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
Kōnoshima
1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Kajiyashiki
1929
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Mera, Boshu (Boshu Mera)
1949
Color woodblock print; oban
Coastal View
Woodblock print
Kuwana
Woodblock print
Tsukuda Island (Tsukudajima), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/33
Color woodblock print; oban
Matoba, Takehara (Takehara Matoba (Hiroshima ken))
1948
Color woodblock print
#36. Gotenyama
Woodblock print
Red Hook
2005
Woodcut, hand-colored
Okitsu
1928
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Visitors to Enoshima
c. 1801/04
Color woodblock print; ebangire, surimono
Seabathing
1970
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Morning of Abuto
1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Xiaogushan
1939
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Sunset at Morigasaki (Morigasaki no sekiyo)
January 1932
Color woodblock print
Teppozu, from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/33
Color woodblock print; oban
A Corridor at Miyajima (Miyajima no kairo)
Miyajima no kairo
1949
Color woodblock print
Mirozu, Wakayama Prefecture (Mirozu (Wakayama ken))
1950
Color woodblock print
Calm Wind
1937
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Awabi diver, Mermaid
Woodblock print
Tomonoura
1927
Color woodblock print
Singapore
1931
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Mito, Izu (Izu no Mito)
1930
Color woodblock print
Miyajima in the Mist (Kiri no Miyajima)
1947
Color woodblock print
#32. Shiba
Woodblock print
Odawara
Woodblock print
Susaki, from
Woodblock print
Horizon B (Suihen B)
1973
Woodblock print with gold foil
Sakurajima in Morning Light, Kageshima, Kyushu
Woodblock print
Tsukishima
Japanese, Shôwa era, 20th century
Woodblock print
Sunset Glow at Tsukishima by Takashi Ito
Woodblock print
Inamura
Woodblock print
Ode to Water (ed. 31/50)
1978
Woodblock print
Sunset at Tsukishima
Woodblock print
Afternoon on the Horizon (ed. 19/50)
1978
Woodblock print
Sunset glow at Tsukishima
Woodblock print
Setting Sun at Iseshima
Woodblock print
Boats at Sunset
Woodblock print
Ise Shima National Park
Woodblock print
Fishing Nets at Tsukuda
20th century
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Soshu Umezawa hidari / Fugaku Sanju Rokkei
Woodblock print
Leaving the Dock
Woodblock print
Water Mirror-B
41/50, 1981
Woodblock print
Song of Water S
1971
Woodblock print
Oystercatchers
c. 1833/34
Color woodblock print; koban
Boats of Shinagawa
Woodblock print
Islands at Matsushima
1915
Woodblock print
Moro vintas, Jolo Sulu
Woodblock print
Peaceful water
43/50, 1976
Woodblock print
Ice Floe, Utoro (Utoro ryūhyō)
1995
Photoetching and color woodblock print; artist’s proof
Tsukishima
1929
Woodblock print
Nami (Waves) (69/85)
Woodblock print
Isarago Shiomi-zaka no zu / Toto Meisho Saka-zukushi no uchi
Woodblock print
Muroto Peninsula, Tosa — 土佐室戸岬
Woodblock print
Kobe
1916
Woodblock print
Wonsan, Korea
Woodblock print
Shibaura
c. 1914–1916
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Page from Hagoromo (Feathered Robe), Shôwa period, circa 1984-1986
Woodblock print
A Low Tide Pentaptych
c. 1830
Pentaptych of color woodblock prints
Fishing Boats at Tsukuda
佃の漁船
c. 1920
Color woodblock print
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.