Mt.Manju

Mt. Manju takes its name from the rounded, dome-like profile of the peak, manju being the steamed bun whose shape the term evokes in Japanese landscape vocabulary. Sekino approaches the subject in the [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) manner he helped define: carving and printing the blocks himself rather than working through the traditional [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) division of labor. The composition likely centers the mountain mass against a sparse foreground and sky, building form through layered impressions of solid color tempered by [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations along the ridges. Cut from multiple wood blocks and pulled by hand with a [baren](/glossary/baren) onto absorbent [washi](/glossary/washi), the impression carries the pressure marks and tonal subtleties characteristic of his landscape work. Within Sekino's broader output the print sits alongside his Tokaido stations and northern Japan scenes, where landform, weather, and the quiet of provincial places take precedence over human incident.