An Old Tree (3) (510)

The third in a numbered series, this print likely centers on a single venerable tree — perhaps a pine, cryptomeria, or persimmon — observed for its individual character rather than as part of a wider landscape. Studies of solitary aged trees draw on a long East Asian pictorial tradition in which gnarled bark, exposed roots, and asymmetrical branching are read as expressions of endurance and accumulated time. In mokuhanga, such subjects make particular demands on the carver: the keyblock must record the fine fissures of bark and the subtle variation in branch thickness, while overprinted colors render mottled lichen, moss, and shifting light across the trunk. Tanaka's broader work foregrounded the patient observation of rural fixtures — minka, stone walls, country lanes — and a long-running tree series fits that documentary impulse. The numbered sequence implies a return to the same motif across multiple compositions, refining what the artist saw rather than seeking out new subjects.