The spray from the wave starts to look like snow falling onto the peak of the mountain, a visual joke. Mt Fuji is by far the highest mountain in Japan, but in Hokusai's print it is relegated to the far distance and dwarfed by the gigantic wave in the foreground. They periodically made group pilgrimages to climb the mountain although only men were allowed to go all the way to the top. The mountain has always been considered sacred and some of the original purchasers of the print, ordinary townspeople, were believers in the so-called 'Fuji cult'. 'The Great Wave' is actually a view of Mt Fuji, one of a series of colour prints Hokusai designed about 1830 called Thirty-Six Views of Mt Fuji. The Great Wave inspired Debussy's symphonic sketches La Mer and has become one of the most iconic images of the power of the sea.īy Timothy Clark, curator, British Museum They were quickly discovered and celebrated by European and American artists like Whistler, Van Gogh and Monet.

It was only in 1859 when Japan, under pressure from America and other powers, opened a few of its ports that Japanese prints began to be exported to Europe. When The Great Wave was first issued, in about 1830, Japan's contact with the outside world was strictly regulated. How did The Great Wave become one of the most famous images in the world? The print was made using colour woodblock printing and many thousands of impressions were made - each one sold quite cheaply. The print was created by Hokusai when he was about seventy years old, as part of his Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji series. On the horizon is Mount Fuji, dwarfed by the colossal wave. It depicts a monstrous wave about to come crashing down on three fishing boats and their crews. 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa' ('The Great Wave') is probably the most iconic Japanese artwork in the world.

Hokusai's Great Wave by Timothy Clark