Katsushika Hokusai’s Ukiyo-e I will explain The great wave off Kanagawa in Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
This ukiyo-e is off the coast of present-day Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
The English name is The Great Wave of Kanagawa.
Together with ‘Gaifu Kaisei’ and ‘Yamashita Hakuu’, it is called one of the three major yakumono in horizontal nishiki-e.
It is a masterpiece and is the most widely known representative work in the entire painting industry.
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The composition of the ukiyo-e print is a ferociously high, violently swirling wave, and three boats being tossed by the waves.
With all of these things in front of you, you can catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji in the distance from the undulating waves, creating a dramatic composition.
The details are all about the stream of water, the swell of the waves, the movement of the boat following the waves, and the gentle ridgeline of Mt. Fuji.
It is a component of a logarithmic spiral that folds over and over again.
A three-hulled ship is called a push ship.
To be precise, it was a high-speed ship (Haccho Yagurasen), which was used to transport marine products to Edo.
There is a theory that Mt.Fuji was seen from the vicinity of Kisarazu, which is on the opposite shore of Kanagawa in Tokyo Bay.
Each speedboat has eight rowers on board, with alternate rowers resting in front of the boat.
The estimated average speed is thought to be about 12 km/h.
Mt.Fuji seen in the distance in the middle of the storm is a solid and immovable Mt.Fuji.
The appeal of this work is the force of the wave crests, which resembles the claws of an eagle, capturing the moment when the waves rush in.
There are people desperately rowing high-speed boats in the raging sea.
The prototype is said to be Hokusai’s 45-year-old ‘Oshiwokuri Hatōtsusen no zu’.
The composition is a bird’s-eye view from slightly above. Compared to “Oshiwokuri Hatōtsusen no zu”, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” is drawn from a sideways perspective.
Combined with the presence of a small boat that seems to be swallowed up at any moment and the presence of Mt.
This ukiyo-e is from around 1830 to 1832. Hokusai is around 72 years old.
