Narukami II (ed. 4/15)

This woodblock print represents the second work in Takahashi Hiromitsu's Narukami series, produced in a small edition of fifteen impressions — a production scale associated with the sōsaku-hanga (creative print) mode rather than commercial publishing. The play Narukami, drawn from the kabuki jūhachiban, dramatizes the conflict between ascetic power and erotic temptation, culminating in the release of rain. Working in woodblock rather than his characteristic kappazuri stencil technique, Takahashi could exploit the tonal and textural range of carved wood — bokashi gradations, woodgrain impressions through washi, and the subtle registration of multiple blocks. The edition size of fifteen impressions indicates careful hand-printing to consistent standards across each impression. The "II" designation distinguishes this composition from Narukami I, implying the series develops the subject across distinct visual interpretations rather than repeating a single image.