Well, we've been 'open' around nine hours now. We blew past Jed's initial goal at the 73 minute mark!

That would seem to imply that the goal was set too low, but it was simply set at the minimum level where we could fund the production (to around 50 copies) of the first print in the set, as well as pay the expenses of serving the 'rewards' (Jed's giclée prints) and the production costs (video, etc.).

If the project had simply met that goal and gone no further, we would have covered our basic expenses, but no more. Basically failure.

So it is very heartening to see that there is indeed a depth of interest out there for this work. And for both of us! As I write, the balance between his prints and mine is around 3 to 1, and that's way better (for me) than I had hoped. I had expected perhaps 10 to 1 for posters vs prints.

As for what happens next, we simply have to wait and watch. As the support grows, that money will be budgeted by Jed in proportion: to pay the burgeoning expenses, to support his own activities (and family), and to order the production of more of the woodblock versions from me. Just how far it will all go is of course as yet unknown. We can't expect that every day of the campaign is going to bring this much participation, of course, but 30 days is a very long time ... !!

I was excited to see you guys reach your minimum goal after just over an hour. So excited that I was on kickstarter at midnight buying my print!

The support from Ukiyo-e Heroes' facebook page seems strong and I know many of us within the community want to see it go far beyond it's current total (102 woodblock prints at this point). We're putting word out to relevant blogs, friends and whoever else will listen.

I'm confident that our little grassroots PR push will help keep new eyeballs coming forward.

Congratulations!

Very happy to see this effort succeed right off the bat. Hopefully this will continue gaining supporters so that all the designs in the series will be made into woodblock prints - I know that there are quite a few that have caught my eye and can't wait until they too become printed.

While it was Jed's homage to my childhood which initially caught my eye, it was watching your craftsmanship, your videos, your special on the NHK, the revelation of texture in the natural light, and of course your enthusiasm which truly held my attention. Once I saw all you had to offer and all you poured into your work, I knew I could no longer settle for a mechanically reproduced work--I needed one (or several) made by you.

My friend, my sister, and I have poured over your site and the Mokuhankan saga with keen interest. We're already discussing budgeting for older work, subscriptions, and I believe my friend is eyeing intently your foray into tool making. We are all really happy to see a 3:1 ratio for you, and I only hope that as more people take the time to study the project further, they will come to the same realization I did: that it is the craftsmanship you offer which gives this project that special shine.

I've backed a lot of Kickstarters already, and I can tell you that a dramatic start like this one only gets better. May it keep or beat the ratio already established and give you and your workshop the boost you need to complete training and start producing.

I did, indeed, spend a few hours reading the pages about your tools! And the rest of this site, haha.