Hanawa Hokiichi was born on May 5th, 1746 at Hokino-mura, Kodama-gun (currently Hokino, Kodama-cho, Honjo-shi). He lost his eyesights when he was seven and went to Edo at the age of fifteen where training himself and going all the way to the highest position of Sokengyo. Hokino has Hokiichi's two-story first home of irimoya-zukuri (architectural style using a gabled roof ) made of thatch, which is designated as a national historical site.