David's Choice - Episode #11

This is the next in our 'David's Choice' series, where Tokyo-based woodblock printmaker David Bull introduces some of his favourite prints. This episode takes on a very large topic - Hiroshige’s masterwork ’53 Stations of the Tōkaidō’.

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The old restaurant mentioned in the video - at Mariko Station - is called Chojiya. Their English website is here:

The Mokuhankan website is:

The Mokuhankan Collection (antique prints in our own collection) is:

Our Patreon page is:

Our Twitch channel is:

Thank you for watching!

0:00 Introduction
4:22 Down the Tōkaidō Road: Starting at Nihonbashi
5:53 Tenth Station - Hakone
9:52 Seventh Station - Hiratsuka
12:17 Eleventh Station - Mishima
13:30 Twentieth Station - Mariko
14:52 Thirty-sixth Station - Akasaka
16:38 River Crossing Scenes
20:55 Ito Susumu, Kakegawa, and Discussion
26:39 Opening the Takamizawa Set
32:59 Looking at Smaller Sets
35:38 Bigger (Double Oban) Set and Weather on the Tōkaidō
38:43 Comparison of Different Editions of Chiryu
42:25 The Tōkaidō Then and Now
46:54 Story Time and Conclusion

[AustinLeeds]

David, if everyone could be as passionate about their chosen field or interest as you are about yours, this world would be a far better place.

[superduperwiiuowner]

This is as close to perfect as a youtube video can get, The educational aspects, The history, the beautiful artwork. What a perfect afternoon this has been, Thank you Dave Bull.

[michaelburge]

Dave - "we can't go through all 55 prints in detail"
Me - "that's EXACTLY what I want"

[MeanderingSlacker]

I feel like they function like postcards, t shirts, signs, posters, badges, and trading cards at a gift shop. A lot of US National park merch, is probably an analog. They feel like tourist, traveler, and collector merch. It's evidence that someone went on the travel or a memory from the travel. There's also escapism in it of course. Honestly, if you look at all the ideas that have come out of Japan in terms of art and products, wood blocks definitely feel like a major stepping stone.

[adamwest]

I could have quite happily sat here and watched you go through every one of the prints in that store.

Thanks for sharing this Dave. Incredible stuff and a welcome addition to this fascinating series.

[boomanly]

An hour long Dave's Choice.... wow.... can't wait to get through this one! Cheers Dave!

[AaronWood]

I love the board game "Tokaido, " in which you play a traveler passing along this same route. Thank you for a look into the background and lore and the associated art with that time period. I'll definitely have a better understanding the next time I play!

[SubstanceASMR]

David and his channel are a welcome moment of respite from the insanity of this world. Thank you David and keep it up you're doing great!!!

[charlesedwards]

As a history teacher, I often struggle to get my students to understand that these people existed, thrived, struggled, lived and loved, and passed onto their children the history they experienced.

The people in those prints gave their everything for their descendants to get here today. As a famous quote from the movie “Amistad” goes, ”I meant my ancestors. I will call into the past...and they must come, for at this moment, I am the whole reason they existed at all.”

I don’t know if ghosts exist, but if they did, then you were definitely surrounded by them that evening, in a good way. The connection you felt is something I hope my students can have even once in their lives. It is something I had the day I set foot in Diocletian’s Palace in Croatia and stepped on stones about 2, 000 years old.

[Kintaec]

I could honestly sit and watch this kind of content absolutely forever! The way you bring life to the prints, with all the people that have been involved with the processes, objects, places over the centuries is just so engaging and wonderful! We miss this so much in the current age, where we just consume, consume, consume, and rarely stop to look. Thank you so much Dave - may you make many, many more such David's choice episodes! There'll certainly be an eager audience for them! ;) <3

[colinbrightwell]

Grading papers and I see a new David's Choice. Sorry kiddos, your grades gotta wait. Good to see David again!

[BLDSTAINGLRY]

Finally David has come back to youtube.

[TennesseeBlink]

I love everything about this. The story of getting to walk on the old Tōkaidō gave me goosebumps.

[s_patzz]

Me in 2019, "why would i possibly want to watch videos about woodblock carving in Japan"... Me now, " Nah mate, i'm staying in tonight, should be a new 'David's Choice' video on YouTube."... Wonderful art and a fantastic presentation from your good self as always David, many thanks!

[nickwright]

David Bull “we can do this all day”

Me: clears my entire schedule to do this all day

[iure_divino]

I'm really interested to hear stories about how prints were originally displayed and distributed, thanks Dave

[Soulessdeeds]

@10:48 You know someone passionately loves their work when you see them talk about history like this lol. David never change my man. Never change.

[nahuelleiva]

I'm simply impressed with the amount of knowledge this man has about Japanese art and history. It's amazing. I would love to have that knowledge about History in general.

[colonelrubix]

36:38 - that’s also known as the Weezer Pinkerton album cover

[kojote]

I like that I also get history lessons with my ASMR 😉