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The Great Wave - Part 1

David Bull · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Visual arts, photography & architectureDocumentaries & storytelling

What it is

The first part of a long series documenting Dave Bull's Tokyo woodblock workshop as it produces a reproduction of Hokusai's The Great Wave. It follows the carving, proofing and printing of the reward print for Kickstarter backers.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters hold it up as a top-tier long-form process video, recommended whenever the Great Wave or Hokusai comes up.

  • 4 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 3 strong recommendations
  • first 2020, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “I really suggest checking out David Bulls channel on YouTube.”

    David Bull's series reproducing the Great Wave.

    Obsnold, 2020-01 · Strong recommendation · in “The 'Great Wave' has mystified art lovers for generations (2019)”

  2. “There's a fantastic (and long) series on Youtube about this”

    Long series on reproducing the Great Wave as a print.

    rwmj, 2020-03 · Strong recommendation · in “Dutch museum says van Gogh painting stolen in overnight raid”

  3. “The series is up there with Clickspring's skeleton clock in my pantheon of "greatest long-form process videos”

    Ranks among the greatest long-form process videos.

    MengerSponge, 2026-02 · Strong recommendation · in “The Rediscovery of 103 Hokusai Lost Sketches (2021)”

  4. “In 2015 he did a reproduction of the Great Wave and documented the progress online”

    Printer David Bull documents his 2015 reproduction of the Great Wave.

    Cerium, 2021-04 · Recommendation · in “The 'Great Wave' has mystified art lovers for generations (2019)”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: hokusai, great wave, ukiyo-e, craft process, japanese prints

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