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New Year's /Auspicious Gifts

Artist Totoya Hokkei 1780–1850 (Japanese, Hokusai, 1780–1850)
Title New Year's /Auspicious Gifts
Date 1800–1840
Medium Color woodblock print on paper
Dimensions Image: 7 15/16 × 6 3/4 in. (20.2 × 17.1 cm)
Sheet: 7 15/16 × 6 3/4 in. (20.2 × 17.1 cm)
Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 72.98.2

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About this Work

The many traditional symbols of the Japanese New Year include the bow and arrow set given to baby boys at the start of the year to ward off demons; a piece of specially folded paper, or noshi, which holds dried strips of abalone thought to bring good luck in the new year; and the carp symbolizing the strength to overcome obstacles. The two symbols following the poem—hourglass form and mandarin orange—identify the poetry school and poet, Kitsujuen. The Chinese character for Kitsu also can be read as tachibana (mandarin orange).

Poem:

The ritual arrow that breaks evil
That is the hama arrow
On the bow
Its virtue
Fends off evil
May happiness be with you
—Kitsujuen Sanae


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"New Year's /Auspicious Gifts | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=72.98.2