Hakata Maru

Darling Square, Sydney

Ukiyo-e is the engraving technique developed in Japan during the Edo period. Large wooden blocks were carved with intricate patterns, and then used as “stamps” to produce iconic prints on paper.

We decided to take the most iconic of them all, ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’, and replicate it in a modern version of the original process.

A simplified pattern was routed on a giant wooden block, which was used as a mould to pour concrete in. The resulting panels, impeccably formed in solid concrete, also pay homage to contemporary Japanese craftsmanship in modern architecture.