Though he was already a famous ukiyo-e artist after the success of the “Thirty-six Views of Mt.Fuji”, the old great painter was always in financial difficulty. On top of that Great Tempo Famine (1833) had still remained and the Tokugawa Shogunate carried out Tenpo Reforms that it regulate luxury including kabuki and ukiyo-e. Hokusai was troubled with becoming to unable to paint pictures rather than financial problem. Then a wealthy merchant asked him to Obuse. According to one account, the highly‐educated merchant Takai Kozan (1806-1883) learned painting under Katsushika Hokusai when he was young. Kozan who was charmed by Hokusai’s artworks decided to be a patron of him.
Hokusai was eighty-five when he visited Obuse for the second time in 1844. It took a half year to complete the ceiling painting of “Dragon” and “Phoenix”. The background of “Dragon” is fiery red and that of “Phoenix” is dark indigo. The contrast of brightness and darkness have in common with the Chinese principles of Yin and Yang. The waves around the dragon is similar to “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”.