9 moments

1. Birth in Katsushika district

   1760-01-01 · Katsushika district, Edo, Japan

   

   Hokusai was born Tokitarō in Edo’s Katsushika district, the historical area from which he later took the name Katsushika. The exact birth date and precise historical-quarter location are uncertain; coordinates represent the modern Katsushika area of Tokyo.

2. Great Daruma festival performance

   1804-01-01 · Gokoku-ji, Bunkyō, Edo, Japan

   At a festival, Hokusai made a monumental Daruma portrait at Gokoku-ji, an early public large-scale painting performance in Edo.

3. Journey to Nagoya and manga sketches

   1812-01-01 · Nagoya, Owari Province, Japan

   

   Hokusai travelled west to Nagoya, where his work with local painting enthusiasts helped initiate the Hokusai Manga project. The source supports the year and city, but not a more specific Nagoya venue.

4. Painting the Great Daruma

   1817-10-05 · Hongan-ji Nagoya Betsuin, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Japan

   

   Hokusai visited Hongan-ji Nagoya Betsuin and, assisted by disciples, painted the Great Daruma before onlookers.

5. First documented visit to Obuse

   1842-01-01 · Obuse, Shinano Province, Japan

   

   In old age Hokusai made his first recorded visit to Obuse, where patron Takai Kōzan provided him with a studio-like annex and support. Quote states that Hokusai first visited Shinano Obuse in 1842; coordinates represent the town center.

6. Obuse arrival and studio work

   1844-01-01 · Obuse, Shinano Province, Japan

   

   Hokusai was in Obuse at Takai Kōzan’s invitation and worked from a studio annex, producing new late-career works. This was a later documented Obuse arrival after his first visit in 1842.

7. Festival-float ceiling paintings

   1845-01-01 · Obuse, Shinano Province, Japan

   

   While in Obuse, Hokusai worked on the Male Wave and Female Wave ceiling paintings for the Kamimachi festival float. The Japanese source states that in 1845 Hokusai worked on the Kamimachi festival-float ceiling paintings Male Wave and Female Wave; coordinates represent Obuse town center.

8. Located at his Asakusa residence

   1847-01-01 · Asakusa-tamachi, Edo, Japan

   

   After searching for Hokusai’s frequently changing address, Miyamoto Shinsuke found and visited him in Asakusa-tamachi, Edo. Coordinates are a representative point for the historical Asakusa-tamachi area.

9. Death at Henjōin precincts

   1849-05-10 · Henjōin precincts, Shōden-chō, Asakusa, Edo, Japan

   

   Hokusai died in Edo while living with his daughter Ōi in a rented dwelling in the precincts of Henjōin temple at Shōden-chō, Asakusa. The precise former Henjōin-tenement site is historical; coordinates represent present-day Asakusa 6-chōme, the documented modern-area equivalent of Shōden-chō.