The museum has three impressions of the great wave. the one shown here is an early one, taken when the woodblock was still crisp, which means it has sharp lines and clear, well-integrated colours. at first sight it presents a beautiful picture of a deep blue wave curling above the sea with, far in the distance, the tranquil, snow-capped peak of mount fuji. it is, you might think, a stylized, decorative image of a timeless japan. but there are other ways of reading hokusai’s great wave. –a history of the world in 100 objects, neil macgregor what is macgregor’s viewpoint in this passage? the great wave shows that japan is a powerful nation. one copy of the great wave is carved on a woodblock. the great wave includes a deep blue wave and the snowcapped mount fuji. there is more than one way to interpret the great wave.