Old Photos of Japan rescues rare images of daily life in old Japan
Learn more about this project

80115-0027 - Japanese New Year Celebrations

Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 3

Artist	Teijiro Takagi
Publisher	Teijiro Takagi
Medium	Collotype Print
Period	Meiji
Location	Kobe
Image No.	80115-0027
Purchase	Digital File
Author	Kjeld Duits

Bamboo decorations herald the coming of the New Year.

This image is part of The New Year in Japan, a book published by Kobe-based photographer Kozaburo Tamamura in 1906. Original text¹:

Bamboo poles are to be seen, erected on the eaves of various shops, to remind one of the Toshino-ichi (the New Year’s Fair), which is now in progress. The shops are also decorated in Christmas style, for the purpose of supplying foreign residents with all they may need for the festive Xmas season. The Japanese wives may be seen hurrying here and there to obtain geta, and many other items necessary for the family to bloom forth in fresh raiment on New Year’s Day.

See all New Year images on Old Photos of Japan.

Notes

¹ Tamamura, Kozaburo (1906). The New Year in Japan. Tamamura Shashinkan.

² Toshi-no-ichi (year-end-market)

Published January 1, 2009
Updated December 29, 2022 9:33 AM

Reader Supported

Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for Japan's visual heritage and to bring the experiences of everyday life in old Japan to you.

To enhance our understanding of Japanese culture and society I track down, acquire, archive, and research images of everyday life, and give them context.

I share what I have found for free on this site, without ads or selling your data.

Your support helps me to continue doing so, and ensures that this exceptional visual heritage will not be lost and forgotten.

Thank you,
Kjeld Duits

support

Reference for Citations

Duits, Kjeld (December 29, 2022). Kobe, 1906: New Year Celebrations 3, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on June 9, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/680/new-year-celebrations-3

Explore More

1890s
14 Rules for Women

Two maiko (apprentice geisha) in gorgeous kimono bow to each other at the entrance gate to Genkyu-en Gardens (玄宮園) in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture. In old Japan, the rules of etiquette were elaborate.

Gifu 1936
The Art of the Japanese New Year Card

A stunning New Year card for Gifu’s Great Exhibition of Rapid Japanese Progress of 1936. During the 1900s–1930s, many Japanese New Year cards were designed by top artists who created a golden age of card design.

Studio 1880s
The Way of the Kiseru

A Japanese farmer holds a kiseru (煙管). The tiny pipe offered only two to three puffs, yet it reigned for over three centuries. It was embraced by all classes of Japanese society, even crossing gender boundaries.

Add Comment

There are currently no comments on this article.

Kobe, 1906New Year Celebrations 3