Untitled

A sixth untitled mokuhanga by Kenal, produced during the MI-LAB Basic Training Program A in 2024. The Echizen residency typically issues each artist a set of cherry blocks at the program's start, and the eight untitled prints in Kenal's catalogue may represent successive states from the same blocks, variant colourways, or distinct compositions developed across the residency's duration. Cherry (yamazakura) is preferred for traditional mokuhanga because its fine, even grain takes detail well and resists splintering under repeated impressions; MI-LAB also uses shina plywood for backing and larger fields. The water-based process limits edition sizes — the blocks must be re-dampened and re-charged with pigment for each impression, and consistency requires significant practice — which is why residency prints often exist in editions of ten or fewer. As a study work, this print contributes to Kenal's developing technical fluency rather than a public-facing edition, but it nevertheless documents the textural qualities specific to hand-printed Japanese woodblock.