Nihonbashi - Tokaidô

This second impression of Nihonbashi reflects Sekino's practice within the Tokaido series of producing variant states — alternative color schemes, tonal reworkings, or pre-publication trial proofs — characteristic of sosaku-hanga artists who controlled every stage of production themselves. Unlike the rigid block-and-edition workflow of commercial Edo-period printing, where designer, carver, and printer were separate, Sekino's autographic method permitted experimentation between impressions: shifting palette weight, adjusting bokashi gradations, or testing different overprinting sequences. The bridge subject — the Tokaido's terminal landmark in Edo — remains, but its mood may differ, perhaps cooler, perhaps more atmospheric. Such variants are sought by collectors precisely because they document the artist's working process. Within Sekino's Tokaido cycle, multiple states of the frequently revisited stations are not unusual, reflecting his sustained reconsideration of familiar imagery across the decades he labored on the project.