c. 1830-32(Tenpo 1-3)/Color woodblock print on paper
24.6 x 36.5 cm
SUMMARY
Mt. Fuji sits proudly in the far distance between the waves as a great surge tosses violently before the eyes. This exquisite composition, which juxtaposes movement and stillness, near and far, is known to many outside Japan simply as the Great Wave, and has received praise worldwide, including that of painter Van Gogh and composer Debussy. The three ships tossed about by the waves are called oshiokuri-bune, which transported fresh fish and vegetables from Ise and Awa to markets such as Nihombashi via Edo Bay. There is a theory that it was painted looking towards Edo Bay from Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture.
ARTIST
Katsushika Hokusai
1760-1849
At age 19, he became a disciple of Katsukawa Shunsho and took on the name Shunro. After his teacher Shunsho’s death, he left the Katsukawa school and adopted the name Tawaraya Sori. From then on, he used more than 30 artist names, including Taito, Hokusai, Gakyojin, Iitsu, and Manji Rojin. From his mid-40s he worked on many illustrations for popular literature at the time, such as Takizawa Bakin’s Strange Tales of the Crescent Moon. In 1814, he released Hokusai Manga, a compilation of illustrated models. Entering his 70s, he published series of color prints one after another, including his masterpiece, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. In his later years, he also took up the brush and painted.
List of artworks by the same artist
INFORMATION

Friday, October 8 - Sunday, November 14, 2021
From the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection: “THIS IS JAPAN” Eternal Japanese Art Oita Art Museum (Oita, Japan)
Monday, June 1 - Sunday, July 5, 2020
Great Masters of Japanese Painting from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection Shimane Art Museum (Shimane, Japan)
Saturday, November 2 - Sunday, December 22, 2019
“Rendez-vous” through Arts―East Meets West― Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi (Osaka, Japan)
Sunday, August 25 - Sunday, September 29, 2019
This Is Japan In Kyoto From The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection The Museum of Kyoto (Kyoto, Japan)
Saturday, March 24 - Sunday, May 27, 2018
OEDO EXHIBITION NAGASAKI Nagasaki Prefectual Art Museum (Nagasaki, Japan)
Saturday, June 4 - Sunday, July 31, 2016
The Art of Ukiyo-e: Selected Works from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (Taichung, Taiwan)
Saturday, January 9 - Sunday, February 7, 2016
UKIYOE JAPONISM: The Impressionist was fascinated by UKIYOE Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Museum (Chiba, Japan)
Saturday, October 12 - Sunday, November 24, 2013
The Quintessence of Edo Period Painting Nara Prefecture Complex of Man’yo culture (Nara, Japan)
Thursday, August 24 - Sunday, November 19, 2006
Treasures of Japanese Art from the TFAM Collection The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (Curitiba, Brazil)
Friday, May 1 - Tuesday, June 30, 1998
Treasures of Japanese Arts and Crafts—400 Years of Japanese Art from the Momoyama Period to Modernity National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Taipei, Taiwan)
Tuesday, July 2 - Sunday, August 11, 1996
Treasures of Japanese Art from the TFAM Collection National Museum of Decorative Art (Havana, Cuba)
Saturday, September 16 - Sunday, October 1, 1995
Masterpieces of Ukiyo-e from the TFAM Collection: In Conjunction with the Celebrations of the 30th Anniversary of Singapore’s Independence Takashimaya Art Gallery (Singapore, Singapore)
Wednesday, March 15 - Friday, May 12, 1995
Treasures of Japanese Art from the TFAM Collection Inter-American Development Bank, Cultural Center (Washington D. C., USA)
EXPLORE

You can search and browse content on a platform across museums and archival institutions nationwide, and create My Gallery (online exhibition).

You can view the work in High-resolution.