The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Recognized worldwide, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (officially titled Under the Wave off Kanagawa) is arguably the most famous Japanese artwork in history. Created by master artist Katsushika Hokusai between 1830 and 1833, this stunning ukiyo-e woodblock print is the crown jewel of his iconic series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. While the towering, claw-like rogue wave commands immediate attention, a closer look reveals Mount Fuji standing quietly in the background—a serene, snow-capped anchor amidst the chaos of the sea.

Why Are There So Many Different Versions?

Because The Great Wave is a woodblock print rather than one painting, there isn’t a single original. The blocks were wood, traditionally cherry. Printers pulled a very large edition. The exact number was not written down, and estimates run into the thousands. Around a hundred impressions are known today.

Museums hold different surviving copies, and no two look exactly alike. Light, wear, the Prussian blue, and trimmed margins change the sheet. The Art Institute of Chicago has three, and it dates all three to 1830–33. Each one is its own sheet of the same design. The photographs on this page are the ones the museum released.

Is The Great Wave in the Public Domain?

Absolutely. Katsushika Hokusai passed away in 1849, placing his incredible body of work firmly in the public domain.

Hokusai died in 1849, so the print is in the public domain. What you download here is the Art Institute of Chicago’s photograph of the sheet it owns. You can use that photograph for personal or commercial work. A new picture you make from it is a separate work. The Art Institute also keeps a larger master file than the one published here.