The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1831

A multi-block polychrome print using Prussian blue imported from Europe — then a new pigment in Japan. The wave’s claws curl in near-fractal self-similarity, dwarfing three oshiokuri-bune fishing boats, with Mount Fuji a small, still triangle behind. Printed from a carved key-block plus colour blocks, pulled in the thousands.

Key specifications