The Great Wave off Kanagawa and the 36 Views of Mount Fuji

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is part of the ukiyo-e called 36 Views of Mount Fuji. The famous painting of the waves is present everywhere in different formats when talking about Japan. What is the story and meaning of this famous piece?

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is called in Japanese Kanagawa oki nami ura [神奈川沖浪裏]. It is a famous woodblock print by the Japanese master Hokusai and was published in 1830 in the series we mentioned. Ready to get to know them?

Ukiyo-e – Portraits of the Floating World

Before we talk about The Wave off Kanagawa, the 36 Views of Mount Fuji or its author Katsushika Hokusai, we need to understand what Ukiyo-e is, the portraits that Hokusai and many other Japanese artists from the Edo Period created.

Ukiyo-e [浮世絵] can be literally translated to portraits of the floating world, it is a Japanese print, a painting that often shows feminine beauty, kabuki theater, sumo wrestlers, historical scenes, legends, landscapes, fauna, and flora of Japan.

These prints emerged around the 17th to 20th centuries and initially addressed serious and sad themes. The prints were usually carved into wooden blocks with a hollowed-out space to make reprints of the original art.

In other words, they are not rare paintings that are somewhere; several versions were made of the original print. Nowadays, many paintings are indeed rare and valuable. The artists had no limits; many of these prints were erotic.

The Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji

Despite the name, the series Fugaku Sanjū-Rokkei [富嶽三十六景] has 46 woodblock prints, with 10 added later. These works by Katsushika Hokusai depict Mount Fuji in different seasons, weather, locations, and distances.

The woodblock prints date from 1831 to 1834 and were printed by Nishimuraya Yohachi, the main woodblock print publisher of the time. The woodblock printing technique of ukiyo-e allowed for the expansion and popularity of the paintings.

At the end of this article, you will find a list with the names of the 46 prints from the 36 Views of Mount Fuji series. Here are briefly some prints made by Katsushika Hokusai that will also be scattered throughout the article:

Who was Katsushika Hokusai?

Katsushika Hokusai was the artist behind the Great Wave off Kanagawa and the 36 Views of Mount Fuji. It is believed that he was born in Tokyo in 1760 and died in 1849 at the age of 89. Besides landscapes, the author also created erotic prints.

In his time, he was one of the leading experts in Chinese painting in Japan, gaining recognition in the West due to The Great Wave off Kanagawa. He painted all kinds of natural phenomena and produced over 30,000 works during his lifetime.

Katsushika Hokusai had a long history; on his page in the Japanese Wiki, we can see that he had aberrant behaviors, despite his skills he was poor, had problems with foreigners, warriors, and Kabuki actors.

It is interesting to see his thoughts and decisions throughout his life, how he revolutionized and even exported his prints to the world. Another curious fact is that Hokusai changed homes 93 times but ended up finishing his life in his hometown, Tokyo.

At the end of the article, you will also see a book with illustrations by the author called Hokusai Manga, in addition to the possibility of purchasing his print of The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Before he died, Hokusai wrote a Haiku Poem that says:

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Now as a spirit I must cross the summer fields.

Hitodama de yuku kisan jiya natsu no hara

悲と魂で　 ゆくきさんじや　 夏の原

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

In Hokusai’s print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa depicts a Great Wave threatening a fishing boat in Kanagawa Prefecture, with Mount Fuji visible in the background. Despite its size, it is not a tsunami, but a normal wave created by the effect of wind and tides.

This painting is believed to have been made around 1820, being the first of the series Fugaku Sanjū-Rokkei and also Hokusai’s most popular painting. From the mold used, thousands of copies were made and distributed among collectors worldwide.

This print is of the yoko-e type, meaning it is landscape-shaped and has an ōban size of 25 cm in height by 37 cm in width. The landscape consists of three elements: the sea stirred by a storm, three boats, and a mountain.

This painting became very famous already in the 19th century, where many artists from other places ended up buying a copy and spreading it around the world. Today, it is possible to find this woodblock print in various museums such as the British Museum and the National Library of France.

Hokusai even influenced famous artists like Van Gogh and Claude Monet.

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is a great sacred symbol of beauty and national identity, the main protagonist of Hokusai’s 36 paintings. The magnificent Mount Fuji is drawn small in the background in contrast to the Great Waves.

The dark colors near the horizon and the appearance of snow-covered peaks well illuminated suggest that the sun rises on the observer’s side and it is morning. Although it is not raining, the clouds in the sky indicate a storm.

The 3 Boats

Three boats battered by the great waves are drawn on the canvas. This boat was an oshiokuri-bune used to transport live fish at that time.

Each boat has eight rowers gripping the oar, two or more passengers can be seen at the bow, and about 30 people are in the image. The people remain stiff in the boat, contrasting with the dynamic waves.

The Great Wave

The sea is furious, showing the moment when the crest of the wave breaks. The curve of the wave draws an arc and forms a composition centered on Mount Fuji in the background. The splashes of the waves spread in front of the waves are like snow falling on Mount Fuji.

The height of the wave is almost the same as that of the boat in the back, the length of the wave is generally from 12 to 15 meters, and as Hokusai extends the vertical scale by 30%, the height of the wave can be estimated between 10 to 15 meters.

This wave is sometimes interpreted as a tsunami. This interpretation is from the 1960s onwards; before that, it was interpreted as a normal wave. No major tsunamis occurred in Kanto and Kansai during Hokusai’s lifetime. The waves in this painting have a short wavelength and cannot represent a tsunami.

