About the Great Wave

Katsushika Hokusai created this woodcut around 1831. It is known as The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. It is a fairly small (10 x 15 in or 25.4 x 37.1 cm) color woodcut. The original is at the Hakone Museum in Japan.

The waves form a frame through which we see Mt. Fuji, the shape of which is echoed in the smaller wave. The foam of the wave is breaking into claws which grasp for the fishermen, but the men calmly navigate the stormy waters like expert boatmen. The large wave forms a massive yin to the yang of empty space under it.