Hokusai Museum

**Festival float paintings:** The two ceiling panels displayed in the museum were originally mounted on festival floats paraded during Obuse's annual matsuri. The phoenix panel (1844–1848, painted when Hokusai was 84–88) is 4 meters across and features explosive brushwork. Viewing from multiple angles reveals the composition's dynamism — Hokusai designed it to be seen from below while the float was moving. **Ganshoin Temple ceiling:** This temple (a short walk uphill from museum) preserves Hokusai's largest painting — a 21-tatami-mat ceiling mural of a phoenix (八方睨み鳳凰図, 'Phoenix Glaring in Eight Directions,' painted 1848). The bird's gaze seems to follow viewers from any angle. The temple is active, so visit quietly. Photography prohibited inside but postcards available (¥200). **Hokusai's Obuse connection:** Hokusai was invited to Obuse by Takai Kozan, a wealthy farmer-merchant who admired his art. Hokusai lived in Kozan's estate (now the Takai Kozan Memorial Museum, next door, ¥600 entry) during his visits. The two museums can be visited together in 90 minutes. **Museum shop:** Limited-edition reproductions of Hokusai's Obuse works (¥2,000–5,000 for prints) and scholarly catalogs (¥3,500, Japanese only) unavailable in Tokyo. For serious collectors, the shop occasionally sells original ukiyo-e prints (¥50,000+) — inquire at counter.