We previously featured Japanese figure sculptor Tomohide Enoki (@eyewater_e), who took on the long-running claim that Suneo’s hair from Doraemon was impossible to recreate in 3D. His spot-on Suneo hair sculpture left quite an impression, and he later gave Astro Boy the same treatment.
Following the recent death of legendary Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba at age 87, Enoki created a sculpture based on Ashita no Joe and its famously tricky Joe Yabuki hairstyle. Using another ingenious structural solution, he pulled off a stunning finished piece that once again amazed fans online.
Anyone who watches anime or reads manga has probably wondered at some point: “Could that character’s hair actually exist in real life?” After all, anime hairstyles often seem to change shape from one angle to the next, with spikes and strands twisting in ways that make their true 3D form nearly impossible to picture.
Joe Yabuki is a textbook example. Depending on the angle, his hair appears to shift in length and shape, making it look like a design that could only ever work in two dimensions.
Enoki revealed that he had considered making a Joe Yabuki sculpture before, but it was the news of Tetsuya Chiba’s death that finally prompted him to begin. He already understood the basic visual trick behind this type of hairstyle: when sections at the front project outward, their position appears to shift left or right as the viewing angle changes. That insight made the sculpting process faster than he had expected.
Working with clay, Enoki captured both Joe’s unmistakable attitude and his distinctive features. The hair was naturally the main event, and he carefully established its final shape in advance so the painted piece would preserve the intended illusion.
The hairstyle uses a series of carefully planned bends and angles, allowing this supposedly impossible design to take shape differently depending on where it is viewed from.
Unlike earlier pieces in this series, Enoki did not use Musou Black, the paint often marketed as the “world’s blackest paint.” Instead, he applied enamel paint by brush to give the sculpture a hand-drawn, illustrated finish.
Even so, the hair still appears to shift position when viewed from the left or right. It is essentially an “impossible figure” brought into the real world.
▼ Showcase video
With this inventive concept, Enoki has once again conquered a hairstyle thought impossible to recreate in 3D, while paying tribute to the late, great Tetsuya Chiba. We also highly recommend checking out more of Tomohide Enoki’s work on X. As a professional figure sculptor, he regularly exhibits at Wonder Festival, giving fans plenty of opportunities to see his creations up close!
via： X@榎木ともひで