New Year's Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Oji, No. 118 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Utagawa Hiroshige

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

In the late 1850s, while Japanese color prints were dominated by themes of the fantastic, Hiroshige emphasized the realities of the observed world in his work. However, here he has ventured into the world of spirits. It was believed that on New Year's Eve all the foxes of the surrounding provinces would gather at a particular tree near Oji Inari Shrine, the headquarters of the regional cult of the god Inari. There the foxes would change their dress for a visit to the shrine, where they would be given orders for the coming year. On the way, the animals would emit distinctive flames by which local farmers were able to predict the crops of the coming year.

Caption

Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese, 1797–1858. New Year's Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Oji, No. 118 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 9th month of 1857. Woodblock print, sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.0 x 23.5 cm); image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (34.0 x 22.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.118. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.118_PS20.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

Asian Art

Title

New Year's Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Oji, No. 118 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Date

9th month of 1857

Period

Edo Period, Ansei Era

Geography

Place made: Japan

Medium

Woodblock print

Classification

Print

Dimensions

sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.0 x 23.5 cm); image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (34.0 x 22.2 cm)

Signatures

Hiroshige-ga

Markings

No publisher's seal visible, probably lost when left margin was trimmed.

Credit Line

Gift of Anna Ferris

Accession Number

30.1478.118

Rights

No known copyright restrictions

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