FAH101: 2.4 The Great Wave

Japanese Woodblock Prints (Ukiyo-e)

From the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre. c. 1844. Woodblock print. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Produced in their many thousands and hugely popular during the Edo period (1615–1868), these colourful woodblock prints, known as ukiyo-e, depicted scenes from everyday Japan.

Utagawa Toyokuni, The Kabuki Actor Ichikawa Omezo I in the Drama Shibaraku, 1819. Woodblock print. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Ukiyo-e (浮世絵) literally means "pictures of the floating world." The "floating world" referred to the licensed brothel and theatre districts of Japan's major cities during the Edo period. Inhabited by prostitutes and Kabuki actors (Kabuki is a traditional Japanese form of theatre), these were the playgrounds of the newly wealthy merchant class. Despite their low status in the strict social hierarchy of the time, actors and courtesans became the style icons of their day, and their fashions spread to the general population via inexpensive woodblock prints.

The ukiyo-e style was developed in 1765 and remained popular until the closing decades of the Meiji period (1868–1912). While only the wealthy could afford paintings by the artists of the day, ukiyo-e prints were enjoyed by a wide audience because they could be produced quite cheaply and in large numbers.

Perhaps the most iconic of all ukiyo-e prints is Hokusai's Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa. The print, part of the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, features a huge arching wave in the foreground which threatens to consume the two boats below, while Mount Fuji sits serenely in the distance, seemingly framed by the wave. Centuries of peace during the Edo period and the development of a sophisticated road system had fostered a culture of leisure travel in Japan. This created a desire for prints of famous and beautiful landscapes which were bought as cheap souvenirs. At the same time, Western imports of prints and drawings represented new ways of looking at the world, which also encouraged an interest in drawing from life.

In contrast to portrayals of everyday life were the ukiyo-e depictions of heroism and myth. Japan has a long and rich tradition of folklore and storytelling, and traditional tales of heroes and villains, monsters and demons provided dramatic and popular subjects for woodblock prints.

Fan prints

Fans were commonplace accessories during the heat of summer, but they were also a popular format for prints. As everyday objects printed on paper, their regular use made them less likely to survive than other prints; however, the V&A collection includes a variety of fan prints, with a large number by one of the last great ukiyo-e masters, Utagawa Hiroshige.

Designs on fans often reflected the summertime: lively festivals represented in vibrant colours, lighter designs suggesting sun-drenched hazes or deep blues implying cooling relief. As deeply personal items, the fan designs also reveal the tastes and fashions of the people of Edo period Japan.

Utagawa Hiroshige, The Mochibana Dance at the Wakanoura Festival in Kii Province, 1843–47. Woodblock print. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Suzuki Kiitsu, Fan Sellers, 1832. Woodblock print. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Utagawa Hiroshige, Swimming Turtles, c. 1840–42. Woodblock print. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The production process

Utagawa Kunisada, Sumidagawa Bairyu Shinsho, 1847. Woodblock print. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The earliest woodblock prints were simple black-and-white prints taken from a single block. Sometimes they were coloured by hand, but this process was expensive. In the 1740s, additional woodblocks were used to print the colours pink and green, but it wasn't until 1765 that the technique of using multiple-colour woodblocks was perfected. The glorious full-colour prints that resulted were known as nishiki-e or "brocade pictures."

The team involved in the production of ukiyo-e was known as the 'ukiyo-e quartet'. It comprised the publisher (who usually had overall control of the process), the designer/artist, the block cutter and the printer.

The artist would draw the design on paper. Once complete, an exact copy was made and placed face-down on a cherry wood block. Cherry wood was favoured due to the fine, even grain and consistent density. The block cutter then carved directly through the copy to produce what is known as the "key-block."

The printer used the key-block to produce a number of black and white prints, from which further blocks could be made for each colour needed in the final print. Known as "key-block proofs," these prints feature registration marks: small rectangles outside the area of the picture. When the colour blocks were carved, these marks were used to create stops so that the printer could line up the separate colours precisely.

Later on this page, we will watch a video about producing such woodblock prints.

Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave) From Leila Anne Harris, "Hokusai, Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)" in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015.

Katsushika Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa, from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, c. 1830–32. Polychrome woodblock print, ink and colour on paper, 25.7 x 37.9 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Katsushika Hokusai’s Under the Wave off Kanagawa, also called The Great Wave has become one of the most famous works of art in the world—and debatably the most iconic work of Japanese art. Initially, thousands of copies of this print were quickly produced and sold cheaply. Despite the fact that it was created at a time when Japanese trade was heavily restricted, Hokusai’s print displays the influence of Dutch art, and proved to be inspirational for many artists working in Europe later in the nineteenth century.

Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji

Under the Wave off Kanagawa is part of a series of prints titled Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, which Hokusai made between 1830 and 1833. It is a polychrome (multi-coloured) woodblock print, made of ink and colour on paper that is approximately 10 x 14 inches. All of the images in the series feature a glimpse of the mountain, but as you can see from this example, Mount Fuji does not always dominate the frame. Instead, here, the foreground is filled with a massive cresting wave. The threatening wave is pictured just moments before crashing down onto three fishing boats below. Under the Wave off Kanagawa is full of visual play. The mountain, made tiny by the use of perspective, appears as if it too will be swallowed up by the wave. Hokusai’s optical play can also be lighthearted, and the spray from the top of the crashing wave looks like snow falling on the mountain.

