Two kittens

Rendered in the kacho-e tradition of animal subjects, this print depicts two young cats in poses that allow Sekino to explore the softness of fur through graduated printing and varied carving. Cats appear repeatedly in his body of work, approached with a naturalist's observational directness rather than the decorative conventionality of commercial bijin-ga companions. The composition likely arranges the kittens in an interlocking or overlapping grouping, perhaps curled together or engaged in mutual grooming, with a minimal ground—flat tone or bare washi—allowing the printed fur textures to carry the image. Sekino would have differentiated the fine hairs at ears and muzzle from broader body fur through systematic variation in gouge width and carving depth. The limited palette probable here—warm gray, cream, tawny brown—is consistent with his restrained approach to animal subjects throughout his career.