12 Famous Ukiyo-e Prints: From Hokusai’s “Great Wave” to Sharaku and Kuniyoshi—Highlights and Where to See Them

Ukiyo-e were pictures for ordinary people that spread during the Edo period. Most were woodblock prints made through a division of labor: a publisher planned the print, an artist drew the design, a carver cut the woodblocks, and a printer layered the colors onto paper one block at a time, so the same design could be printed hundreds of times. In 1765, Suzuki Harunobu and others created full-color “nishiki-e” (brocade prints), and landscape prints became hugely popular in the age of Hokusai and Hiroshige. This article introduces 12 masterpieces often seen in textbooks and museums, artist by artist.

12 famous ukiyo-e prints (list)

• Katsushika Hokusai, “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Under the Wave off Kanagawa”

• Katsushika Hokusai, “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Fine Wind, Clear Morning” (Red Fuji)

• Katsushika Hokusai, “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Rainstorm Beneath the Summit” (Black Fuji)

• Utagawa Hiroshige, “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Nihonbashi, Morning View”

• Utagawa Hiroshige, “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Shono, Driving Rain”

• Utagawa Hiroshige, “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake”

• Utagawa Hiroshige, “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Plum Garden in Kameido”

• Kitagawa Utamaro, “Ten Classes of Women’s Physiognomy: Young Woman Blowing a Poppin”

• Kitagawa Utamaro, “Three Beauties of the Kansei Era”

• Toshusai Sharaku, “Otani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei”

• Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre” (Soma no Furudairi)

• Suzuki Harunobu, “Lovers Sharing an Umbrella in the Snow”

Katsushika Hokusai: the Great Wave, Red Fuji and Black Fuji from “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) kept painting until his death at 90, changing his art name many times, and is said to have produced more than 30,000 works in his lifetime. His best-known series, “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” is a set of landscape prints that Hokusai, then in his seventies, began publishing around 1831 with the publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudo). Its views of Mount Fuji from various places were so popular that 10 more were added, bringing the total to 46. Hokusai’s life, major works and the museums where you can see them are covered in our guide to Katsushika Hokusai.

1. Under the Wave off Kanagawa

A towering wave, three fast boats tossed by the sea, and a small Mount Fuji in the distance. The blue of “Berlin blue” (Prussian blue), a synthetic pigment imported from the West, brings the wave vividly to life. Known abroad as “The Great Wave,” it appeared on the cover of the first edition of the score of Debussy’s “La Mer,” and it is the design on the back of Japan’s new 1,000-yen note, issued from July 2024.

2. Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Red Fuji)

“Gaifu” means a gentle southern wind in early summer. On a clear morning, Mount Fuji glows red in the rising sun, shown in a bold composition that is almost nothing but the mountain. Popularly called “Red Fuji,” it is, together with the Great Wave, the face of the series.

3. Rainstorm Beneath the Summit (Black Fuji)

The summit is bathed in clear skies while lightning flashes at the foot of the mountain. Because it depicts the same Mount Fuji in dark tones that contrast with Red Fuji, it is also called “Black Fuji.”

At the MOA Museum of Art in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, a Hokusai exhibition bringing together all 46 prints of “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” opens on February 26, 2027 (see the MOA Museum of Art’s 2027 exhibitions).

Utagawa Hiroshige: “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido” and the “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” copied by Van Gogh

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was born into a family of fire-brigade officers in Edo and rivaled Hokusai in popularity as a landscape artist. He excelled at depicting weather and the passage of time, such as rain, snow and dusk. Hiroshige’s life, major works and the museums where you can see them are covered in our guide to Utagawa Hiroshige.

4. The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Nihonbashi, Morning View

The Hoeido edition of “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido” (early 1830s), which made his name, depicts the post towns of the Tokaido road from Nihonbashi in Edo to Sanjo Ohashi Bridge in Kyoto in 55 prints. The first shows a daimyo procession setting out across Nihonbashi Bridge at dawn.

