Old Photos of Japan rescues rare images of daily life in old Japan
To learn more about this one-of-a-kind project, read Save Our Visual Heritage.

❤ support subscribe

80115-0036- Japanese New Year Celebrations

Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 12

Artist	Teijiro Takagi
Publisher	Teijiro Takagi
Medium	Collotype Print
Period	Meiji
Location	Kobe
Image No.	80115-0036
Purchase	Digital File
Author	Kjeld Duits

Two men are clowning around as part of the entertainment seen during Meiji Period (1868-1912) New Year celebrations.

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

Ping! Pong! These men are acting similar to the foreign pantomine [sic] clowns; they parade the streets, performing various antics, peculiar to custom, and they shout “Hail! Hail! ye Gods of Heaven and earth. Significant omens are in the air, and the universe is full of lucky signs.”

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

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 12, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on January 24, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/671/new-year-celebrations-12

Explore More

Okayama 1935
Practicing Table Tennis

Japanese school girls playing table tennis.

Osaka 1935
The New Osaka • New Hotel for a New Era

When the New Osaka Hotel opened in 1935, it was one of Japan’s finest hotels. It even boasted air-conditioned guest rooms, a world’s first. This rare pamphlet from its early days offers a fascinating peek inside.

1910s
Drinking Tea

What a wonderful and relaxed scene. Three women and two small kids, all wearing traditional clothing, having a welcome tea break at the engawa (veranda) of a thatched house.

Add Comment

There are currently no comments on this article.

Kobe, 1906New Year Celebrations 12