Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese painter and one of the most important representatives of the ukiyo-e genre ("pictures of the flowing world", they depicted the world in its transient beauty with scenes ranging from courtesans to actor portraits). His most famous works are the woodblock prints of the series "36 Views of Mount Fuji". "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", a picture from this cycle, is probably the most famous Japanese artwork in the world.