Under the Great Wave off Kanagawa or The Great Wave from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji

In the late 60s and early 70s, Hokusai created the series Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji. These are considered by many to be the first independent Japanese print landscapes. In this series, Hokusai depicts the mountain from many angles and across all four seasons. In the majority of these prints, Hokusai represents Mt. Fuji is an integral part in the everyday lives of people. Mt. Fuji often appears in the background while figures in the foreground carry packages, hike, sail, and participate in other daily activities.

However, some of the best known prints in the Thirty-Six Views series, such as Under the Wave off Kanagawa, features the mountain as a background not to the quotidien, but to the forces of nature. The boats in the water are similarly dwarfed in comparison to the height of the waves.