Shakujii Sanpo-ike (Three Treasures Pond at Shakujii) / Ichimoku-shu (First Thursday Collection, Vol 4)

This print belongs to Ichimoku-shu (First Thursday Collection), a sosaku-hanga portfolio produced by a small group of self-carving, self-printing artists who convened on the first Thursday of each month. Volume 4 places it within the early run of the series. Shakujii Sanpo-ike, or Three Treasures Pond, sits in the Nerima ward of Tokyo and was a quiet semi-rural spring-fed pond ringed by old trees. Maekawa approaches the subject not as classical meisho-e but as a personal landscape sketch in keeping with the sosaku-hanga ideal of jiga-jikoku-jizuri — self-drawn, self-carved, self-printed. The still water lends itself to broad areas of flat color punctuated by softer bokashi gradations along the banks, with knife-cut tree silhouettes establishing the perimeter. Maekawa's contribution to Ichimoku-shu reflects his consistent interest in unassuming corners of Japanese life, recorded with directness rather than picturesque idealization or shin-hanga polish.