The Great Wave Off Kanagawa

Swoosh. Crash. I am a great big wave. My water is dark blue, and my top is fizzy and white. The white foam reaches out like big claws. Whoosh. I am so tall. Can you see the tiny boats bobbing up and down, up and down? Brave fishermen are inside them. They look so small next to me. But look far away. Do you see the quiet mountain? It is calm and still while I splash and play. I am a famous picture. My name is The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. I am a picture of a very big splash.

My maker was an artist named Hokusai. He lived in a faraway place called Japan a long, long time ago, around the year 1831. He did not use a paintbrush to make me. He took a block of wood and carefully carved my shape into it. He carved the swoosh of my water and the little boats. Then he rolled blue and white ink all over the wood block. He pressed a big piece of paper on top. Squish. It was like a giant stamp. He could make me again and again, so many friends could see my big splash.

A Wave That Travels Forever
Now, I travel all over the world. I have left my home in Japan to live in big buildings called museums. People come to see my big, beautiful splash. I show them how strong the sea is. I help them dream of big adventures. Even when I look big and a little scary, remember the quiet mountain. It is always there, strong and peaceful. I show everyone that even next to a big splash, there is always calm and quiet beauty, too.