Japanese Wall Art: 20 Famous Japanese Prints to Hang at Home
Looking for Japanese wall art for your living room, bedroom or hallway? The images we all associate with Japan, the Great Wave, Mount Fuji under snow, bridges in the rain, are not oil paintings but prints: colour woodblock prints, the ukiyo-e of the Edo period and the shin-hanga of the 20th century. Here are 20 of the most famous Japanese prints, all available as art prints on thick matte archival paper, with tips to choose the right one for your home.
To see every work, browse our collection of Japanese woodblock prints.
Katsushika Hokusai, the master of Mount Fuji
1. The Great Wave off Kanagawa – Hokusai (c. 1831)
The most famous Japanese image in the world. A huge wave with claw-like foam rises over three boats of rowers, while Mount Fuji, tiny and calm, waits in the distance. It comes from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which made the landscape print a genre of its own and popularised the new Prussian blue in Japan. In a living room, it brings energy and movement; in a large format, it works as a real painting. See the print →
2. Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit – Hokusai (c. 1831)
From the same series, the dark twin of the famous “Red Fuji”: the summit stands in clear sky while lightning flashes on its lower slopes. A powerful, almost abstract composition in brown, red and blue, ideal for a study or a hallway. See the print →
3. Kirifuri Waterfall at Mount Kurokami – Hokusai (c. 1832)
In his series of waterfalls of the provinces, Hokusai turns falling water into a living form: the Kirifuri falls spread like the fingers of a hand, while tiny pilgrims gaze up at them. A vertical print that suits narrow walls and adds a touch of nature to a bathroom or a bedroom. See the print →
Discover all our Hokusai prints.
Utagawa Hiroshige, the poet of rain and snow
4. Plum Garden at Kameido – Hiroshige (1857)
A dark plum branch cuts across the foreground, with the flowering garden behind it and a red sky. Van Gogh was so struck by this print from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo that he copied it in oil in 1887. Bold and graphic, it is one of the best Japanese pictures for a modern interior. See the print →
5. Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake – Hiroshige (1857)
Walkers hurry across a wooden bridge under fine slanting lines of rain. Van Gogh copied this one too. It is a perfect example of what Hiroshige did best: making you feel the weather. See the print →
6. Night Snow at Kanbara – Hiroshige (1833-1834)
From the Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, the series that made him famous: a silent village under the snow at night, with a few travellers bent against the cold. A peaceful, wintry print, beautiful in a bedroom. See the print →
7. The Naruto Whirlpools, Awa Province – Hiroshige (1855)
Swirls of blue water spin between the rocks of the Naruto strait, between Shikoku and Awaji island, in a vertical composition full of movement. A great alternative to the Great Wave for lovers of seascapes. See the print →
8. Meguro Drum Bridge and Sunset Hill – Hiroshige (1857)
A humpbacked stone bridge, a hill and a few walkers, all under fresh snow. A quiet, wintry image from the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. See the print →
9. New Year’s Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Ōji – Hiroshige (1857)
On New Year’s Eve, according to legend, the foxes of the region gathered under a great tree at Ōji, each with a small flame floating beside it. A magical night scene, and the perfect bridge between landscape prints and the world of yokai. See the print →
Discover all our Hiroshige prints.
Kawase Hasui and the shin-hanga revival
10. Zōjō-ji Temple in Shiba – Kawase Hasui (1925)
A woman with an umbrella walks in the snow before the great red gate of Zōjō-ji, in Tokyo. It is Hasui’s most famous print, from his series Twenty Views of Tokyo, and one of the masterpieces of shin-hanga, the “new prints” movement of the 20th century. See the print →
11. Road to Nikkō – Kawase Hasui (1930)
Huge cedars line a sunlit path, with a single small figure walking between them. Green, calm and full of light, it is one of the Hasui prints our customers choose most often, and it fits a living room as well as an entrance. See the print →
12. Moon on the Arakawa River at Akabane – Kawase Hasui
A full moon shines over the river and a few dark roofs. Hasui was a master of night scenes, and this one, in deep blues, is perfect above a bed. See the print →
13. Nenokuchi, Lake Towada – Kawase Hasui (1933)
Branches lean over the still water of Lake Towada as the evening sky turns pink. A soft, contemplative landscape, ideal for a zen bedroom or a reading corner. See the print →
14. Fuji after Snowfall, Tagonoura – Kawase Hasui
Snow-laden trees frame Mount Fuji under a clear blue sky. Hasui’s answer to Hokusai: the same mountain, seen in the calm light of a winter morning. See the print →
Discover the full Kawase Hasui collection.
