The Great Wave

Kanagawa oki nami ura
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji

Katsushika Hokusai

Artwork Description

Towering, claw-like waves surge violently across the surface of the sea, threatening to engulf three narrow boats below. In the far distance, Mount Fuji rises in perfect stillness. Hokusai constructs a dramatic confrontation between overwhelming motion and absolute calm.

The vessels are oshiokuri-bune, fast courier boats used to transport fresh seafood to Edo. Each carried eight oarsmen, with additional rowers resting at the bow. Their speed was remarkable for the time. Here, the rowers bend forward in desperate effort, their bodies aligned with the curvature of the waves, emphasizing both discipline and vulnerability.

Every element of the composition contributes to a spiraling structure. The curling crest echoes the triangular silhouette of Fuji, binding foreground chaos to distant permanence. Unlike Hokusai’s earlier Oshiokuri Hatō Tsūsen no Zu, which was viewed from above, this scene is rendered from the side, intensifying the sensation of immersion.

Created between 1830 and 1832, this image captures a moment where human fragility meets the force of nature. Mount Fuji, small yet immovable, stands as a symbol of stillness within turbulence—an enduring counterpoint to the restless sea.

About Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai was one of the most influential ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period. Active as both painter and printmaker, he expanded ukiyo-e beyond portraits of actors and courtesans into landscapes, nature, and scenes of daily life.

His series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji became one of the most celebrated achievements in Japanese printmaking. The Great Wave in particular had a profound influence on European artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet during the nineteenth-century wave of Japonism.

Reproduction

This work is a 20th century lithographic reproduction of Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.

It is not an original Edo period woodblock print, but a later limited edition lithograph.

Hand printed and numbered 180/300 in pencil on the lower margin.

Details

Medium: Lithograph
Edition: 180/300
Size: 410 mm × 600 mm

All artworks are sold as shown in the photographs.