Hokusai Great Wave

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was one of the most prolific Japanese artists of the late Edo period (1615-1868). Over a career spanning more than seven decades, he produced perhaps as many as thirty thousand works, including paintings, drawings and book illustrations. He is best known today as a designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and was one of the early leaders in the field of landscape prints. His renowned series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, was a monumental accomplishment which took many years to complete.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is the first in Hokusai's series 36 Views of Mount Fuji and is his most famous work. It depicts an enormous wave threatening boats near the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa.