Harbour (moonlit night)

The print depicts a Japanese port at night under moonlight, likely showing moored vessels, the disc of the moon, and silhouettes of buildings or warehouses along the dock. Bokashi gradation would have been used to render the transition from deep night sky into softer moon-lit zones, with reserved areas of paper allowing reflection on water to register as luminance against the darker tones. Yakei, or night-view prints, were a recurring subject among shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga artists through the Taisho and early Showa periods — Hasui, Shotei, and others all explored harbor scenes — though Oda's lithographic training often produced softer, more atmospheric tonal handling than the hard-edged shin-hanga approach. The observed, flowing quality of rigging and pilings reflects his French printmaking influences, particularly Bonnard's interest in the visual rhythm of working environments. Harbours and waterways recur across Oda's oeuvre, connecting his early Osaka apprenticeship near the city's commercial canals with his mature exploration of working Japanese coastal life.