The Great Wave off Kanagawa Poster The Great Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Example of ukiyo-e art, it was published sometime between 1830 and 1833 as the first in Hokusai's series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and is his most famous work.