Woodblock print · Katsushika Hokusai · circa 1831
Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa
The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura) is a colour woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, published in Edo (Tokyo) around 1831 as the first sheet of his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. It is the most reproduced image in Japanese art, and because Hokusai died in 1849 it is in the public domain.
History
Hokusai was about seventy when he designed the Thirty-six Views, landscape prints with Mount Fuji somewhere in each one. The Great Wave used the newly imported Prussian blue pigment, which gave deep, stable blues earlier Japanese prints could not manage.
The design reached Europe in the 1860s and was collected by artists: Monet owned a copy and Debussy put it on the cover of La Mer. Impressions survive in museums worldwide; the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds several and publishes them under an open licence.
What the print shows
Three fishing boats (oshiokuri-bune) crossing a heavy sea in Sagami Bay, with a great claw-fingered wave about to break over them. Mount Fuji sits small and calm in the distance, its snow echoing the foam. The original is a horizontal ōban sheet of about 25 by 37 cm, with the title cartouche and Hokusai's signature upper left.
The reproduction keeps the paper tone of the original impression, so it reads as a woodblock print rather than a poster.
Source and licence
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Open Access).
Licence: Public domain. Hokusai died in 1849; the Met publishes its impressions under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so no licence or attribution is required.
Other impressions: the British Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Sumida Hokusai Museum.
Available sizes and prices
Print: paper or framed Etsy listing 4525659975
| Size | Paper | Framed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 in (21 × 30 cm) | $33.99 | — |
| 12 × 18 in (30 × 45 cm) | $51.99 | $137.99 |
| 16 × 24 in (40 × 60 cm) | $59.99 | $195.99 |
Print: gallery-wrapped canvas Etsy listing 4545955348
| Size | Canvas |
|---|---|
| 12 × 16 in (30 × 40 cm) | $111.99 |
| 18 × 24 in (45 × 60 cm) | $156.99 |
| 20 × 28 in (50 × 70 cm) | $207.99 |
Unisex T-shirt Etsy listing 4516425180
From $41.99, priced per size and colour on the listing. Printed to order on a Bella+Canvas 3001 unisex tee.
Printed to order, shipped in 2–5 business days, free US shipping. Paper: matte fine-art paper. Framed: real wood (black, white, wood, dark wood), shatterproof acrylic, ready to hang. Canvas: gallery-wrapped on wood stretcher bars, ready to hang.
Buy
- Hokusai The Great Wave off Kanagawa c1831 (print: paper or framed): buy on Etsy, from $33.99.
- Great Wave Gallery Wrapped (print: gallery-wrapped canvas): buy on Etsy, from $111.99.
- Great Wave (unisex t-shirt): buy on Etsy, from $41.99.
Frequently asked questions
- Who made The Great Wave off Kanagawa and when?
- Katsushika Hokusai designed it around 1831 for Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji; the blocks were cut and printed in Edo, today's Tokyo.
- Is The Great Wave a painting?
- No. It is a woodblock print, produced in many impressions from carved cherry-wood blocks; museums hold different impressions of the same design.
- Is The Great Wave in the public domain?
- Yes. Hokusai died in 1849; museum scans of their impressions are released under CC0.
- What sizes does the Great Wave print come in?
- Paper and framed prints from 8 by 12 to 16 by 24 inches, a gallery-wrapped canvas from 12 by 16 to 20 by 28 inches, and a unisex tee; prices are listed on this page.
Sources
Published 20 Oct 2026; prices are the live Etsy prices as of 20 Oct 2026. The work is public domain; this page's text is © ThinkDotCo and may be quoted with a link.