From 1830 to 1843, the ukiyo-e artists and publishers had a bitter experience since the Tempo reform. The politics of the shogunate regulated the publishing of the ukiyo-e. Hokusai visited Obuse for receiving the support from a wealthy merchant to continue to drow pictures.
The local merchant Obuse Takai Kozan (1806-1883) was well- versed in painting, poem, and Confucianism. He had the relationships with many artists and thinkers. It’s like a cultural salon of Kozan.
When Hokusai stayed on Obuse first time, he was 83 and Kozan was 37. But they had mutual respect and Kozan gave a studio for Hokusai. It is said that the great ukiyo-e artist got absorbed in painting every day at the studio.