Which series does it belong to?

Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido

The Great Wave Quiz: Hokusai's Woodblock Print Off Kanagawa

This The Great Wave quiz looks closely at Katsushika Hokusai's world-famous print from around 1831. Play 10 interactive questions on the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, tiny Mount Fuji in the background, three fishing boats, Prussian blue pigment, how designers, carvers and printers made woodblock prints, Hokusai's age and the wave's influence on Western art.

Start the Great Wave Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Artist
Who made The Great Wave off Kanagawa?
Year
Around when was it made?
Series
Which series does it belong to?
Mountain
Which mountain appears small in the background?
Boats
How many boats struggle beneath the wave?
Blue
Which imported pigment gave the print its blue?
Type
What kind of art is it?
Team
Who besides the designer made woodblock prints?
Age
About how old was Hokusai when he made it?
Influence
Which composer's work La Mer used the wave on its cover?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who made The Great Wave off Kanagawa?
Answer: Katsushika Hokusai
He signed many names.
Q2: Around when was it made?
Answer: About 1831
It belongs to the Edo period.
Q3: Which series does it belong to?
Answer: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji
Fuji appears in every print.
Q4: Which mountain appears small in the background?
Answer: Mount Fuji
The wave dwarfs it.
Q5: How many boats struggle beneath the wave?
Answer: Three
Rowers crouch low.
Q6: Which imported pigment gave the print its blue?
Answer: Prussian blue
It was new and fashionable.
Q7: What kind of art is it?
Answer: A woodblock print
Many copies were made.
Q8: Who besides the designer made woodblock prints?
Answer: Carvers and printers
A publisher organized them.
Q9: About how old was Hokusai when he made it?
Answer: About 70
He kept improving into old age.
Q10: Which composer's work La Mer used the wave on its cover?
Answer: Claude Debussy
European artists admired Hokusai.

A Wave Carved in Wood

The Great Wave off Kanagawa was made by Katsushika Hokusai around 1831, as part of his series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. A towering wave with claw-like foam curls over three fishing boats, while Mount Fuji appears tiny in the background. Hokusai was about 70 at the time.

It is a woodblock print, a team effort. The artist drew the design, carvers cut separate blocks for each color, and printers inked and pressed sheets by hand, while a publisher organized the work. The print used Prussian blue, a newly imported pigment that gave it a vivid color.

Thousands of impressions were printed. Later, Japanese prints reached Europe and influenced artists such as Van Gogh and Monet, and Claude Debussy's La Mer used the wave on its first edition cover. Today it is one of the world's most recognized images.

What This Quiz Teaches

Art fans will enjoy these questions.

Who made the print
What it shows
How it was made
Which pigment was used
How it influenced others

Did You Know?

Surviving prints sell for high prices.
Museums limit how long prints are shown.
Hokusai also made manga sketchbooks.
Red Fuji is another series favorite.
The wave is a popular emoji.