Short answers, pulled from the story.
Hokusai died on the 10th of May 1849, and his final words were a plea for more time to perfect his craft. He reportedly stated that if Heaven granted him another ten years or even five more, he could finally become a real painter.
Hokusai was born Tokitarō in the Katsushika district of Edo, likely on the 31st of October 1760. He was the son of a mirror-maker for the shōgun but never inherited his father's trade.
Hokusai changed his name at least thirty times to serve as a chronological map for his evolving artistic styles. This practice began after he was expelled from Shunshō's studio and decided to abandon the Katsukawa school to become an independent artist.
Hokusai achieved the zenith of his fame with the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which included The Great Wave off Kanagawa and Fine Wind, Clear Morning. The series proved so popular that ten more prints were later added to it.
Hokusai influenced Western art through the movement known as Japonisme, with his work reaching Europe around 1856. His woodcuts were collected by artists such as Degas, Gauguin, Klimt, and van Gogh, and his music inspired Claude Debussy to use The Great Wave on the cover of his tone poem La Mer.