Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai, Hiroshige, and ukiyo-e print

Beneath the Great Wave is the Whitworth’s first exhibition dedicated to Japanese prints in over 100 years.

The exhibition presents iconic artworks by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) to explore the evolution of traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings.

Showcasing rarely seen prints from the Whitworth collection alongside institutional and private collection loans, Beneath the Great Wave celebrates the enduring cultural impact of its dazzling imagery which continues to shape art, design, animation, and popular culture, from manga and anime to advertising and contemporary fashion.

Translated as ‘Pictures of a Floating World’, ukiyo-eprints were popularised during the Edo period (1615–1868) and reveal Tokyo’s emergence as a city at the cusp of the modern age. Exploring the work of Japan’s most celebrated artists, the exhibition shows how Hokusai and Hiroshige’s landscape prints transformed the genre.

Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai, Hiroshige, and ukiyo-eprint is organised by the Whitworth, The University of Manchester.