"The Great Wave off Kanagawa" from 36 views of Mt.Fuji series by Hokusai

Description : 

This ukiyo-e print by Hokusai depicts the offshore area of present-day Kanagawa Ward in Yokohama, with a dramatic composition: towering, claw-like waves swirl violently around three small boats, while Mount Fuji appears far in the distance, serene and immovable.

Every detail, the flow of the water, the movement of the boats, the curves of the waves, and the gentle slope of Fuji—works together in a layered spiral structure.

The boats are oshiokuri-bune, high-speed courier vessels known as hatchō-ro-bune, used to deliver fresh seafood to Edo. Each carried eight oarsmen, with substitutes resting at the bow. Their estimated average speed was around 12 km/h.

Some believe this scene was imagined from the waters off Kisarazu, across Tokyo Bay from Kanagawa.

Despite the raging sea, the rowers desperately fight against the waves. This composition evolved from one of Hokusai’s earlier works, Oshiokuri Hatō Tsūsen no Zu, drawn from a higher angle. In contrast, The Great Wave is viewed from the side, heightening the sense of being engulfed.

Created between 1830 and 1832, this masterpiece captures a moment where human fragility meets the overwhelming force of nature, with Mount Fuji standing as a symbol of stillness and eternity.

Hokusai Katsushika : 
Known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese Ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. 
He is best known for the woodblock print series Thirty six views of Mt Fuji, which includes the iconic print The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. Hokusai was instrumental in developing Ukiyo-e from a style of portraiture largely focused on courtesans and actors into a much broader style of art that focused on landscapes, plants, and animals. His works are thought to have had a significant influence on Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monete during the wave of Japonism that spread across Europe in the late 19th century.

REPRODUCTION : In the 20th century, artists and publishers collaborated to recreate famous woodblock prints, providing them to Japanese collectors and Westerners seeking rare designs.
New blocks were made, and artisan printers painstakingly printed each color using the same method as the 19th-century originals.

Limited edition lithograph
Hand-printed, numbered 180/300 on margin.
Size : 
410mm x 600mm