Michinoku

Michinoku is the ancient name for the northeastern region of Honshu, an area known for harsh winters, remote landscapes, and deep literary associations. The poet Matsuo Basho famously traveled through Michinoku, and the name carries connotations of distance and journey. Shinoda's woodblock print does not depict the region literally but channels its spirit through abstract calligraphic forms. The marks carry a sense of journey and remoteness, as though the viewer is looking at a landscape reduced to its emotional essence rather than its geographic features.