Hiroshi Yoshida, the traveller
15. Sailing Boats: Mist – Hiroshi Yoshida (1926)
Yoshida printed the same blocks of his Sailing Boats in different colours to show the boats at different times of day. In this misty version, the sails seem to dissolve into a grey light: a very modern, minimalist image. See the print →
16. Goraikō, Sunrise from the Summit of Mount Fuji – Hiroshi Yoshida (1926)
Seen from the summit of Fuji, the sun rises above a sea of clouds. A climber and painter, Yoshida had seen this sunrise himself, and the print captures the hush of that moment. See the print →
17. Kagurazaka Street after a Night Rain – Hiroshi Yoshida (1929)
The lights of the shops reflect on the wet street of a Tokyo district at night. An urban, atmospheric print, perfect in a study or a dining room. See the print →
Discover the full Hiroshi Yoshida collection.
Birds and cats
18. Night Heron in the Snow – Ohara Koson
Ohara Koson was the master of kachō-e, prints of birds and flowers. A night heron perches on a snowy branch, drawn with the precision of a naturalist and the restraint of a poet. Small and delicate, it suits a bedroom or a small wall. See the print →
19. Black Cat – Takahashi Shōtei
A black cat stretches, back arched, on a cream ground. Simple, funny and graphic, it is one of the best-loved Japanese cat prints, perfect for a kitchen, an entrance or a child’s room. See the print →
20. Cats of the Tōkaidō – Utagawa Kuniyoshi (c. 1847)
Kuniyoshi adored cats. Here, dozens of them play, sleep and fight, and each pose is a pun on the name of a station of the Tōkaidō road. A joyful print full of details, a must for cat lovers. See the print →
Discover Ohara Koson’s birds and flowers.
How to choose and hang Japanese wall art
By room. In a living room, go for a strong image in a large format: the Great Wave, the Plum Garden or the Road to Nikkō. In a bedroom, choose calm scenes and the night blues of Hasui or Yoshida. In a hallway, vertical prints such as the Kirifuri waterfall or the Naruto whirlpools make the most of narrow walls.
By size. For a real “painting” effect, choose at least 50 x 70 cm in a thin frame of natural wood, black or white, with a mount for a museum look. Three prints by the same artist hung side by side make a very elegant set: three views by Hiroshige, or three Hasui landscapes from different seasons.
By style. Japanese prints go naturally with light wood, linen, ceramics and plants. They also suit Scandinavian and minimalist interiors, while bolder subjects, Kuniyoshi’s cats or our yokai prints, bring life to a more eclectic home.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Japanese painting and a Japanese print?
A painting is a unique work painted by hand; a print is a woodblock image printed in several impressions. The best-known Japanese images, from Hokusai to Hasui, are prints, which is why they are so well suited to reproduction as art prints.
Are these original woodblock prints?
No, they are museum-quality reproductions made from high-definition scans. Original antique Japanese prints are sold by galleries and auction houses, and are sensitive to light.
What is the most famous Japanese print?
The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai, around 1831. For the 20th century, Kawase Hasui’s Zōjō-ji Temple in the snow (1925) is the most iconic image of shin-hanga.
Every print is available in 13 sizes, from A4 to A0, printed on thick matte archival paper. Free shipping, no minimum order. Shipped rolled in a sturdy tube. Find every work in our collection of Japanese woodblock prints.