works demonstrate the extraordinary technical skill, imagination, and expressive power that characterized Hokusai’s later period.
In 1966, an exhibition of Katsushika Hokusai’s works was held in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, then known as Leningrad. Works associated with Hokusai’s connection to Obuse were included in the exhibition, attracting international attention and helping renew interest in the artistic value of Hokusai’s work.
Traveling exhibitions were subsequently held in Japan, and interest grew in creating a permanent institution that could preserve and introduce the relationship between Hokusai and Obuse.
In response, the town of Obuse undertook a community-wide effort to establish a museum. On November 7, 1976, the Hokusai Museum officially opened.
The Hokusai Museum Foundation was established the following year in 1977. Further expansion and renovation work was carried out in 1991, improving the museum’s exhibition environment and conservation facilities.
The Hokusai Museum consists of several exhibition spaces designed to allow visitors to explore Hokusai’s art from different perspectives.
The museum has five exhibition rooms and displays approximately 100 works, including around 40 valuable hand-painted works created by Hokusai during his stays in Obuse.
The museum also has an extensive collection of books and research materials related to ukiyo-e, numbering approximately 3,000 items. Video-based exhibition systems and displays explaining Hokusai’s life and the historical background of his work provide an accessible introduction for first-time visitors as well as valuable material for those with a deeper interest in Japanese art.
One of the museum’s greatest attractions is the collection of spectacular ceiling paintings created for Obuse’s traditional festival floats.
At the request of local festival groups and Takai Kozan, Hokusai painted large-scale works for the festival floats of Kamimachi and Higashimachi. These paintings demonstrate the remarkable energy and imagination of his later artistic style.
The Higashimachi festival float features two ceiling paintings depicting a dragon and a phoenix. Each is a square measuring approximately 125 centimeters on each side.
The dragon is depicted against a deep red background with extensive use of gold leaf, creating a powerful and dynamic image. The phoenix, meanwhile, spreads its wings across the composition in an elegant pose, rendered in a rich palette of red, green, vermilion, blue, and brown.
The Kamimachi festival float features Hokusai’s dramatic depiction of furious waves. The powerful movement of the waves combines violence and beauty, creating an image that vividly demonstrates Hokusai’s extraordinary ability to express the force of nature.
These ceiling paintings are designated as Nagano Prefectural Treasures and are regarded as some of the outstanding works of Hokusai’s later period.
The museum’s collection extends far beyond the festival-float ceiling paintings. Visitors can discover works that combine Hokusai’s remarkable skill in portraying people with his distinctive depictions of nature.
Other highlights include large-scale works exploring the power and mystery of nature, as well as an impressive eight-panel, single-screen folding screen. Several letters written by Hokusai himself are also preserved, providing glimpses into the artist’s personality and everyday life beyond his role as a painter.
Beauty with an Umbrella beneath a Willow – An elegant work depicting a woman’s graceful figure in harmony with the surrounding natural landscape.
Shirabyoshi – A refined composition portraying the traditional dancer Shirabyoshi in a quiet and dignified manner.
Hassaku Tayu, Bellflowers, and Chrysanthemums – Works that combine figures and seasonal flowers to express the beauty of traditional Japanese aesthetics.
Great Tornado and Dragon over Mount Fuji – Dynamic works that explore the power, mystery, and dramatic force of nature.
Seven Komachi, Eight-Panel Folding Screen – A magnificent folding-screen work noted for its sophisticated composition and expressive depiction of its figures.
The Hokusai Museum offers a unique opportunity to experience the art of Katsushika Hokusai, one of Japan’s most influential ukiyo-e artists, in depth.
The appeal of the museum lies not only in the beauty of Hokusai’s works themselves, but also in the opportunity to learn about the era in which he lived, the people he encountered, and the cultural environment of Obuse that inspired some of his most remarkable later works.
Whether you are interested in art, Japanese history, or traditional culture, the Hokusai Museum provides an engaging introduction to the world of one of Japan’s most celebrated artists. A visit to the museum can be combined with a stroll through historic Obuse, making it an excellent destination for exploring the cultural attractions of northern Nagano.
9:00-17:00
December 31
Special Exhibition
Adults 1,000 yen
High school students 500 yen
Elementary and junior high school students 300 yen
Free for children under elementary school age
From JR Zenkoji Exit in front of JR Nagano Station, take the Nagano Electric Railway (limited express: approx. 20 min. or ordinary 30 min.) to Obuse Station: 12 min. walk.
From National Route 18 “Toyono” traffic light: approx. 10 min. from Jyoshinetsu Expressway “Suzaka Nagano Higashi Interchange”: approx. 20 min. from “Shinshu Nakano Interchange”: approx. 15 min. from “Obuse PA Smart IC”: 8 min.