Junks on the Inland Sea

Traditional sailing vessels known as junks traverse the Seto Inland Sea in this 1908 color woodcut, their distinctive square sails catching wind across sheltered waters. The Inland Sea, bounded by Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, has been a major shipping corridor for centuries, and its calm conditions and island-dotted expanse made it a favored subject for artists. Lum encountered these waters during her travels through western Japan, and the composition reflects her ability to translate observed experience into the flattened spatial language of the woodblock print. The junks' sails create strong geometric shapes against the sea and sky, while the water itself is rendered through subtle color gradation. This print belongs to Lum's earlier Japanese work, before her interests shifted toward Chinese and Southeast Asian subjects.