80115-0038 - Japanese New Year Celebrations

Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 14

Artist	Teijiro Takagi
Publisher	Teijiro Takagi
Medium	Collotype Print
Period	Meiji
Location	Kobe
Image No.	80115-0038
Purchase	Digital File
Author	Kjeld Duits

Entertainment for the children was not forgotten during the New Year celebrations of the Meiji Period (1868-1912).

While most of the other customs in this series are still observed, this one seems to have vanished.

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

Here is another attraction for the special entertainment of ‘Young’ Japan; it is ridiculous to the adult eye, but we ourselves were young at one time!

See all New Year images on Old Photos of Japan.

Notes

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

Published January 1, 2009
Updated December 29, 2022 12:32 AM

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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.

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Kjeld Duits

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Reference for Citations

Duits, Kjeld (December 29, 2022). Kobe, 1906: New Year Celebrations 14, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on October 31, 2025 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/669/new-year-celebrations-14

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Emil

The other mascot looks like spongebob.

#000398 · June 25, 2009

Kjeld Duits (Author)

@ Emil : Haha, I never noticed that!

#000403 · July 1, 2009

Kobe, 1906New Year Celebrations 14