The Great Wave Off Kanagawa | 神奈川沖浪裏

Description

"If heaven will extend my life by ten more years…If heaven will afford me five more years of life, then I’ll manage to become a true artist."

Scent: The Southeastern Shore - Essential oil blend marjoram, cedar, and lemon
Texture: Coated clear with icee topper

Background

Kanagawa-oki Nami Ura, or the Great Wave off Kanagawa is the most famous of Katsushika Hokusai's Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji, a series of woodblock prints he completed in the early 1830s.

The work itself has been described as "the most reproduced image in the history of all art".  It influenced several famous painters, including Claude Debussy, Vincent van Gogh, and Claude Monet.

The Great wave is unique amongst contemporary ukiyo-e (woodblock) prints of the time, due to Hokusai's influence from not the only Japanese art style, but Chinese, Dutch, and French.  The woodblock print also features the first use of Prussian blue in Japan, a pigment which was much stronger and had greater longevity than the more popular indigo.

It is worth noting that while many of us viewing this print from a Western perspective view the great wave first and then the small boats on the waves beneath, those coming from a Japanese perspective, or indeed any language that reads right to left instead of left to right, may view or interpret the print differently - starting on the right tells a different story - one of strong fishing boats fighting against a swelling sea, only to be suddenly met with a monotonous wave of water, just moments from overtaking them.

While many prints of the original woodblock exist, they are still highly valued.  Last year, one of the prints that had been held privately since the early 1900s sold for 2.8 million dollars.

Fun fact - the new 2024 Japanese 1000 yen banknotes will feature the great wave.

Texture

To capture the essence of the deep blue and striking white of the print, this slime features a coated clear blue slime that gets topped with a bright white icee.  Combining the two will simulate the rolling waves off Kanagawa.  Fully mixing these results in a foamy, sizzly coated jelly texture.

Scent

The scent is a blend of essential oils one might find in Japan - earthy marjoram, woody cedar, and bright lemon.

Product Details

6oz version comes with custom plastic charm of Mount Fuji, painted with Prussian blue as an homage to the original prints.

Both 2oz and 6oz versions come with miniature charm of the painting.

Research Sources
Under the Wave Off Kanagawa
Hokusai: old master
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa - Wikipedia
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji - Wikipedia
Hokusai - Wikipedia
Ukiyo-e - Wikipedia