Late fall — 晩秋

Titled Banshu in Japanese, meaning late autumn, this woodblock print addresses the season when leaves have passed their peak color and the landscape settles into the muted browns and grays that precede winter. Late autumn holds a particular place in Japanese aesthetics, associated with the Buddhist concept of impermanence and the bittersweet beauty of decline. Kusaka's treatment of this seasonal theme likely emphasizes bare branches, fallen leaves, and the thin quality of late-autumn light that gives familiar landscapes an unfamiliar starkness. The woodblock medium's capacity for subtle tonal variation suits the reduced palette of the season. The print participates in a tradition of seasonal art that stretches from Heian poetry anthologies through Edo-period print series to contemporary creative printmaking.