Evening moon and foal

The image pairs an evening moon with a young horse, drawing on classical Japanese poetic and pictorial traditions in which the moon and animals appear together as emblems of season and mood. The composition deploys deep blue or indigo for the night sky with the moon as a luminous disc, the foal occupying the foreground in simplified contour. Bokashi gradation in the sky creates the transition from dark to lighter passages around the moon, achieved through careful inking and pulling of the printing block with the baren. Senpan's interest in animal subjects—rendered with the same affectionate observation he brought to children and working figures—is reflected in the foal, treated as an individual presence rather than a generic decorative motif. The pairing of celestial and earthly elements within a single composition follows a formula familiar from kacho-e and seasonal imagery, while the flat color planes, visible carving, and direct mark-making locate the print firmly within the sosaku-hanga aesthetic. The work belongs to Senpan's broader project of finding poetic content in unassuming subjects.