Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was born in Honjo Warigeshita (present-day Kamezawa, Sumida) and, despite moving 93 times in his life, rarely left the Honjo district. He is said to have lived near Hannoki Inari Shrine for a time, and the scenery of this area may have influenced his works. The Sumida Hokusai Museum, opened in 2016 on his birthplace, together with Hannoki Inari Shrine, forms an area where visitors can experience 'Hokusai's Honjo.'

Katsu Kaishu's father Kokichi, long without an heir, prayed fervently to Myoken Bosatsu at this temple and was blessed with his son Rintaro (later Kaishu). Kaishu inherited this devotion from childhood. Before the Kanrin Maru's 1860 Pacific crossing, he prayed to Myoken for safe voyage. He is also said to have prayed here before the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle in 1868. This three-generation Katsu family devotion to Myoken was the spiritual pillar that sustained Kaishu through his extraordinary life.