A Chronology of All 113 Prints of Hokusai's 'The Great Wave'

From Kottke:

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A few years ago, a researcher looked at every surviving print of Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" that she could find (113 in all) and, using differences caused by "woodblock wear," developed a system for determining if a particular print was made early in the life of the woodblocks used, late, or somewhere in-between.

There are 113 identified copies of Hokusai’s "The Great Wave." Until recently the number was 111, but scientist Capucine Korenberg found another 2 after completing her research. What research was that? Finding every print of "The Great Wave" around the world and then sequencing them, to find out when they were created during the life cycle of the woodblocks they were printed from.

This involved painstakingly documenting visible signs of wear to the keyblock that made "The Great Wave," and tracking these visible changes as the keyblock continued to be used. Scholars estimate there were likely as many as 8,000 prints of "The Great Wave" originally in circulation. 

Hokusai created the print in 1831 at the age of 71 as part of his series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji."

See also: The Evolution of Hokusai's "The Great Wave."