Japanese LEGO Artist Recreates Hokusai’s “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” Using LEGO Bricks
Jumpei Mitsui is a Japanese LEGO artist and the youngest LEGO Certified Professional in the world. In one of his latest projects, the artist created a 3D replica of Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa using LEGO bricks, and the end result turned out absolutely incredible.
According to LEGO, Jumpei became a professional builder while he was still a student at the University of Tokyo. Back in 2010, the man has even received a president’s award of university for contribution to society. Jumpei’s specialty is large sized sculptures related to animals, characters, and structures, and he mostly works with corporations.
Japanese LEGO artist Jumpei Mitsui recently created a 3D LEGO replica of Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Image source: Jumpei_Mitsui
The artist says he wanted to create a piece like this for many years, and has now finally made his dream a reality. ” I got an
opportunity to build it from Hankyu (a major railway company in Japan) which supports my art activities,” said Jumpei in an interview with DeMilked.
Here’s how Hokusai’s original woodblock print looks
Image source: Wikipedia
The original woodblock print was created by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai in the early 19th century, and is considered one of the most widely recognized pieces of Japanese art in the world.
The artist did extensive research about the structure of rogue waves before building the sculpture
Image source: Jumpei_Mitsui
It took Jumpei 400 hours and 50,000 LEGO bricks to build this incredible sculpture.
Jumpei says it’s the best wave he’s ever built using LEGO bricks
Image source: Jumpei_Mitsui
During his career as a professional LEGO builder, Jumpei produced commissions for various companies, TV, and publications. The man also works in the area of education using basic LEGO bricks.
The artist is one of only 21 LEGO Certified Professionals in the world
Image source: Jumpei_Mitsui
Jumpei’s amazing LEGO sculptures have been displayed in countries like Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia.
The sculpture is currently on display in the Hankyu Brick Museum in Hankyu Sanbangai, Osaka
Image source: Jumpei_Mitsui
The artist also has a YouTube channel where he teaches both basic and advanced LEGO building techniques – check it out here!
Check out a video of the sculpture below
レゴで作った「富嶽三十六景 神奈川沖浪裏」を動画で撮ってみました。絵の登場人物の目線で楽しむことができます。 pic.twitter.com/V8TTIJ8l2D
— 三井淳平 / Jumpei Mitsui (@Jumpei_Mitsui) December 12, 2020
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