"A Girl and Her Swan (Artist's daughter, Ayuko)"

A companion piece to the portrait of Jumpei, this print depicts Sekino's daughter Ayuko with a swan, again drawing on the artist's immediate family as subject matter in the sosaku-hanga tradition. Swans carry associations with grace and the natural world of northern Japan, where migratory birds were a familiar seasonal presence. Sekino likely exploited the compositional tension between the girl's form and the swan's arching neck, with the bird's white plumage offering an opportunity for subtle bokashi gradations or restrained color blocking. The print exemplifies Sekino's approach to portraiture—psychologically direct without sentimentality—while the animal companion introduces a lyrical dimension. The pairing reflects his broader interest in capturing childhood in relation to the natural world.