Hokusai Manga and Wave Print

In 1814, the great artist Katsushika Hokusai published the first volume of his sketches: Hokusai Manga. Originally conceived as a reference for his students, it exceeded all expectations and became a bestseller to this day.

You might have the chance to buy 3 volumes on Amazon Brazil for a low price, without worrying about import bureaucracy. Don’t miss the chance to see over 4,000 images of the great Hokusai. You can also purchase the painting The Great Wave off Kanagawa below:

List of the 46 Prints of Fugaku Sanju Rokkei

If we were to place the 46 large images in this article, it would weigh quite a bit, so let’s leave just a list with a thumbnail image. I hope you enjoy the list below:

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Number	Portuguese	Japanese	Romaji
1	The Great Wave off Kanagawa	神奈川沖浪裏	Kanagawa-oki nami-ura
2	Mount Fuji with Clear Weather (also known as Red Fuji)	凱風快晴	Gaifū kaisei
3	Thunderstorm Below the Peak	山下白雨	Sanka hakū
4	Fuji Seen from Mannen Bridge in Fukagawa	深川万年橋下	Fukagawa Mannen-bashi shita
5	Fuji Seen from Mishima Pass	東都駿台	Tōto sundai
6	The Coast in Kamakura	青山円座松	Aoyama enza-no-matsu
7	Senju in Musashi Province	武州千住	Bushū Senju
8	The Tama River in Musashi Province	武州玉川	Bushū Tamagawa
9	The Inume Pass in Kai Province	甲州犬目峠	Kōshū inume-tōge
10	View of Fujimi Field in Owari	尾州不二見原	Bishū Fujimigahara
11	Asakusa Honganji Temple in Tokyo	東都浅草本願寺	Tōto Asakusa honganji
12	Tsukada Island in Musashi	武陽佃島	Buyō Tsukuda-jima
13	Shichiri Beach in Sagami	相州七里浜	Soshū Shichiri-ga-hama
14	Umegawa in Sagami	相州梅沢庄	Soshū umezawanoshō
15	Kajikazawa in Kai Province	甲州石班沢	Kōshū Kajikazawa
16	Mishima Pass in Kai	甲州三嶌越	Kōshū Mishima-goe
17	Lake Suwa in Shinano	信州諏訪湖	Shinshū Suwa-ko
18	Ejiri-juku in Suruga	駿州江尻	Sunshū Ejiri
19	The Fuji from the Mountains of Totomi	遠江山中	Tōtōmi sanchū
20	Ushibori in Hitachi	常州牛掘	Jōshū Ushibori
21	Sketch of the Mitsui Store on Suruga Street in Edo	江都駿河町三井見世略図	Kōto Suruga-cho Mitsui Miseryakuzu
22	Sunset on the Ryogoku Bridge from the Sumida River Bank at Onmayagashi	御厩川岸より両国橋夕陽見	Ommayagashi yori ryōgoku-bashi yūhi mi
23	Sazai Hall – 500 Rakan Temples	五百らかん寺さざゐどう	Gohyaku-rakanji Sazaidō
24	Tea House in Koishikawa. The dawn after a snowfall	礫川雪の旦	Koishikawa yuki no ashita
25	Shimomeguro	下目黒	Shimo-Meguro
26	Watermill in Onden	隠田の水車	Onden no suisha
27	Enoshima in Sagami	相州江の島	Soshū Enoshima
28	Coast of Tago Bay, Ejiri-juku in Tokaido	東海道江尻田子の浦略図	Tōkaidō Ejiri tago-no-ura
29	Yoshida in Tokaido	東海道吉田	Tōkaidō Yoshida
30	The Maritime Route of Kazusa Province	上総の海路	Kazusa no kairo
31	Nihonbashi Bridge in Edo	江戸日本橋	Edo Nihon-bashi
32	Village of Sekiya on the Sumida River	隅田川関屋の里	Sumidagawa Sekiya no sato
33	Noboto Bay	登戸浦	Noboto-ura
34	Lake Hakone in Sagami	相州箱根湖水	Sōshū Hakone kosui
35	The Reflection of Fuji on Lake Kawaguchi, Seen from the Misaka Pass in Kai	甲州三坂水面	Kōshū Misaka suimen
36	Hodogaya in the Tokaido Region	東海道保ケ谷	Tōkaidō Hodogaya
37	Honjo Tatekawa	本所立川	Honjo Tatekawa
38	Nakahara in Sagami	従千住花街眺望の不二	Senju Hana-machi Yori Chōbō no Fuji
39	Tokaido Shinagawa	東海道品川御殿山の不二	Tōkaidō Shinagawa Goten’yama no Fuji
40	Soshu Nakahara	相州仲原	Sōshū Nakahara
41	Sunset in Isawa in Kai	甲州伊沢暁	Kōshū Isawa no Akatsuki
42	The Slope of Fuji from the Minobu River	身延川裏不二	Minobu-gawa ura Fuji
43	Ono Shinden in Suruga	駿州大野新田	Sunshū Ōno-shinden
44	The Tea Plantation of Katakura in Suruga	駿州片倉茶園の不二	Sunshū Katakura chaen no Fuji
45	The Fuji of Kanaya-juku in the Tokaido Region	東海道金谷の不二	Tōkaidō Kanaya no Fuji
46	Climbing Fuji	諸人登山	Shojin tozan