New Year resolutions clearly go back a ways. The children of this household start the new year with doing their chores, sewing, practicing music and practicing calligraphy.
This image is part of The New Year in Japan, a book published by Kobe-based photographer Kozaburo Tamamura in 1906. Original text1:
The elder daughter plies her needle, in token of her good resolutions of the New Year, and the younger is likewise employed, but with a musical instrument, the samisen, while the wee brother is occupied in making his copy of characters (our substitute for words) to show his teacher.
See all New Year images on Old Photos of Japan.
Notes
1 Tamamura, Kozaburo (1906). The New Year in Japan. Tamamura Shashinkan.
Published
Updated
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
Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Kobe, 1906: New Year Celebrations 21, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on August 22, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/662/new-year-celebrations-21
There are currently no comments on this article.