Losers in the card game of karuta get ink painted on their face.
This image is part of The New Year in Japan, a book published by Kobe-based photographer Kozaburo Tamamura in 1906. Original text1:
The ones who have shown the least skill in playing must submit to being branded with a mark of ‘disgrace;’ this being a dab of ink, and applied to the face in such a manner as to deprive one of all dignity—for the time being; it is good fun, and many of them prefer playing badly, in order to receive the “decoration” of the dunce!
See New Year Celebrations 18 for more information about the game of karuta.
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 19, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on October 31, 2025 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/664/new-year-celebrations-19
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