What was the name of the publisher of Hokusai's 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa'?

The publisher of Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa was Nishimuraya Yohachi. His publishing house operated under the shop name Eijudō, so museum and reference records may identify the publisher as “Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō).”

The print appeared around 1831 as the first design in Hokusai’s series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Nishimuraya commissioned, financed, advertised, and distributed the series, while Hokusai supplied the design and specialist carvers and printers translated it into a multiblock woodblock print.

Nishimuraya’s role was especially important because the series made striking use of imported Prussian blue, a pigment that had entered Japan through Dutch trade. The color helped give the wave and sky their intense blue appearance and distinguished the series from many earlier prints made with more limited palettes.

A common confusion is between the publisher’s personal name and business name. Nishimuraya Yohachi is the individual commonly given as publisher; Eijudō was his publishing shop. The series was originally marketed as Thirty-six Views even though it ultimately contained 46 designs, including ten additions.