Exploring the Roots of a Genius: Visiting Hokusai’s Birthplace in Tokyo(Over 30 photos included)

Hello everyone, this is Takagishi from UkiyoeNomad.

I’m someone who deeply loves ukiyo-e, the traditional Japanese woodblock prints.

Traveling from city to city and museum to museum, I search for these beautiful works — not just to admire their visual beauty, but to feel the stories and emotions hidden within each print.

The other day, I visited the birthplace of Katsushika Hokusai.

This is Hokusai Street, located in Sumida City, Tokyo — known as the birthplace of Katsushika Hokusai.

Katsushika Hokusai, the legendary artist behind the iconic series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, was born in 1760 in the Honjo-Warigesui area — what is now around Kamezawa in Sumida City, Tokyo.

He spent most of his life living in Sumida.

Displayed here at the Sumida Hokusai Museum is the iconic Great Wave. (Photography permitted)

Several works in the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji can be tied to specific real-world locations.

On November 22, 2016, the Sumida Hokusai Museum was opened to celebrate and share Hokusai’s remarkable legacy with the world.

Here is the English translation of the text shown in the photo above.

Wow, Hokusai! See, Examine, and Discover Ukiyo-e June 24 (Tue) — August 31 (Sun), 2025

Here are several photos taken at the birthplace of Katsushika Hokusai.

This is a shop that sells pottery.

This is a shop that sells traditional Japanese sandals (zōri).

This is a shop that sells T-shirts featuring ukiyo-e designs.

This is a traditional Japanese sweets shop (wagashi shop).

Around the middle of Hokusai Street, you’ll find Midoricho Park, and within it stands the Sumida Hokusai Museum.

According to the information written on this signboard.

Painting and Literature Birthplace of Ukiyo-e Artist, Hokusai (Recognized Tourist Resource by Sumida City)

Katsushika Hokusai was born on September 23, 1760, in the Kamezawa area of what is now Sumida City, Tokyo. He is known as a master of ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints), and particularly admired for his landscape compositions with bold and innovative perspectives. His best-known work, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, consists of thirty-six (actually thirty-eight) prints and remains widely beloved. Even in his later years, Hokusai retained a strong passion for creativity. On his deathbed, he famously said, “If heaven would grant me just ten more years, I could become a true artist.” This quote reflects his lifelong dedication to artistic evolution and remains one of his most memorable sayings.

Sumida City

This is the Sumida Hokusai Museum.

The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai is depicted on the ground inside the park.

There is a fountain inside the park.

Here is the English translation of the recommended sightseeing spots listed in the photo above.

Ushijima-jinja Shrine

The precincts of Ushijima-jinja Shrine, the local Ujigami (guardian deity), include a sacred Kusu tree that is over 450 years old. Visitors to the shrine worship here to pray for physical and emotional healing. Once every five years, a procession incorporating a number of mikoshi (portable shrines) and other decorations advances towards the shrine through the surrounding area to pray for the peace and safety of its residents. map location: 3-B

Oyokogawa-Shinsui Park

The Oyokogawa-Shinsui Park is a water park of approximately 1.8 kilometers in length that runs along the Oyokogawa River. Colorful flowers bloom in the spring, and the area is frequented by many families and children. With each area divided by a bridge, the park includes an artificial brook, a fishing hole, and an open space with a rest area. map location: 3-B

Former Ogawa Family House (Tachibana Taisho Minka Garden)

This building was moved from the Taisho era and reconstructed as a traditional farmhouse (minka) and garden. The cultural value of the building has been designated as a cultural asset by the ward, as a culturally and historically valuable structure. map location: 3-D

Sumida Heritage Museum

This common museum was established to introduce visitors to the history and traditional culture of Sumida. It displays folk culture, tools used in everyday life, and other items related to the area’s history. The exhibitions will be based on four theme generations. Visitors can enjoy a range of preserved historic materials as well as celebratory exhibits including models and multimedia displays. map location: 3-B

KOBAYASHI Issa Residence Site

You can see the monument of KOBAYASHI Issa, who was a famous haiku poet, along the Tatekawa-Gawa sidewalk. The area is said to be the place where Issa spent his later years, and the name “Tatekawa” comes from the name of this area “Tatekawa”. map location: 2-A

KATSUKI Kiyoshi Birthplace Site

KATSUKI Kiyoshi was born in 1913 as the son of a family of craftsmen. He grew up in the streets of Honjo and later became a prominent researcher and critic in Japanese art. His contributions to art criticism are widely recognized. map location: 3-B

三囲神社

Mikumari-jinja Shrine (Sumidagawa-jinja-shichifukujin) Haiku poet Takazai Kikka-ku is said to have dedicated a reading of his poem here as an offering during the Edo drought of 1693, triggering a great rain the following day. The shrine’s precincts include a haiku-inscribed statue memorializing this event. The shrine is dedicated to Daikokuten (the god of wealth, farmers, agriculture, and the kitchen) and Ebisu (the god of fishermen, good luck, and workmen), two of the seven gods of fortune associated with the Sumida River. map 広域 3-B

弘福寺

Kofukuji Temple (Sumidagawa-shichifukujin) Kofukuji Temple is home to a famous Buddhist statue created by Fugai Osho. Based on the sculptor’s last words, the temple was founded upon strict ascetic training while battling disease. The priest eventually gained enlightenment and built a well in its garden, where the chief priest had prayed. It is said to suggest resistance to colds, pilgrimages on cold days, and dancing. One of the statues is of Hotei (the god of contentment and happiness), one of the seven gods of fortune associated with the Sumida River. map 広域 2-B

向島百花園

Mukojima-Hyakkaen Gardens (Sumidagawa-shichifukujin) Mountain flowers and wildflowers bloom mainly in this culturally sophisticated Edo-era flower garden. Writers and artists frequently visited the garden, which had a unique charm when compared to other seasonal gardens. The site features numerous memorial monuments, such as a monument dedicated by Yamamoto no Okura, as well as one dedicated to Fukurokuju, one of the seven gods of fortune associated with the Sumida River. map 広域 2-B

白鬚神社

Shirahige-jinja Shrine (Shirahige-jinja-shichifukujin)

多聞寺

Tamonzan Temple (Tamonzan-shichifukujin)

野見宿禰神社

Nominosukune-jinja Shrine

回向院

Ekoin Temple

Map of the Sumida area.

There are also stylish apartment buildings like these.

There are also bakeries and traditional Japanese sweet shops.

There’s also an Anytime Fitness on Hokusai Street.

On the east side of Hokusai Street, there’s a park with a view of the Tokyo Skytree.