Autumn Shapes draws on the [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) tradition of nature subjects while departing from its decorative conventions toward abstraction. Yamanaka likely renders autumnal forms — bare branches, leaf silhouettes, or massed foliage — as simplified geometric or organic shapes on [washi](/glossary/washi), with color applied in broad, flat passages characteristic of his reductive aesthetic. The palette would favor ochres, burnt siennas, and muted crimsons printed through careful registration across multiple blocks. Rather than cataloguing specific plant species in the manner of classical botanical woodblock prints, the composition distills seasonal change into essential form.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Autumn Shapes was created by Gen Yamanaka (山中現).
Autumn Shapes depicts landscapes and autumn foliage.
