Katsushika Hokusai , one of the most widely recognized fine artists in Japanese art history, created one of his best-known works, a wood-block print (ukiyo-e) titled The Breaking Wave Off Kanagwa around 1830. Ukiyo-e translates into "pictures of the floating world."   The Breaking Wave Off Kanagwa was produced as part of his series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. The original, part of the permanent collection at the Hakone Museum, still speaks to the archtetypal drama of the sea that Hokusai aspired to convey.

Today, there are those who believe that another massive tidal wave is about to be unleashed, this one shaped by a group of talented, contemporary wildlife artists in Japan who are attracting international attention.

In Wildlife Art Journal's feature story, Japan, On The Rise , you'll find 57 works by  Eriko Kobyashi, Yoshitaka Minowa, Yoshihiro Funada, Yasuo Watanabe,Toyomi Tanaka, Hisashi Masuda, Mitsuru Nagashima, Nobuo Eguchi, Osao Ujihara, Setsuo Hamanaka, Kenji Nanamiya, Kiyoshi Yasuda, Mari Otaguro,Masaomi Yamamoto, Michiaki Ujihara, Tadashi Inoue, Chisato Sugiura,Tsunehiko Kuwabara, Tsutomu Kikuchi, and Utako Kikutani