5. The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Shono, Driving Rain

Travelers and palanquin bearers race up a slope in a sudden shower, drawn with slanting lines of rain and trees rendered only as silhouettes in shades of gray. It is known as one of the most dynamic prints in the series.

6. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake

“One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” (1856–58) is the series of famous places in Edo that Hiroshige created in his last years. Here, an evening shower falls on Shin-Ohashi Bridge over the Sumida River, seen from high above.

7. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Plum Garden in Kameido

The branch of an old plum tree fills the foreground, with tiny figures enjoying the blossoms behind it. This composition, with its extremely enlarged foreground, influenced Western painters. In 1887, Van Gogh copied this print and “Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake” in oils.

At the Tokyo National Museum, “Utagawa Hiroshige: The Best Angles of Edo,” which shows all prints of Hiroshige’s three major series over three rotations, runs until December 20 (see our article on the exhibition).

Kitagawa Utamaro: “Young Woman Blowing a Poppin” and “Three Beauties of the Kansei Era”

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?–1806) worked with the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo and became the leading painter of beautiful women with “okubi-e,” close-up portraits of the upper body. Tsutaya Juzaburo is also known as the protagonist of NHK’s 2025 historical drama “Berabou.” Utamaro’s life, major works and where to see them are covered in our guide to Kitagawa Utamaro.

8. Ten Classes of Women’s Physiognomy: Young Woman Blowing a Poppin

This print captures a fleeting moment as a townswoman blows a “poppin” (vidro), a glass toy. The background is printed with mica powder (“kirazuri”), giving the surface a soft sheen. It is thought to date from around 1792–93.

9. Three Beauties of the Kansei Era

Made around 1793, it depicts three young women who were the talk of Edo—Naniwaya Okita, Takashima Ohisa and Tomimoto Toyohina—in a single print. Among their similar faces, the women are distinguished by their hairstyles and the crests on their kimono.

Toshusai Sharaku: actor portraits by an artist who vanished after about 10 months

10. Otani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei

Toshusai Sharaku made his debut in the fifth month of 1794 with 28 close-up portraits of kabuki actors published by Tsutaya Juzaburo all at once, and disappeared after leaving about 140 works in roughly 10 months. The leading theory holds that he was Saito Jurobei, a Noh actor in the service of the Tokushima domain in Awa. His best-known print shows the villain Edobei thrusting out his hands as he moves to seize money, set against a dark mica background. The exaggerated expression and the shape of the hands leave a strong impression.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi: the giant skeleton of “Soma no Furudairi” and warrior prints

11. Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) became popular with warrior prints from the series “One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Suikoden” (from around 1827), and also made many playful works such as caricatures of cats behaving like people. “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre” (around 1845–46) shows a giant skeleton, summoned by sorcery by Princess Takiyasha, daughter of Taira no Masakado, attacking Oya no Taro Mitsukuni, across a large three-sheet composition. The skeleton’s anatomy is said to have been based on a Western anatomy book, and the print remains hugely popular.

Suzuki Harunobu: the artist who created full-color “nishiki-e”

12. Lovers Sharing an Umbrella in the Snow

Suzuki Harunobu (1725?–1770) is regarded as the central figure in creating “nishiki-e,” full-color woodblock prints, triggered by the exchange of picture calendars that was in vogue in 1765. “Lovers Sharing an Umbrella in the Snow,” a young couple walking in the snow under one umbrella, makes the most of the contrast between white and black.

Hishikawa Moronobu’s “Beauty Looking Back,” often listed among ukiyo-e masterpieces, is not a woodblock print but a one-of-a-kind painting, held by the Tokyo National Museum. It is also known as the design of a postage stamp issued in 1948.

Where can you see the real thing? Museums in Tokyo and exhibitions in 2026–2027

Because ukiyo-e are sensitive to light, many museums display them for short periods, rotating works. If you want to see the real thing, check each museum’s display schedule before you go.

• Sumida Hokusai Museum (Sumida-ku, Tokyo): A museum introducing the works of Hokusai and his pupils. We cover it along with nearby museums in our Ryogoku and Kiyosumi-Shirakawa art guide.

