Farm House No. 2

Farm House No. 2 belongs to the central body of Tanaka's work: close studies of minka, the vernacular farmhouses of rural Japan characterized by steeply pitched thatched roofs (kayabuki yane) and heavy post-and-beam construction. The sequential numbering suggests this is one of multiple etchings Tanaka made of the same or similar structures, approaching the subject from a different angle or season. His technique emphasizes the deep shadow beneath broad eaves, the organic texture of aged thatch rendered through layered etched lines, and the compressed spatial relationship between structure and surrounding landscape. Weed growth at the foundation, weathered timber, and the irregular geometry of hand-built construction are characteristic details. The print exemplifies Tanaka's archival impulse — many of the farmhouses he recorded have since been demolished or significantly altered.