The Great Wave off Kanagawa
in Kanagawa prefecture, with Tokyo to the north, Mt Fuji to the northeast, the bay of Sagami to the south. and
the bay of Tokyo to the east. The boats oriented to the southeast, are returning to the capital.
There are eight rowers per boat, clinging to their oars. There are two more passengers in the front of each boat,
bringing the total number of human figures in the image to thirty. Using the boats as reference, one can
approximate the size of the wave: theoshiokuri-bune were generally between 12 to 15 meters long, and noting
that Hokusai reduced the vertical scale by 30%, the wave must be between 10 to 12 meters tall.[21]
The sea and the waves
The sea is the dominant element of the composition, that is taken up by an extending wave about to break, which
dominates the entire scene. In the moment captured in this image the wave forms a circle whose center is in the
center of the design, allowing the viewer to see Mt Fuji in the background.
annaabi.ee 
