When the New year celebrations are over on January 15th, the decorations are burned to ward off evil and disease.
This image is part of The New Year in Japan, a book published by Kobe-based photographer Kozaburo Tamamura in 1906. Original text1:
The New Year holidays end on the 15th of January, and the next day the decorations of the interior of houses are taken to the Shinto Temples, where the Priest blesses the tokens, and the floral matter is then committed to a fire. This pleases the children, they not understanding the purpose of the ceremony.
See all New Year images on Old Photos of Japan.
Notes
1 Tamamura, Kozaburo (1906). The New Year in Japan. Tamamura Shashinkan.
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Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Kobe, 1906: New Year Celebrations 23, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on May 7, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/660/new-year-celebrations-23
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