・Greetings, my name is Hinata, a student of iU.
・Today, I visited the Sumida Hokusai Museum for the first article on the iU Blog!
・The museum’s exterior is futuristic and very cool!
・This contemporary architecture was inspired by the many facets of Hokusai’s paintings that foreigners felt when they saw .the artwork.
・Interestingly, the Sumida Hokusai Museum does not have a clear entrance, so visitors can enter the museum from various points. You can enjoy time by just looking at the architecture of the museum.
・The Sumida Hokusai Museum has a park right in front of it, where children are playing happily. No other museum is so close to a children’s playground.
・The Sky Tree tower also watches over the site.
・At the Sumida Hokusai Museum, you can see the works of Hokusai Katsushika, a genius ukiyo-e artist who was very active during the Edo period, and learn more about his personality.
・I didn’t know much about Hokusai Katsushika, but I really enjoyed learning about it.
・The biggest discovery was that Hokusai Katsushika was a more extraordinary person than I thought.
・He left behind many other anecdotes, such as changing his pseudonym more than 30 times, moving every time his room became dirty, and living to the age of 90 when the average life expectancy during that time, was about 40.
・In addition his pseudonym in his later years was “Manji, the Painting Madman” It is truly a breakthrough.
・But he is not just unusual. His passion for painting is second to none, and he is a painting genius who has left behind many masterpieces.
・Another lesser-known story is that Katsushika Hokusai’s famous work, “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” was actually created when he was 72 years old.
・Despite the fact that his “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” sold quite well, Hokusai was not satisfied with it and continued to paint.
・Even in his old age, his motivation to paint did not diminish and he continued to strive for greater heights.
・Towards the end of his life, when Hokusai was dying, he said, “If I could live another five years, or even ten years, I could become a real painter.”
・I hope your image of Katsushika Hokusai has changed a bit. We hope you will visit the Sumida Hokusai Museum and experience the world of Katsushika Hokusai, the genius painter of the Edo period, and experience it on your own!
・From November 25 to January 24, there is also a special exhibition called “GIGA MANGA Exhibition” that traces the evolution of Japanese manga, so if you’re interested in it, be sure to check it out!
・The iU Blog will introduce many very exciting places in Sumida-ku, so be sure to check it out!
・Thank you very much to the people at the Sumida Hokusai Museum for their help in this interview, it was a very valuable experience.
