Photo of the Day

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Tuesday 6 October 2026

Woodblock print of a towering blue wave with claw-like white foam curling over narrow rowing boats, a small snow-capped Mount Fuji in the distance — Woodblock print · c. 1830–32

Katsushika Hokusai's woodblock print from his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, one of the most recognizable images ever made. This impression is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Fun facts

Mount Fuji is in the picture: the small snow-capped peak in the trough of the wave. source ↗
Look under the wave and you'll find three boats of rowers ducking into it. source ↗
The strong blue is Prussian blue, a synthetic pigment from Europe that had recently become affordable in Japan. source ↗
Hokusai was about 70 when he made it. Thousands of impressions were printed; only a small fraction survive. source ↗

Image: Katsushika Hokusai · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Licence: CC0
Source: Wikimedia Commons The Met, JP1847 (Open Access)