Away from the Herd, Shôwa period, dated 1965

Dated 1965, this print falls within a mature phase of Sekino's career when he was producing sustained series on animals and folk subjects. The title suggests an isolated animal — likely a horse, cow, or sheep — separated from a larger group, a subject that would have allowed Sekino to concentrate on the animal's form and texture against open space. His animal prints from the 1960s often employ rough, expressive carving that emphasizes the grain of the woodblock, with color applied in broad flat zones rather than modeled to suggest volume. The Showa-period dating is consistent with the series work Sekino was exhibiting internationally during this decade, when his prints were being acquired by major American and European collections.