The house of the master was full of well-wishers. He had reached the age of 60 - an auspicious number - and his friends and pupils had gathered at the house in Edo to celebrate the occasion. They had brought gifts, and in return the master had provided beer and saké. Since the first of the guests had arrived to pay their respects just before noon, and it was now approaching midnight, the master was well and truly drunk.

"Friends!" The master tried to stand up. "Friends!" he said again, then collapsed back onto his cushion, giggling madly.

"Somebody give the old man a hand up!" called one of the party. "He wants to say something!"

Three of the master's pupils stumbled through the crowd, and hauled the old man to his feet. He swayed for a moment, belched then raised his hands. "I'm fine. Go. Sit." The pupils hesitated, unwilling to see their master fall. In response, the master stamped his foot. "I said 'Sit'! I'm not that old. Yet."

He waited for silence. "Honoured guests. Today is my sixtieth birthday." There was a round of sporadic clapping, which soon faded away. "The sages say that if a man lives for sixty years, then he is renewed. His life begins again. Who am I to say that the sages are wrong, eh? So, I have come to a decision."

There was a yell from one of the guests. "What you going to do, jī-san? You going to get a new woman?" This was greeted by drunken laughter.

The master shook his head. "No. Nothing like that. Instead, I am no longer going to be Katsushika Hokusai. Instead ... ." His next words were drowned out by the guests' clamouring.

"What?"

"Can you do that?"

"Hey! You're not going to give up painting, are you?"

"Hey! Let me finish!" the master called out above the noise. "I'm no longer going to be Katsushika Hokusai. You!" He pointed at one of his pupils. "Ink, brush and paper! Now!"

The young man hurried to obey, returning with the items that the master had requested. He laid them out on the floor, then helped his master sit down. The old man took the brush and dipped it in the ink. With his characteristic flourish, he drew a series of characters on the paper, then held it up for inspection. "See! I am now Katsushika Iitsu! You old men have to watch out. There's a new artist in Edo!"