David Bull (craftsman)

David Bull
David Bull in his Mokuhankan print party studio
Born (1951-11-11) 11 November 1951 (age 73)
Halifax, England
Known forWoodblock printmaker
StyleUkiyo-e
Websitemokuhankan.com
woodblock.com

David Bull (born 11 November 1951) is a Canadian ukiyo-e woodblock printer and carver who heads the Mokuhankan studio in Asakusa, Tokyo.[1][2] Born in Britain, Bull moved to Canada at the age of 5. He first discovered Japanese woodblocks while working in a music shop in 1980 in Toronto, at 28, and started making his own prints without formal training.[1][3]

Bull moved to Tokyo in 1986 to learn more about traditional Japanese woodblock printing.[3][1] In 1989, he embarked on a ten-year project to recreate 100 images from Katsukawa Shunsho's 1775 Hyakunin isshu poetry book.[4]

He is known for his work on the Ukiyo-e Heroes kickstarter crowd-funding project together with Jed Henry, recreating modern videogame scenes in ukiyo-e style with traditional woodblock techniques.[5][6][7] The Mokuhankan studio has a shop and used to offer “print parties” for amateurs, where they could try the craft of printing.[8] During the pandemic, his shop temporarily shut down for three years, but his shop has now reopened without print parties.

A simple woodblock used in the print parties where amateurs can make their own prints.

References

  1. ^ a b c Corkill, Edan (2008-06-29). "David Bull: In the wake of Hokusai". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  2. ^ "I Love Tokyo! A woodblock artist in Asakusa". TOKYO EYE 2020. NHK. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  3. ^ a b "Woodblock prints and paintings | MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION". www.mitsubishicarbide.com. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  4. ^ Ma, Karen (October 1989). "Recapturing Edo Images". The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo).
  5. ^ Cheshire, Tom. "Kong gets chipped: the story of Ukiyo-e Heroes". Wired UK. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  6. ^ Starr, Michelle (9 July 2012). "Ukiyo-e Heroes: video-game characters as samurai". cnet.com.
  7. ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (28 August 2013). "Artists turn video games into Japanese wood block prints". Polygon.
  8. ^ Fujiwara, Yoshiharu. "Tour Participants enjoy Edo cultural atmosphere". Yomiuri Shimbun.
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