The Hokusai Museum is a museum where visitors can view original paintings by the world-famous ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period, Katsushika Hokusai.
Katsushika Hokusai was a painting fanatic who moved to Obuse, Nagano Prefecture 93 times.
The two ceiling paintings of dragons and phoenixes on the Kamimachi and Higashimachi festival floats, which Katsushika Hokusai painted in response to a request from the town council during his stay in Obuse, can be seen here.
The museum has about 40 original paintings in five exhibition rooms, a video system for viewing works, about 100 prints, and about 3,000 Ukiyo-e related books in its collection and on display.
The works of Katsushika Hokusai were exported to Japan when the country opened to the outside world and had a great influence on many artists, including Vincent van Gogh and Edgar Degas.
He was the only Japanese to be ranked 86th in the “100 most important world figures of the past 1,000 years,” a project of Life magazine, a U.S. magazine.
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.