Hokusai has arranged the composition to frame Mount Fuji. The curves of the wave and hull of one boat dip down just low enough to allow the base of Mount Fuji to be visible, and the white top of the great wave creates a diagonal line that leads the viewers' eye directly to the peak of the mountain top. Across the thirty-six prints that constitute this series, Hokusai varies his representation of the mountain. In other prints, the mountain fills the composition or is reduced to a small detail in the background of bustling city life.

Who was Katsushika Hokusai

Hokusai was born in 1760 in Edo (now Tokyo), Japan. During the artist’s lifetime, he went by many different names; he began calling himself Hokusai in 1797. Hokusai discovered Western prints that came to Japan by way of Dutch trade. From the Dutch artwork, Hokusai became interested in linear perspective. Subsequently, Hokusai created a Japanese variant of linear perspective. The influence of Dutch art can also be seen in the use of a low horizon line and the distinctive European colour, Prussian blue.

Hokusai was interested in oblique angles, contrasts of near and far, and contrasts of manmade and the natural. These can be seen in Under the Wave off Kanagawa through the juxtaposition of the large wave in the foreground which dwarfs the small mountain in the distance, as well as the inclusion of the men and boats amidst the powerful waves.

Mount Fuji, Japan. Photo: Tomáš Malík
Why Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and has long been considered sacred. Hokusai is often described as having a personal fascination with the mountain, which sparked his interest in making this series. However, he was also responding to a boom in domestic travel and the corresponding market for images of Mount Fuji. Japanese woodblock prints were often purchased as souvenirs. The original audience for Hokusai’s prints was ordinary townspeople who were followers of the “Fuji cult” and made pilgrimages to climb the mountain, or tourists visiting the new capital city. Although the skyscrapers in Tokyo obscure the view of Mount Fuji today, for Hokusai’s audience the peak of the mountain would have been visible across the city.

The Making of Ukiyo-e Prints

Ukiyo-e is the name for Japanese woodblock prints made during the Edo Period. Ukiyo-e, which originated as a Buddhist term, means “floating world” and refers to the impermanence of the world. The earliest prints were made in only black and white, but later, as is evident from Hokusai’s work, additional colours were added. A separate block of wood was used for each colour. Each print is made with a final overlay of black line, which helps to break up the flat colours. Ukiyo-e prints are recognizable for their emphasis on line and pure, bright colour, as well as their ability to distill form down to the minimum.

Hokusai moved away from the tradition of making images of courtesans and actors, which was the customary subject of ukiyo-e prints. Instead, his work focused on the daily life of Japanese people from a variety of social levels. Such as the quotidian scene of fishermen battling the sea off the coast of Mount Fuji that we see in The Great Wave. This change of subject matter was a breakthrough in both ukiyo-e prints and in Hokusai’s career.

Popularity of Ukiyo-e Prints in Europe

Beginning in 1640, Japan was largely closed off to the world and only limited interaction with China and Holland was allowed. This changed in the 1850s, when trade was forced open by American naval commodore, Matthew C. Perry. After this, there was a flood of Japanese visual culture into the West. At the 1867 International Exposition in Paris, Hokusai’s work was on view at the Japanese pavilion. This was the first introduction of Japanese culture to mass audiences in the West, and a craze for collecting art called Japonisme ensued. Additionally, Impressionist artists in Paris, such as Claude Monet, were great fans of Japanese prints. The flattening of space, an interest in atmospheric conditions, and the impermanence of modern city life—all visible in Hokusai’s prints—both reaffirmed their own artistic interests and inspired many future works of art.

How do you "read" Hokusai's The Great Wave

In this course, we are examining and analyzing how artists used formal elements to guide the viewing experience. How has Katsushika Hokusai used the formal elements to guide your viewing experience?

The original audience of this print was mainly Japanese, who read text from the right to the left. What do you notice if you read The Great Wave from right to left versus left to right? Does your understanding of the print change? Has Hokusai arranged the formal elements to suggest a particular "order" of reading?

How Did Hokusai Create The Great Wave?

In the video below, Japanese artist Takuji Hamanaka uses a centuries-old technique to create contemporary woodblock prints. How does understanding the making process affect your viewing experience of Hokusai's The Great Wave?

How Did Hokusai Create The Great Wave? (04:16)

Hamanaka noted that using this centuries-old woodblock technique requires the patience of "a certain type of person." Hokusai's process and design have affected and influenced other artists in various ways. Martin Bailey considers how Van Gogh's Starry Night may have been inspired by Hokusai's The Great Wave and Sarah E. Thompson examines Hokusai's global influence (PDF) in the exhibition Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence, currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Looking Closer at The Great Wave

The advantage of woodblock prints is that many copies of a specific scene can be disseminated and collected. Among the many copies of Hokusai's The Great Wave, can you spot the difference between all 113 identified surviving copies?

In the video below, scientist Capucine's Korenberg closely examines Hokusai's The Great Wave, (and their many slight variations). You can also read Korenberg's blog post, "The Great Wave: Spot the Difference. You may never look at this print (and other prints) the same way again!