Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa-oki nami-ura), also known as The Great Wave, Edo period, 19th century | 葛飾北斎　冨嶽三十六景　神奈川沖浪裏　江戶時代　19世紀

5th Anniversary Exhibition. All-Stars of the Okada Collection: Masterworks of Korin, Jakuchu, Hokusai and the Ru Ware Kilns, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2018-19, exh. no. 398 (unillustrated).

10th Anniversary Utamaro and Hokusai, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2023, no. 31.

Kobayashi Tadashi ed., Masterpieces of the Okada Museum of Art, vol.2, Tokyo, 2018, p. 146, no. 77-1.

Hokusai’s most renowned design. Although approximately 8,000 impressions were printed at the time, today it is thought that the known number extant is around 130. 

Katsushika Hokusai’s masterpiece Under the Wave off Kanagawa (the ‘Great Wave’) is as immediately striking today as it must have been when it first appeared in late 1831, when it was published as part of the set ‘Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji’ (Fugaku sanjurokkei). The series was a sensational success at the time, proving so popular that after the completion of the first thirty-six prints of the series title an additional ten were added bringing the total of a complete set to forty-six, even though the title was not modified.

The main subject of the design, the ‘Great Wave’, towers up and crests over forming claw-like extensions which reach towards the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji dwarfed below; the sacred mountain revealed for a moment in the well of the wave. The oarsmen of three skiffs (oshiokuri-bune) struggle against the overwhelming force of the wave as they head away from Edo to meet fishermen with fresh catches of fish to return to the capital to sell in the markets.

No other Japanese print is more internationally renowned, occupying an iconic place in modern visual culture. The perfect balance of the composition, combined with the universally understood concept of the struggle of man against the monumental forces of nature are elements that contribute to its enduring popularity.

Other impressions in museum collections include:

The British Museum, museum number 1937,0710,0.147, go to:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1937-0710-0-147

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.6765, go to:

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/234428

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), New York, accession number JP10, go to:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/60000586

展覽

《美のスターたち-光琳・若冲・北斎・汝窯など名品ぞろい》，岡田美術館，箱根， 2018 - 2019年， 展覽編號398（沒載圖）

《開館10周年記念　歌麿と北斎 時代を作った浮世絵師》，岡田美術館，箱根，2023年，展覽編號31（沒載圖）

出版

小林忠編，《岡田美術館名品撰》，卷2，東京，2018年，編號77-1

此乃葛飾北齋最負盛名之創作，雖當時約印製八千枚，據信現今存世數量僅百三十幅左右。

葛飾北齋的傑作《神奈川沖浪裏》（俗稱「巨浪」）時至今日仍震撼人心，其視覺衝擊力想必與1831年末初現時無異。該作以《富嶽三十六景》系列之一發表，該系列當時獲得空前成功。因廣受歡迎，在完成題名所示三十六景後，又增補十幅，使全套總數達四十六幅，然系列名稱未改。

畫面主體「巨浪」巍然騰湧，浪端化作爪形波脊襲向下方巍峨的富士雪頂；神聖山嶽於浪谷間乍現須臾。三艘押送船（oshiokuri-bune）的櫓夫在遠離江戶駛向漁場之際，正與排山倒海而來的浪濤奮力搏鬥。

舉世再無其他日本浮世繪能與其比肩，其形象已深植現代視覺文化。構圖的完美平衡，結合人類對抗自然巨力的普世共鳴，皆成就其歷久不衰的魅力。

博物館藏同版作品包括：

大英博物館，館藏編號1937,0710,0.147，詳見：

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1937-0710-0-147

波士頓美術館，館藏編號21.6765，詳見：

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/234428

紐約大都會藝術博物館，館藏編號JP10，詳見：

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/60000586