Reproduction of Hokusai's 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' from "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji"
In the late Edo period, it was filled with travel information such as maps of famous places and road guides.
A “travel boom” and a “meisho-e (landscape print) boom” arrived at the same time among the people of Edo who yearned for travel, and a major genre of meisho-e was established in ukiyo-e, in which it was mainly centered on “yakusha-e (actor prints)” and “bijin-e (beautiful women prints)”. It is no exaggeration to say that Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is the most famous ukiyo-e among the meisho-e. In Hokusai's composition, boats are tossed by the big waves, and the boatmen cling onto them helplessly, while Mt. Fuji quietly watches the scene from the waves. It is a much bigger existence than “The Great Wave”, but by daring to draw Mt. Fuji small, he was able to express its big presence.
The woodblocks required to print “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” are 1 main block and 2 color blocks (using the front and back), totaling 3 woodblocks. One work is completed by printing five sides of the woodblocks in total.
At the time, publishers were particular about minimizing the number of woodblocks (in order to keep the budget down) and also on completing good works, and Hokusai came up with a composition that still fascinates the world with just three woodblocks. Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", which has been stripped of unnecessary elements and is minimalistic yet powerful, has a charm that you will not get tired of looking at it for a long time.
UKIYO-E PROJECT produced a reproduction of ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ from "Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji", which is based on the print owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, that is close to the first edition and is well preserved.
About ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”
Artist: HOKUSAI
Woodcarver: SEKIOKA Senrei III
Printer: ITO Tatsuya
Year: 2022
Details:
Size: Oban 26.5 x 39.0 cm
Paper: Echizen Kisuki Bousho
Price:
With Edition No. First Edition 50 prints only
‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”: $550
Without Edition No.
‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”: $165
*Attention
- Edition No. will be chosen randomly.
- First Edition 50 prints will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
- At UKIYO-E PROJECT every print is considered unique, aligned with the Edo period philosophy that each ukiyo-e is an “original” piece of work.
- They will be packaged and sent in a specially designed, paper folio.
- The artwork is sold unframed.
Artisans
Woodcarver: Sekioka Senrei III
Born and raised in Tokyo, lives in Arakawa-ku.
Although Sekioka was born into a family of printers, he starts training to become a woodcarver with the master Okura Hanbei at the age of 19, following the advice of his father Senrei II. After 7 years of training, on October 2013, he succeeds the name Sekioka Senrei III.
Sekioka has now been carving for over 40 years. As one of the highest skilled woodcarvers in the world, he is known to not only carve perfectly along the lines but also to realize the artist’s brushstrokes to keep the final outcome as close as possible to the the original illustration. Besides working on classic ukiyo-e, he challenges himself to take on modern designs as well, and actively accepts disciples with the desire to pass on this ancient Japanese craftsmanship to future generations.
Printer: Ito Tatsuya
Born in Tokyo, lives in Nezu.
At the age of 20, Ito succeeds Ito Tomorou IV, and works under the master Ogawa Fumihiko for 3 years. In 1995, he receives the Tokyo Meister award.
Since, Ito has held live printing demonstrations and workshops in museums and cultural institutions, not only in Japan but also internationally, such as in Austria, Hungary, France, Australia, and Washington D.C.