Hokusai Landmarks in Tokyo

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849) is perhaps the most famous Japanese artist ever. There is so much information about him on the web that I won't go into detail here, but encourage you to do a web search if you want to know more about him.

He was a bit eccentric, having changed his name and residence constantly through out his life. We see him as a great Japanese artist, but the style of his art is often not very Japanese at all. As time went on Hokusai refused to conform to Japanese artistic conventions of the time -- to the chagrin of his peers -- but set out to try new styles, even incorporating western techniques. After his death he was far more popular in Europe than in Japan.

He lived for his art, and described himself as an old man crazy about art. When his house burned down in later years when money was scarce, he ran out of the house carrying only his brushes so he could continue drawing and painting. He lived to be eighty nine which was very unusal for Japanese at the time, and planned to live at least until one hundred and ten. On his deathbed, he lamented not having ten or even five more years to continue his art.

I am fortunate to live in Tokyo, to be able to see many original works of Hokusai, to be able to trace his steps and visit sites he sketched, to walk the streets of his childhood, and visit his burial place. Here are a few landmarks in Tokyo associated with Hokusai.

The birthplace of Hokusai: Hokusai dori

I made a surprising discovery while wandering around Tokyo.

I had read that Hokusai was born in a place called Honjo Warigesui and that it was supposed to be in Katsushika. I had assumed that this was a reference to Katsushika-ku which is several kilometers away from central Tokyo, on the north east edge.

But a display in the Edo-Tokyo Museum in the Ryogoku area of Sumida-ku (in central Tokyo) indicated that the area was actually near the museum.

I walked out of the museum area on the east side and found myself on Hokusai dori (Avenue) which marked the neighborhood where he was born. This is not far from my own neighborhood.

The area is very near the Sumida River and was once named Honjo (part of it is still named Honjo). I assume it was once called Katsushika as well. There was a canal running through Honjo called Warigesui which was later filled in to make Hokusai dori.

I walked down the street and discovered reproductions of his works posted on lamp posts every few feet, two works per lamp post, on both sides of the street, the entire length of the street. I went from one end to the other, stopping to view each work. There were dozens. We've all seen most of these works reproduced with much higher quality in art books, but the the idea of strolling through Hokusai's old neighborhood, viewing his art on the street named after him was enough to make this a thrilling experience.

This street was truly dedicated to the memory of Hokusai. Hokusai dori east runs from the museum for several blocks until it crosses a bridge at the east end and becomes a street by another name.

At the east end of Hokusai dori there is a public restroom decorated with Hokusai art. Yes, a restroom dedicated to Hokusai. Inside was a wall display explaining that this was the neighborhood where Hokusai was born. I did not take photos inside the restroom although much of the interior -- including the toilets -- is visible from the street. That's one aspect of life in Tokyo that takes some getting used to.

I have a reproduction of an old map of Tokyo from the Edo era that includes the names of families who owned property, even small lots the size of houses. In the Honjo Warigesui area of the map I found property with the names Kawamura (Hokusai's family name which is also on his grave stone) and Nakajima (the name of the family that adopted him while he was a small child). It is probably a concidence; the neighborhood of Hokusai's birth is known, but the exact location of the home is supposed to be a mystery. I proceeded to the spots indicated on my old map (which only gave a general indication since the roads have apparently changed since then). I hoped to find some evidence of the Kamura and Nakajima families, maybe a house or business with those names. Unfortunately there was not a trace.

Anyway, I did discover the general neighborhood of Hokusai's birth if not the exact spot.

The closest station to Hokusai dori is Ryogoku Station on the Oedo Line. The JR line also has a Ryogoku Station which is just to the west of this map and within walking distance.

The grave of Hokusai

The photo of the statue below is from the temple grounds where Hokusai is buried. Like many others who have seen this statue I was skeptical. It could have been a statue of any old man. But It does closely resemble the few drawings of Hokusai done by his students, if not his own self portraits.

To the right of the statue photo is the grave of Hokusai in the middle of a small crowded cemetary. It is the family grave site which existed long before he became famous. The family name Kawamura is inscribed on the base of the stone inside the wooden structure. His final artist name Gakyo Rojin Manji is inscribed on the main stone. Inset in the middle of the photo is the inscription enlarged. I've given the inset more contrast and sharpness so you can read it.

To visit the grave, take either the Oedo Line to Shin-Okachimachi Station, Exit A3, or the Ginza Line to Inaricho Station, exit 2 (exit 2 is only accessible from trains going in one direction; You may have to go out exit 3 and cross the street to find yourself at exit 2). Follow the arrows to Seikyo-ji Temple where Hokusai's grave is located. It's a very small temple and easy to miss, but there are signs in front marking it as Hokusai's grave site.

After you enter the gates, the statue will be on your left. In front of you will be the main temple building. To the right will be another building which connects to the temple making an L shape. There is a small path to the right of that building. Take it and follow the winding passage until you find the grave (you can't miss it). You will feel like you are tresspassing, but it's the only way for visitors to enter the cemetary, and visitors are welcome.

I use Shin-Okachimachi Station almost every week in my work, so I have visited this site many times.

For no particular reason I have cut up and re-assembled one of Hokusai's most famous works, turning it into 3D art. I have uploaded it here for the fun of it.

Finally a complete set of faithful reproductions of Hokusai Manga in one volume! For those who are not familiar, Hokusai Manga was a set of 15 books of woodblock prints of drawings and sketches by Katsushika Hokusai. The original Hokusai Manga volumes were first published one volume at a time between 1814 and 1878 (Hokusai died in 1849, having finished the art, but before the final volumes were published). This was back when the word "manga" meant art that had a light feeling, and most likely the term was coined with the creation of this work. Many of the sketches will make you chuckle.

Woodblocks start to lose their sharp definition after repeated use, and the first prints of these original woodblock prints are extremely rare. No museum in the world has a complete undamaged set of all 15 volumes, with the exception of the Uragami Collection in Japan, and that private collection apparently has many sets of the first edition. This book is taken from that collection; 1,258 volumes were carefully examined, and the finest examples of each print were chosen for reproduction in this book. Each print is the same size as the original, and printed in the exact same colors (basically black, gray, and pale red) so this is as close as you will get to owning an original, perfect set of the first edition woodblock prints, which is impossible to attain at any price now.

Being basically a book of pictures, there is very little text, but there is an English introduction page in the beginning (like many Japanese books, the beginning is on the right side).

No serious Hokusai fan should be without this huge book (it's hardbound, about 6 centimeters thick, and comes in its own case). No other published set of reproductions even comes close. You will be amazed by the lively brush strokes which were faithfully reproduced by the top wood block carvers of the day. My own copy has brought hours of study, and will be well used for years to come.

Amazon Japan link: