Hokusai Great Wave Off Kanagawa Japanese Ceramic Flower Vase 8.6H

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai, approx. 1829-1833: The famous woodcut of the great wave with Mount Fuji in the background was the first in the renowned series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji from the late Edo period. The huge wave threatens to engulf two ships off the coast of Kanagawa prefecture (directly south of Tokyo). 

• Put your favorite flower bouquet inside and decorate your home or desk.
• Art vase is made from kiln-fired ceramic, color and gloss finish, and measures 8.75 in H x 4.75 in W x 3.4 in D. Weights 2 lbs. PN SDA39.
• The flower vase has been cleverly shaped to enhance the appeal of the flowers as the top edge has a cut out pattern.

Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese ukiyo-e artist (1760-1849)
Hokusai belongs to the best known, most innovative, and, with 30,000 designs, the most productive ukiyo-e artists. At a young age he learned the basics of wood block cutting. During his first job in a rental book store, he took the opportunity to copy numerous pictures. At the age of 19, he got a job at the renowned Latsukawa Shunsko studios, which specialized in portraits of famous actors. After 13 years the determined Hokusai left the studios following an argument. Penniless and unhappy in his private life, obsessed by drawing, he studied the techniques of other studios. He also analyzed the Western art of printing, which he came into contact with via the Dutch trade office in Nagasaki. Traveling about restlessly, he changed his artist name many times. Around forty years of age he eventually called himself Hokusai. More and more he became attracted to landscape art. He published his sketchbooks in 12 parts. Not until he was in his sixties, did he make his most famous works, among which are the Fagaku Sanjurokkei, 36 Views on the Fuji Mountain and Shokoky Taki Meguri, The Journey to the Waterfalls. The Gakyo-rojin, the mad painter (which he called himself) stayed productive well into his eighties. Apparently he said on his death bed: If I would be granted another five years, I will become a genuine artist.