Single block print, maple tree

A maple tree rendered from a single carved block, with the autumn-colored leaves and branching structure captured entirely through one layer of ink and the paper's own whiteness. The single-block constraint forces Inagaki to encode all the maple's visual information, trunk texture, branch pattern, leaf shape, and the suggestion of autumn color, into a binary system of printed and unprinted areas. The maple (momiji) is Japan's premier symbol of autumn, and its leaves' distinctive palmate form translates well into the crisp edges achievable with wood carving. Inagaki's print reduces a complex natural subject to its essential graphic structure while preserving enough botanical detail for immediate recognition.