Song of Departure

This woodblock print evokes the emotional weight of farewell through abstract visual composition. The "song" in the title suggests a musical quality to the work, and Sora's arrangement of forms and colors may follow a rhythmic or melodic logic rather than a purely spatial one. Departure songs have a long history in Japanese culture, from ancient waka poetry to modern enka ballads, and Sora draws on this tradition to infuse his abstract forms with the specific melancholy of leaving. The composition may incorporate directional movement that suggests journeying away, or contrasts between connected and separated forms that visualize the breaking of proximity. The mokuhanga process, irreversible once the paper meets the inked block, carries its own quality of finality that resonates with the theme of departure.