Natu-13

"Natu" reads as the romanized "natsu" (夏), meaning summer; the "-13" indicates this is the thirteenth print in an ongoing series. Yoshikawa's serial titles — Natu, Sono, Omou — suggest sustained investigations of a single mood or theme across multiple plates rather than discrete one-off compositions. As a summer-themed abstract, Natu-13 likely deploys the warmer end of her palette: vermillions, deep blues, yellows or greens registered through successive blocks. The water-based pigments used in mokuhanga sit on the [washi](/glossary/washi) rather than soaking through, producing the soft, matte surface that distinguishes the medium from oil-based Western relief printing. The dense, energetic composition typical of Yoshikawa's work reads as an emotional response to the season rather than a depiction of it — no cicadas, no fireworks, no waves, just chromatic and rhythmic feeling. This serial approach connects her practice to the way many Sōsaku Hanga artists treat themes as ongoing concerns rather than one-shot subjects, returning to a motif until its possibilities are worked through.