Seascapes Prints (797)
Seascape prints capture Japan's extensive coastline, harbors, and maritime culture through the woodblock medium. As an island nation with thousands of miles of coastline, Japan's relationship with the sea has been a natural subject for printmakers from the earliest days of ukiyo-e to contemporary practice. Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (c. 1831) is perhaps the single most recognized image in all of Japanese art, and its dynamic depiction of ocean power set a standard for seascape composition that artists have responded to for nearly two centuries. Hiroshige's coastal views in the "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" and various province series established a more contemplative approach to maritime subjects, emphasizing harbor activities, fishing villages, and the sea's changing moods across seasons. Shin-hanga artists brought atmospheric refinement to seascape subjects. Hiroshi Yoshida's sailing vessel prints and Kawase Hasui's coastal views combined Western-influenced light observation with traditional Japanese compositional principles. The woodblock technique proves particularly suited to seascapes, as the bokashi (gradient) technique creates convincing atmospheric depth while the grain of the woodblock itself can suggest the texture of water surfaces.
Artists Known for Seascapes
Hikaru umi (The Sparkling Sea)
1926
Woodcut, color print
Ode to the Sea - E
10/70, 1983
Woodblock print
Sea Bathing — 海水浴
1897
Woodblock print
July - At the Beach
1898
Woodblock print
Onjiku Beach (Onjiku no hama)
Japanese, Taishô era
Woodblock print
Ancient Sea II, Nautilus (12/13)
Woodblock print
Heart Sutra with Sea Turtle (42/50)
Woodblock print
Wave of Bliss (A/P)
Woodblock print
Bliss of the Sea II (40/50)
Woodblock print
Ancient Sea, Spider Conch (27/45)
Woodblock print
Chant of the Ocean Diptych
Woodblock print
Mamala, The Surf Rider (37/50)
Woodblock print
Manjusri and the Sea Turtle Diptych (22/50)
Woodblock print
Merciful Sea Diptych
Woodblock print
Golden Sea Diptych
Woodblock print
Beach Scenery — 海辺風景
Woodblock print
A Stone-Lantern on the Seashore
Woodblock print
East Sea
Woodblock print
Seaside
Woodblock print
Fuji from Mitsu Coast- Fuji from Enoshima — 三津海岸からの富士
Woodblock print
Inland Sea
Woodblock print
Summer Ocean
Woodblock print
ASANOUMI B (the sea in the morning B)
Woodblock print
NATSUNOUMI (the sea in summer)
Woodblock print
NATSU NO UMI (ocean in the summer)
Woodblock print
KESHI TO UMI (poppy and ocean)
Woodblock print
ASANO UMI B (ocean in morning B)
Woodblock print
White Beach
Woodblock print
Seto Inland Sea in Moonlight
Woodblock print
Moonlit Beach Scene- V1
Woodblock print
Castle and the Sea
Woodblock print
Moonlit Beach Scene- V2
Woodblock print
Tsukuda Jima- Kominato Bay Chiba
Woodblock print
Sunset harbor scene with shipping
Woodblock print
Mt Fuji and bay
Woodblock print
Little Harbor
1941
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Glittering Sea
Woodblock print
Ocean Scene- painting
Woodblock print
Sea Robin
Woodblock print
Takashi Bay
1863, 5th lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Surrender of Port Arthur
Woodblock print
Seascape
1919
Woodblock print
Morning at Mito Beach (MItohama no asa)
MItohama no asa
December 1953
Color woodblock print
Spring Moon, Ninomiya Beach (Haru no tsuki (Ninomiya kaigan))
Haru no tsuki (Ninomiya kaigan
March 1932
Color woodblock print
Spring Sea
1937
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Fantasy of the Sea (Umibe no genso)
1948
Color woodblock print
Farm on the Black Sea (Kokkai no noen)
1962
Color woodblock print; trial print 2/2
Harbor of the Black Sea (Kurodumi no funatsukiba), Shôwa period,
Woodblock print
Shakotan Seaside, Hokkaido
Woodblock print
The Sea of Echigo
Woodblock print
Harbor
20th century
Color woodblock print
Yokohama Harbor
Woodblock print
Harbour Woman — 港の女
Woodblock print
Kyoto Port Festival — 神戸港祭
Woodblock print
Port Festival (Minato matsuri), from the series "Folk Customs of Japan (Nihon minzoku zufu)"
1946
Color woodblock print
View of Kobe Harbor
Woodblock print
The Sea
海
1945
Color woodblock print
Wave Pattern/Dancing Prince Genji (Seikaha), Shôwa period, dated 1975
Woodblock print
European Ship Entering Port (Group of People)
1953
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
European Ships Entering Port
1966
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Seascape prints capture Japan's extensive coastline, harbors, and maritime culture through the woodblock medium. As an island nation with thousands of miles of coastline, Japan's relationship with the sea has been a natural subject for printmakers from the earliest days of ukiyo-e to contemporary practice.
Kawase Hasui, Kobayashi Kiyochika, and Hiroshi Yoshida are among the artists most associated with seascapes in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 797 prints tagged with seascapes, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.