David Bull – Beginnings

Another ‘ramble’ video from woodblock printmaker Dave Bull in Tokyo. This is the first of a two-part set that will cover Dave’s early beginnings in woodblock printmaking, and focusses on the first prints he ever bought – a set of four designs based on the old novel ‘Genji Monogatari’. They were designed by Okada Yoshio, and published by the Yuyudo Company in Tokyo in the late 1970s. The images of the prints contained in this video are copyright Mr. Yoshio Okada. (People have been asking about how to obtain the book that I show in this video. The book has no ISBN, so I can’t give you a definitive link, but the title in Japanese is 絵草紙 源氏物語 (E-zoshi Genji Monogatari), and it was written by Tanabe Seiko and illustrated by Okada Yoshio. Published by Kadokawa Shoten in 1979.