Exhibitions

Next Exhibitions

The Great Wave × Digital 2.0

2025.04.25(Fri) - 2025.06.10(Tue)

Overview

Katsushika Hokusai's masterwork the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji returns to the Museum’s exhibition calendar with enhanced digital technology.
This famous series of woodblock prints is a treasure trove not only for the images of magnificent Mount Fuji, but also for the dynamic portrayal of people getting on with their lives.
Artists such as Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne, so far away in Europe, were also inspired by the aesthetics and unique compositions of his work.
The most famous print of all is The Great Wave, depicting the offshore of Kanagawa with the impressive wave design. A French composer Claude Debussy was so impressed that he used this wave on the cover of the first edition of his La Mer.
The exhibition combines this great work with its digital representations at super high definition, projected on a massive screen. Some prints are also contrasted with photographs of the same locations of today, offering fascinating point of reference to Hokusai’s sketching voyage.
Discover a new perspective on his Mount Fuji series, which never ceases to entice the viewers after 190 years of its first printing.

Features

1. A complete set on display

The series initially contained 36 compositions, then 10 more designs were added following its considerable commercial success. The curation covers the whole set of 46 prints.

2. High-definition imaging

The magnifying power of the 150M pixel imagery technology and projection on a giant screen create an immersive experience. Be fascinated by minute details such as the paper textures and subtle printing techniques.

3. Modern-day thirty-six views of Mount Fuji

The Edo-period portrayal of the landscapes around Fuji is contrasted to digital images of the same locations, revisited by the museum production team.

NIHONBASHI IN EDO

The Nihonbashi bridge today

Highlights

THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA

The soaring waves with mean claws are about to swallow up the helpless sailors, who desperately maneuver their vessels. Fuji in the distance draws a stark contrast of stillness. The men’s imminent predicament is felt poignantly to see them holding onto their oars. The supreme force of nature over humanity is illustrated eloquently in this striking composition.

RAINSTORM BENEATH THE SUMMIT

Mt. Fuji in this picture emphasizes its great height and might, itself soaring above the clouds into clear sky, yet beneath the clouds the world is under dismal weather with a thunderstorm.

CLEAR DAY WITH SOUTHERN BREEZE

Popularly known as “The Red Fuji,” this is the most highly acclaimed of Hokusai’s thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji. In it, the mountain displays a refreshing expression in the southerly wind of early morning. The print depicts the lasting grandeur and grace of this famous mountain by the simple tricolors of indigo, green and reddish brown.

KAJIKAZAWA IN KAI PROVINCE

EJIRI IN SURUGA PROVINCE

FUJIMIGAHARA IN OWARI PROVINCE

ROUGH IMPRESSION OF THE MITSUI SHOP IN SURUGA-CHO, EDO

The Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji

This series of woodblock prints was published in c. 1831 by a prominent printer and publisher, Nishimura Eijudō. Hokusai had a great success with this work partly due to the popular interest in traveling and the veneration of Mount Fuji which was thriving at the time. The printing went on for over several years. Initially, a complete set was comprised of 36 prints. It is believed, however, that 10 more designs were added later in response to the high acclaim it garnered. His creative compositions cleverly incorporate geometrical shapes, integrating Mount Fuji into the view. The mountain shows different expressions according to varying angles, seasons and lights. Another particularity is his ingenious use of the deep-blue pigment—a rare, imported cobalt blue. Hokusai already developed a portfolio of many images of landmarks and scenic landscapes, but this series became a cornerstone in his career, establishing landscape woodblock printing as a recognized genre of ukiyo-e.

Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai was born in 1760 in an eastern district of Edo, Honjo Warigesui. As a young man, he became a carver at a printmaking studio. Aspiring to be a painter, he joined the atelier of Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1792) in 1778. Following the death of his master, Hokusai moved on and explored different schools of painting, including the Kanō, Tosa, and Rinpa—he even studied Western paintings. During his career, he changed his pseudonym numerous times. Apart from Hokusai, he called himself Taito, Iitsu, and Manji, to name but a few. Renaming was in a way a sign of attaining a new style of expression. He remained active throughout the 90 years of his life, producing many legendary woodcuts and literary illustrations, including his sketch compilations Hokusai Manga.