The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Hokusai: An Introduction to the Most Iconic Japanese print (2024)

FAQs

What is The Great Wave off Kanagawa about? ›

The Great Wave is best thought of as a large, rogue wave or perhaps as a mythical event, a "yarn" told by sailors. Because of the location of Mount Fuji and the apparent direction the boats are going, the waves appear to be breaking shoreward.

The Great Wave can be taken as a symbolic image of an important change happening to the Japanese society, a change which brings the presence of the foreign influences coming from the uncertainty of the sea and opposed to the firmness and stillness of Mount Fuji, the established symbol for the soul of Japan.

It is estimated approximately 8,000 copies were eventually printed. As of 2022, about 100 copies are known to survive.

One of the images from that series is Under The Well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa (more commonly known as The Great Wave). In 2023, a print of it sold at Christie's for $2.8 million, making this the most expensive work by Hokusai ever sold at auction.

Through his well-thought-out composition, The Great Wave can be understood as the “opening” of Japan to the West and a promise of a brighter future for the country. One of the reasons behind the success of the series was Prussian blue, a new pigment that reached Japan in the early 19th century.

The Great Wave is a visually dynamic print with fully saturated blues and extraordinary contrast. Spectroscopic analysis shows that to achieve this, the printers did not simply substitute the exotic Prussian blue for the traditional (and duller) indigo.

The seigaiha or wave is a pattern of layered concentric circles that resembles arches symbolic of waves and signifies surges of good luck. The wave motif was first used in China on ancient maps to depict the sea and in Japan its earliest appearance was on the clothing of a 6th century funerary terracotta clay figure.

Unveiling the Masterpiece: The Great Wave off Kanagawa

The woodblock print, though physically unassuming, unfurls a vast narrative. Its intricate details draw you into a world where nature, symbolism, and cultural nuances intertwine seamlessly.

Elements of Design such as Pattern, Emphasis and Proportion are evident in the artwork. The use of repeating colours (as seen in the blue of the ocean) creates a pattern from dark to light. The wave is enormous to ensure that it dominates the composition increasing the sense of impending doom.

“Many people view the painting as the very essence of Japanese culture,” Atsuko Okuda, chief curator of the Sumida Hokusai Museum in Japan, told CNN's Dan Tham and Junko Ogura in 2019. “The simple and powerful composition of the mountain and the shape of the wave strikes right at the heart of the observer.”

What is a fun fact about The Great Wave? ›

The Great Wave uses a blue pigment imported from Prussia, but it was actually painted between 1830-32 during Sakoku, a period of time when Japan was secluded from the rest of the world.

Katsushika Hokusai's Under the Wave off Kanagawa, also called The Great Wave has became one of the most famous works of art in the world—and debatably the most iconic work of Japanese art.

"Salvator Mundi" is renowned for being the world's most expensive painting. This artwork, depicting Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World, was lost for years before its rediscovery. Its journey involved being mistaken for a copy, undergoing restoration, and finally being authenticated as da Vinci's work.

Sumida Hokusai Museum, Tokyo, Japan: Where to see Japan's most famous artwork, The Great Wave.

Estimated value: US$870 million

If you're surprised that Da Vinci's Mona Lisa doesn't command the highest sale price, there's good reason that that isn't the case.

This great wave could very well symbolize the culture of the West engulfing and swallowing Japan in its wake. And yet throughout all this, it's important to note how the fishermen in this image remain calm against the ebb and flow of the great wave.

The Triumph of Human Resilience

Despite the overwhelming threat of the wave, the fishermen in the boat display resilience and determination. Their efforts to conquer nature's fury speak to the indomitable human spirit. In this sense, the artwork can also be seen as an allegory for facing life's challenges with bravery.

Kanagawa is a relatively small prefecture located at the southeastern corner of the Kantō Plain wedged between Tokyo on the north, the foothills of Mount Fuji on the northwest, and the Sagami Bay and Tokyo Bay on the south and east.