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

1910s
Children Carrying Children

Foreign visitors were uniformly surprised by scenes like this one, children carrying their smaller brothers and sisters on their backs while playing with each other.

Tokyo 1920s
Ueno before the Quake

Before it was razed by the terrifying fires of the 1923 quake, the area in front of Tokyo’s Ueno Park was a vibrant maze of geisha houses, rendezvous teahouses, and top-class restaurants, many with a breathtaking view of the lotus-filled Shinobazu Pond. It was a place where geisha, art, and power met and mingled.

Inside 1880s
Rediscovering Japan's Irori

Illustration of a Japanese irori (firepit) by American scholar Edward S. Morse (1838–1925). This article looks at the form of the irori, its location in the house, its drawbacks and dangers, the social roles it reflected, and how it has survived.

Add Comment

There are currently no comments on this article.

Kobe, 1906New Year Celebrations 3