Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Year: c. 1831
Artistic period: Edo period, Japanese ukiyo-e
Original series: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
This is a reproduction print of the world-famous Japanese artwork “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” (Kanagawa-oki Nami Ura), created by Katsushika Hokusai around 1831. The image depicts an enormous ocean wave towering over three boats, with Mount Fuji visible in the distance. Considered one of the most recognizable works in the history of Japanese art, it is celebrated for its dramatic composition, powerful depiction of nature and distinctive use of Prussian blue.
The artwork belongs to Hokusai's celebrated series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” (Fugaku Sanjūrokkei), produced during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). The series explores Mount Fuji from different locations, seasons and perspectives, reflecting the mountain's importance in Japanese geography, spirituality and cultural identity. Although Mount Fuji appears relatively small in this composition, it remains a central symbolic element, contrasting with the immense and unpredictable power of the sea.
Hokusai portrays three narrow boats carrying fishermen or fish merchants through turbulent waters, as a gigantic wave rises above them. The wave's curling crest breaks into numerous claw-like forms, creating a striking sense of movement and danger. In the distance, Mount Fuji stands beneath the wave, its triangular silhouette echoing the shape of the surrounding waves. The contrast between the fragile human vessels, the powerful ocean and the seemingly immovable mountain creates a compelling visual meditation on human vulnerability and the forces of nature.
One of the artwork's most distinctive features is its use of Prussian blue, a synthetic pigment that became increasingly popular in Japanese printmaking during the early 19th century. Combined with carefully controlled lines, rhythmic wave patterns and a bold composition, the color gives the scene extraordinary depth and intensity. Hokusai's innovative perspective and dramatic visual structure helped distinguish the print from traditional Japanese landscape imagery.
The Great Wave was created using the woodblock printing technique known as ukiyo-e, in which a design was carved into wooden blocks and printed onto paper using multiple colors. Unlike a unique oil painting, the original artwork was produced as a series of impressions. Surviving historical prints are preserved in major museums and collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The original printed image measures approximately 25 × 37 cm, although dimensions vary slightly between surviving impressions. Hokusai's masterpiece later became an important source of inspiration for European artists during the rise of Japonisme, influencing developments in Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and modern graphic design.
Today, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” remains one of the most iconic images in world art, admired for its timeless combination of Japanese artistic tradition, dramatic natural imagery, geometric composition and exceptional visual storytelling.
