The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Woodblock print by Hokusai, 21st in Thirty‑six Views of Mount Fuji.
It is Hokusai’s best‑known work and the 21st print in his series Thirty‑six Views of Mount Fuji. The print depicts three boats moving through a storm‑tossed sea, with a large cresting wave forming a spiral over the boats and Mount Fuji in the background. Its composition synthesises traditional Japanese prints with European graphical perspective, and its prominent use of Prussian blue influenced Japanese prints.
- field
- Ukiyo‑e printmaking
- nationality
- Japanese
- known_for
- The Great Wave off Kanagawa and the series Thirty‑six Views of Mount Fuji
Lore & Background
He began painting at age six, worked in a bookshop at twelve, and became an engraver’s apprentice at sixteen. At eighteen he was accepted as an apprentice to the ukiyo‑e artist Katsukawa Shunshō. His series Thirty‑six Views of Mount Fuji was published in the late 1820s and was so popular he later added ten more prints.
Reader's Guide
The Great Wave off Kanagawa is Hokusai’s best‑known work and the first print in his series Thirty‑six Views of Mount Fuji. The print earned immediate success in Japan and later in Europe, where Hokusai’s art inspired works by the Impressionists. It has been described as “possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art” and a contender for the “most famous artwork in Japanese history.” The print influenced several Western artists and musicians, including Claude Debussy, Vincent van Gogh, and Claude Monet. Hokusai’s younger colleagues Hiroshige and Utagawa Kuniyoshi were inspired to make their own wave‑centric works. Only about 100 prints, in varying conditions, are thought to have survived into the 21st century. Several museums throughout the world hold copies, many of which came from 19th‑century private collections of Japanese prints.
Did You Know?
- It is the 21st print in Hokusai’s series Thirty‑six Views of Mount Fuji.
- Prussian blue was already used in Japanese prints before Hokusai, but his bold application helped popularize the pigment.
- Around 100–200 prints are thought to have survived into the 21st century.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the artist behind The Great Wave off Kanagawa?
The print was created by the Japanese ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai. It stands as his single most recognized piece and one of the most famous woodblock prints in all of art history.
What scene does The Great Wave off Kanagawa portray?
The image shows three small boats navigating a violent, churning sea beneath a massive curling wave that arches over them like a claw. In the far distance, the calm silhouette of Mount Fuji rises above the chaos.
Which series does The Great Wave off Kanagawa belong to?
It is the twenty-first plate in Hokusai's collection titled Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. The series was a long-running project in which he explored the mountain from countless angles, seasons, and moods.
Why is The Great Wave off Kanagawa considered so important?
The composition blends traditional Japanese printmaking conventions with a sense of spatial depth borrowed from European perspective techniques, making it a landmark of cross-cultural artistic exchange. Its bold use of Prussian blue dye also reshaped the color palette available to Japanese printmakers of the era.
What field of art does The Great Wave off Kanagawa belong to?
It is a woodblock print rooted in the ukiyo-e tradition of Japanese popular art. The technique involves carving a design into a wooden block, inking it, and pressing it onto paper to produce the final image.
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