Fortifications of Hikone Castle

Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture is one of twelve surviving original keeps, but Hashimoto turns his attention here to its fortifications -- the massive ishigaki stone walls and the angled bastions that ring the inner bailey. The composition likely emphasizes the geometric rhythm of the dressed and undressed stones, the steep batter of the wall face, and the way roof tiles or pine branches break the silhouette at the top. Hashimoto worked the grain of the wood into the texture of the stone, letting the natural striations of the cherry block read as weathered masonry. The palette would run to cool stone greys, deep moss greens, and a restrained sky tone applied with [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation. As a self-printed [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) work, every block was cut and pulled by Hashimoto on [washi](/glossary/washi) using a [baren](/glossary/baren). The print belongs to his sustained engagement with castle architecture, in which he repeatedly chose subordinate features -- a corner turret, a stretch of wall, a gate -- over the postcard view of the central keep.