Koh Sekiguchi - からっ風吹く(The Dry Wind Blows)

Koh Sekiguchi’s The Dry Wind Blows depicts two children braving the biting winter wind known as からっ風 (karakaze) - a dry, cold gust typical of the Kantō region. The older girl, her scarf whipped by the wind, holds a younger child close as they press forward across the snow. A powerful yet tender image of seasonal hardship and familial warmth, rendered in bold silhouette and sweeping sky. 🌬️🧣❄️

• Year & Edition: Ed. 162/210 (signed & editioned in pencil).
  
• Medium: Woodblock.
  
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 43.00 cm × H: 33.50 cm; Image W: 38.00 cm × H: 29.00 cm.
  
• Condition: Excellent; crisp, clean paper & image, no blemishes.
  
• Notes: This work is the cover image of 関口コオ作品集 からっ風の子守唄 (Koh Sekiguchi: Lullabies of the Dry Wind), published by あすか書房 (Asuka Shobo) in 1983. A striking example of Sekiguchi’s emotionally resonant winter imagery. *Embossed to margin: 彫川嶋達夫摺 佐々木茂 制作 (Carved & printed by Tatsuo Kawashima. Produced by Shigeru Sasaki). 制作 高見澤研究所 (Produced by Takamizawa Institute). 限定弐百壱拾部 (Limited to an edition of 210).

About the Artist

Koh Sekiguchi (1937-2018) was a key figure in the postwar revival of kirie (切り絵), the traditional Japanese art of paper-cutting. A co-founder of the Japan Kirie Association, he focused on themes of childhood, rural life, and maternal warmth, creating quietly expressive works with lasting emotional resonance. In 2010, the 関口コオきり絵美術館 museum opened in Takasaki City to preserve and present Sekiguchi's work. [ ← View All Works by Koh Sekiguchi]