The iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa, a…

The iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa, a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai, is published in 1832 as the first in Hokusai's series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji,” created by Hokusai both as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji.

Destined to be is his most famous work, it depicts an enormous wave threatening boats near the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa; Mount Fuji can be seen in the background.

The wave is probably not intended to be a tsunami, but a great off-shore wave created by the wind.

Like the other prints in the series, it depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions.

It is this series, specifically the Great Wave print and Fuji in Clear Weather, that secures Hokusai’s fame both within Japan and overseas.