Picture of Hippopotamus Ukiyo-e

Origin Story

Hiroshi Yamaguchi was a very curious hippopotamus who lived in the Sumida River in Tokyo. He had a passion for art and loved to observe the ukiyo-e paintings of artists of his time. One day, while he was strolling along the bank, he saw a painting representing a hippopotamus which looked strangely like him! Intrigued, Hiroshi approached the painting to see better and discovered that it was his own image! The painting was signed "Hokusai" and Hiroshi was immediately fascinated by the work of the great master.


This encounter with his portrait as well as the painting itself changed Hiroshi's life forever. He went to see Hokusai later that day and the two quickly became friends. Hokusai encouraged Hiroshi to explore his passion for art and share his unique vision with the world. Thus, after several years of apprenticeship and artistic exploration, Hiroshi became a great internationally recognized painter thanks to the ukiyo-e that he now creates every day. Hiroshi's original works are exhibited in museums around the world and he still continues to honor his special relationship with his mentor Hokusai by recreating modern versions of classic Ukiyo-e including the one that originally inspired him: a faithful representation of the Hippopotamus named Hiroshi Yamaguchi by Hokusai