• Ota Memorial Museum of Art (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo): A museum specializing in ukiyo-e. Until December 6, it is holding an exhibition of Katsushika Oi, Hokusai’s daughter (see our article on the exhibition).

• Tokyo National Museum (Taito-ku, Tokyo): Displays ukiyo-e on rotation in the Honkan (Japanese Gallery). “Utagawa Hiroshige: The Best Angles of Edo” runs until December 20.

• Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (Kobe): From March 20 to May 23, 2027, it will hold an exhibition bringing together more than 120 late-Edo and Meiji ukiyo-e by Kuniyoshi, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and others (see our article on the exhibition).

Ukiyo-e exhibitions in Tokyo and tips for viewing are summarized in our beginner’s guide to enjoying ukiyo-e.

Exhibitions where ukiyo-e “come to life”: Gifu, Ginza and Yokohama

Exhibitions that animate masterpieces with 3DCG animation and projection mapping, letting visitors experience them as immersive spaces, are also on the rise.

• Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU (Gifu City Museum of History, until January 11, 2027): Video spaces based on more than 300 ukiyo-e by Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Utamaro, Sharaku, Kunisada and others, plus Gifu-only content featuring Oda Nobunaga and cormorant fishing (see our detailed article).

• Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA (scheduled to open in spring 2027): A permanent immersive museum themed on masterpieces including “Under the Wave off Kanagawa” and “Fine Wind, Clear Morning” (see our article on the opening).

• THE MOVEUM YOKOHAMA, “Impressionist Monet and Ukiyo-e” (until March 31, 2027): Portrays the connections between ukiyo-e and Monet and the Impressionists through images and sound (see our article).

For how ukiyo-e are animated on screen, see What does it mean to “animate” ukiyo-e?

For Toshusai Sharaku, see our guide to his major works, the theories about his identity and where to see his prints.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous ukiyo-e print?

Katsushika Hokusai’s “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Under the Wave off Kanagawa” is the best-known print in Japan and abroad. It is called “The Great Wave” overseas and appears on the back of the 1,000-yen note issued from 2024.

How were ukiyo-e made?

A publisher planned the print; based on the artist’s design, a carver cut a woodblock for each color, and a printer layered the colors onto paper one at a time. These prints were born from a division of labor among craftsmen, allowing the same design to be printed hundreds of times.

How many prints are in “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”?

46. The original 36 were so popular that 10 more, known as “Ura Fuji,” were added.

Where can I see original ukiyo-e in Tokyo?

At places such as the Ota Memorial Museum of Art (Shibuya-ku), which specializes in ukiyo-e, the Sumida Hokusai Museum (Sumida-ku), which introduces Hokusai’s works, and the Tokyo National Museum (Taito-ku). Works are displayed on rotation, so check each museum’s schedule if there is a particular print you want to see.

Where can I see ukiyo-e in motion?

There is the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU” at the Gifu City Museum of History (until January 11, 2027) and “Impressionist Monet and Ukiyo-e” at THE MOVEUM YOKOHAMA (until March 31, 2027). In spring 2027, the permanent “Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA” is scheduled to open in Ginza, Tokyo.

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU” and the “Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA” introduced in this article are, respectively, an event planned and produced by, and a facility produced by, HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

For the latest information on events by HITOHATA, INC., see HITOHATA, INC.’s event page.

For Japan’s representative yokai and yokai art by the Night Parade scrolls, Toriyama Sekien, Hokusai, Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi, see Famous Japanese Yokai and Masterpieces of Yokai Art.

For how ukiyo-e influenced Monet and Van Gogh, see What Is Japonisme? How Ukiyo-e Influenced Monet and Van Gogh.

For Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s life, major works and where to see them, see Who Was Utagawa Kuniyoshi?

*Top image: “KUNIYOSHI IMMERSIVE ART in Utagawa Kuniyoshi exhibition” (from HITOHATA, INC.’s press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements from museums and organizers (as of November 9, 2026) and general art-historical knowledge of ukiyo-e.