The Great Wave: The Story Behind Hokusai's Masterpiece

A towering wave curls overhead, its foaming crest reaching out like fingers. Small boats brace beneath it. And in the distance, calm and steady, sits Mount Fuji. Even if you don't know its name, you've almost certainly seen it.

The artist behind the wave

The Great Wave off Kanagawa was created around 1831 by Katsushika Hokusai, one of Japan's most celebrated artists. It was part of his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which showed the sacred mountain from many different places and perspectives.

Hokusai worked in ukiyo-e, a style of Japanese woodblock printing. Rather than a single painting, The Great Wave was carved into wooden blocks and printed many times, which is why impressions of it can be found in museum collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the British Museum in London.

A wave that crossed oceans

When Japanese prints began reaching Europe in the 19th century, they captivated Western artists. Their bold outlines, flat areas of color, and striking compositions influenced a generation of painters, including Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, both of whom collected Japanese prints. Monet even built a Japanese-style bridge over the water garden at Giverny.

That's part of why Hokusai sits so naturally alongside the Impressionists in our collection. The conversation between their work has been going on for more than a century.

The Monarque Great Wave collection

Find Hokusai's iconic image on our Great Wave RFID Blocking Wallet, Slim Wallet, and Eyeglass Case. Its deep blues and crisp whites feel both timeless and modern.

Who will love it

• Ocean lovers, surfers, and sailors who feel at home by the water.
• Travelers dreaming of Japan, or remembering a trip there.
• Art and design enthusiasts who appreciate one of the most influential images ever made.
• Anyone who loves the color blue.

Strength and calm, in your pocket

There's something fitting about the Great Wave on an everyday essential. The image is about power and steadiness at once: the wave in motion, the mountain unmoved. Our armored wallets carry that same balance, with an aluminum body, a strong clasp, a tear-resistant accordion interior that holds up to six cards, and built-in RFID blocking.

It's a museum masterpiece you can carry, and a gift with a story worth telling.