The Great Wave of Kanagawa - Japanese Woodblock Print Reproduction
61cm
24"
91.4cm
36"

Approximate Measurements

91.4cm x 61cm  ≈  36" x 24"

The Great Wave of Kanagawa

The title in Japanese is 神奈川沖浪裏, which romanizes as, "Kanagawa oki nami ura".

In Chinese it romanizes as, "Shénnàichuān chōnglàng lǐ".

The meaning is more like, "The backside (or draw/well) of a wave in the sea of Kanagawa". Others will translate it differently, and in the west, this artwork is often known simply as, "The Wave".

Overall view of the Great Wave print

The print have an outside edge that will fit a standard North American picture frame size. The print is offset with a bit of a margin (space for matting, or mount in the frame as-is). Show here is the 20" x 30" size.

The original work was a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai. It was created around 1831 during Japan's late Edo period.

This was part of a series, "36 Views of Mount Fuji". Undoubtedly, this is Hokusai's most famous print, and perhaps the most famous Japanese woodblock print in the world.

The artwork depicts a huge wave, ready to swallow the souls aboard small boats off the shore of Kanagawa.

Original prints that are now 185 years old exist in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The British Museum in London, Claude Monet's house in Giverny, France, and a few others. Rarely, those old prints come up for auction and fetch prices of $20,000.

This reproduction that I have created "in-house" will cost you a whole lot less, and is available in larger sizes.

Close-up view of the Great Wave print

There is plenty of original detail in this reproduction print.

16 x 20 version ofthe Great Wave print

The 16" x 20" frame version has a wider margin, and the print impression is the same size as the original (about 25.3cm x 37.2cm or 10" x 14 21/64").

The dimensions shown on the large image near the top of the page are for the largest size that I offer. This reproduction is available in 4 sizes. If you need a custom size, or a reproduction of a different Japanese woodblock print, just let me know. I can customize the paper type, size, and even mount as a wall scroll if you want.


About the artist...

This artwork was originally by a man named 葛飾 北斎 (Hokusai Katsushika). He lived in what is now Tokyo, Japan from his birth around 1760 until his death in 1849. More about him here: Wikipedia: Hokusai Katsushika