The Great Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai. It was published sometime between 1830 and 1833 in the Edo period as the first print in Hokusai's series 36 Views of Mount Fuji. It is Hokusai's most famous work, and one of the most recognizable works of Japanese art in the world.
The image is essentially, a massive wave threatening boats off the coast of Kanagawa. While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is more likely to be a large rogue wave. As in all the prints in the series, it depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions, and the mountain itself appears in the background. The design uses only a small number of different color blocks.
The image is essentially, a massive wave threatening boats off the coast of Kanagawa. While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is more likely to be a large rogue wave. As in all the prints in the series, it depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions, and the mountain itself appears in the background. The design uses only a small number of different color blocks.