Oga Peninsula (Akita)

The Oga Peninsula, a rugged headland extending into the Sea of Japan from Akita Prefecture in Sekino's native Tōhoku region, is known for dramatic cliffs, fishing villages, and the folk demon tradition of the Namahage. Sekino, who remained deeply connected to northern Honshu throughout his career, likely rendered the peninsula's wild coastal terrain — rock formations, breaking surf, and the spare, cold light of the Japan Sea — with the bold, direct carving and limited palette suited to such elemental landscape. The print belongs to a body of work documenting Tōhoku's regional character, landscape, and folk culture, subjects Sekino pursued with particular intensity as assertions of a regional identity distinct from the more internationally legible imagery of Kyoto or Tokyo.