Visiting the Katsushika Hokusai Museum – Obuse, Japan

January 2025

Visiting the Katsushika Hokusai Museum – Obuse, Japan

The reason Kevin found Obuse is it is the destination of the Katsushika Hokusai Museum who famously painted the woodblock print Under the Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave. Katsushika Hokusai is renowned for his artwork, bringing ukiyo-e woodblock print medium to the global stage and is credited for influencing Impressionism all the way from his Edo period 1800 work.

The museum is a ten minute walk from the train station and is a popular destination for those visiting Obuse. Upon entry, there is a map and ticket purchase desk as well as a playground for kids which I thought is a nice touch for those that may not be as interested in the museum.

Katsushika Hokusai Museum starts with a movie with English subtitles outlining Hokusai’s life and how he only started the wood paintings in the later third of his life – peaking at age 60 and passing away at 90. In his life, he produced over 30,000 paintings, sketches, woodblock prints, and images for picture books.The next several rooms feature various sketches of artwork concentrated on Hokusai’s style.

About half way through the exhibit showcased the Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave. The display breaks down the various layers of the painting to build to the final iconic image of The Great Wave.

I very much enjoyed the timeline of the various pieces of artwork that Hokusai completed and the ability to see the dragon in smoke up close. I can only imagine how difficult it is to paint the sensation of smoke with the details of the dragon.

The final room showcased two giant festival carts with Hokusai paintings on the ceiling both built in the early 1800s. The Higashimachi Festival Cart features painted wood panels on the ceiling of the Dragon and the Phoenix and the Kanmachi Festival Cart features painted wood panels on the ceiling of Masculine Waves and Feminine Waves. The details here are extraordinary and you are able to get a good view of all angles due to the display set up.

There is a well stocked gift shop at the end of the museum that has a ton of merchandise of all the famous artwork so do not miss taking a peek inside the store for souvenir opportunities.

Continue reading all the details of our trip – here!

To see our full itinerary – here!

Read what to expect in Japan – here!

My complete packing list for Japan – here!

See all blog posts for Japan – here!