The Great Wave off Kanagawa
CA0013 · Visual art · Japan, approximately 1830–1832, Edo period
Historical / contextual reference
Reproduction of the selected artwork, Met impression JP1847.
Credit: Katsushika Hokusai / The Metropolitan Museum of Art. H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Rights: Public domain; Met Open Access
Hokusai’s color woodblock print places a curling sea above small boats, with Mount Fuji appearing far away beneath the wave. It belongs to Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, so the apparent main subject is also a frame for looking at the mountain. The Metropolitan Museum dates its impression to about 1830–1832 and identifies its medium as ink and color on paper. The image rewards slow looking: the mountain’s compact triangle contrasts with the spreading water, while the people remain small within the composition. Preserve an identified museum impression rather than an uncredited modern redraw, so future readers can distinguish the historical print from the many later pictures inspired by it.
Why preserve it: It makes landscape, scale and perspective intelligible through a single image, while the print medium invites discussion of art made in multiple impressions rather than one unique painting.
Keep in mind: Dates and condition vary between impressions. This entry identifies the Met’s JP1847, not every surviving print. Do not confuse an old underlying artwork with automatic permission for every modern reproduction.