Momiji 3

Momiji 3 is the third variation in Namiki's autumn maple sequence, allowing the artist to extend his study of the subject across changes in light, season, and scale. The image likely presents a single maple, its lobed leaves rendered in the saturated reds and oranges that mark the height of koyo, the autumn-leaf season long celebrated in Japanese painting and verse. Namiki layers many warm-toned mokuhanga impressions to build the canopy, with [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation modulating both the density of the foliage and the surrounding [washi](/glossary/washi) ground. The print sits at the intersection of his solitary-tree imagery and the [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) tradition of celebrated seasonal views, but pares the subject down to a single specimen held against contemplative space. As with the rest of the series, the print is carved and hand-printed by the artist on handmade washi using water-based pigments, the artist functioning as designer, carver, and printer in keeping with [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) practice.