The world-known woodblock print titled The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created in the 19th century by famous Japanese artist Hokusai, has now been reproduced through LEGO form. And it’s all thanks to the gifted LEGO master builder, Jumpei Mitsui.
To create his artwork, Mitsui used 50,000 cobalt and white LEGO bricks, watched dozens of YouTube videos of crashing waves, and read specific academic studies on the matter. Then he started doing sketches to plan it all out, which he later used to help him build his sculpture.
Overall, it took him 400 hours—and no small dose of patience—to finish the 3D replica. Tweeting about his masterpiece, the artist explained that he always dreamed about building The Great Wave, and now his dream has come true. You can check it out on his Instagram page or visit the Hankyu Brick Museum based in Osaka, where it is currently on display.
For decades, Mitsui has been playing with LEGO bricks, and The Great Wave is certainly not his only masterpiece. His portfolio is full of interesting sculptures such as towers, Osaka landscapes, trains, and so on.
If you want to follow his work, you can follow him on his YouTube and Twitter accounts as well, where he regularly posts tutorials of his artwork.
