The Whitworth’s Beneath the Great Wave exhibition will be opening on 14th March 2026 and runs until 15th November 2026. Guaranteed to make waves amongst fans of Japanese prints and those new to ukiyo-e, the exhibition will display works by two masters of the genre: Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858).

We have a treat in store for you ahead of the exhibition opening. Today Rosie provides an insight into one of her favourite pieces by Utagawa Hiroshige, which she has transformed into a free colouring sheet for your enjoyment. Let us know who your favourite ukiyo-e artist is in the comments!

This woodcut print by Utagawa Hiroshige was published in the 1830s as part of a series of 20 fish prints. The first 10 Prints in this series are known to have been commissioned by a kyōka poetry guild as illustrations to accompany their poems, with later prints being added as part of a commercial series.

Kyōka was a humorous form of poetry that offered a playful experience to its readers, with kyōka translating roughly to mean ‘crazy/wild/mad poetry’.

A translation of the poem that accompanies this piece found on the website of the Minneapolis Institute of Art reads:

When they are smaller

prawns have a pattern on their shells that looks like the bands on a sheath.

It helped the fishermen of Shibaura Beach

band them together and catch them en masse.

Don’t forget to download your free colouring sheet below! – Rosie

For more colouring sheets from the Whitworth’s Colour Our Collections project, visit the Colour Our Collections project page.

Other links used:

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/210257

https://slicesofbluesky.com/hiroshige-fish-woodblock-prints/