Koh Sekiguchi - 春待つ (Waiting for Spring)

Koh Sekiguchi’s 春待つ (Waiting for Spring) shows children gathered by a thawing stream, with snowbanks giving way to running water under the distant silhouette of Mount Tanigawa. One child leans forward, peering into the rippling meltwater, while a small dog prepares to leap across. Behind, a thatched farmhouse glows warmly beneath bare winter trees. A hopeful winter landscape full of light and quiet activity. 🏔️👟❄️

• Year & Edition: December 1993 (Heisei 5) · Ed. 167/200 (signed & editioned in pencil).
  
• Medium: Silkscreen.
  
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 66.50 cm × H: 48.50 cm; Image W: 54.00 cm × H: 36.50 cm.
  
• Condition: Mint; image and paper clean, crisp, and unblemished.
  
• Notes: Waiting for Spring features a "Distant View of Mount Tanigawa" (谷川岳遠望), one of the most iconic peaks in the Gunma - Niigata border region. The scene balances Sekiguchi’s recurring themes of childhood, seasonality, and the passage of time - with the stream acting as both subject and symbol of the seasonal shift.

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]