Weekend story - The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1831)

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The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1831) - Katsushika Hokusai
 
This weekend story is in two parts. The first part gives the technical aspect of Katsushika Hokusai’s timeless print, which includes the artwork and technique used. The second part is about the symbolism in the print
First part - Artwork and technique: The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1831) is not a painting in the usual sense but a woodblock print, part of his celebrated series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.

It was created during the Edo period of Japan (1603–1868), a long era of peace and stability under the Tokugawa shogunate. With warfare subdued, art and culture flourished. Cities like Edo (today’s Tokyo), Kyoto, and Osaka became vibrant cultural centres. Several art forms thrived in this period: ukiyo-e woodblock prints (like Hokusai’s), kabuki theatre with its colourful spectacle, haiku poetry perfected by Matsuo Basho, and the refinement of the tea ceremony and garden design. It was in this atmosphere of creativity and craftsmanship that Hokusai worked.

The process of woodblock printing was a collaboration. Hokusai made the original design on paper. A master carver glued the drawing (face down) onto a block of cherry wood, then carefully carved away the areas that were not part of the lines, leaving the design raised in relief. This became the “key block,” usually for the black outlines. Separate blocks were carved for each colour and printers produced the impressions on handmade paper. 

For the Great Wave, multiple blocks were used, including one for the famous Prussian blue, a newly imported pigment at the time, which gave the sea its depth and intensity. The wave itself is highly stylised, it does not look like a natural splash of water, but like a giant claw, its foam shaped into finger-like forms reaching out to seize the boats below. The fishermen’s craft are drawn with accuracy, matching the real oshiokuri-bune boats used in Edo Japan.

The composition balances movement and stillness. The towering wave dominates the foreground, while the tiny but enduring Mount Fuji anchors the horizon. This contrast, between turbulence and permanence, makes the image so powerful and timeless.

Second part: The Symbolism 

Behind the dramatic wave and tiny boats lies a fascinating story of Japanese art, craftsmanship, and symbolism. Let us explore this - being one of the most recognised images in world art.

 At first sight, it is a breathtaking vision of nature’s force, an immense wave curling forward, threatening to engulf the tiny fishing boats caught in its path. Yet beyond its dramatic surface, the print continues to speak to us in unexpected ways.

The wave is more than water in motion; it is a symbol of the unpredictable turns life takes. Its scale, compared to the fragile boats, reminds us how small we often feel before larger events. And yet, the boats do not turn back. They move forward into the wave, showing resilience, determination, and faith in their journey.

Equally striking is the balance in the composition. The restless wave dominates the foreground, while in the distance Mount Fuji sits calm and unshaken. Together, they create a dialogue between turmoil and stillness, between the temporary and the enduring. Life, too, is lived in this tension, between what shakes us and what steadies us.

Hokusai once said, “From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the form of things.” In this single image, he distilled not only form but the essence of struggle, courage, and perspective. 

The Great Wave endures because it reflects our own story: to keep moving forward even when the horizon seems uncertain, and to find steadiness amidst the surge of challenges.

Perhaps that is why this 19th-century Japanese print feels so timeless, it reminds us that while we cannot control the wave, we can choose how we face it.

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