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Master woodblock painter, Utagawa Hiroshige is best known for his sensitive depictions of the Japanese landscape and the natural world. He was particularly interested in capturing the fleeting moments that mark the passage of time, the weather and seasons changing. Hiroshige’s success was not limited to Japan – he would in fact have a great influence on the Impressionists. This print from Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo captures the magic of New Year’s Eve when, legend has it, foxes from all over Japan gather under a large tree near the Oji Inari shrine. There, the foxes change into formal clothes by firelight and process to the shrine for the first blessing of the new year.Label Type
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Happy New Year! This woodblock print is part of a large collection of Japanese prints donated to The Drexel Collection by James W. Paul Jr., Anthony J. Drexel’s son-in-law. In Japanese folklore, it is believed that on New Year’s Eve all of the foxes of the surrounding provinces would gather at a particular tree near the Oji Inari shrine, headquarters of the god Inari. The animals would emit distinctive flames by which local farmers were able to predict the crops of the coming year. This print was most recently part of Drexel’s celebratory exhibition A Legacy of Art, Science and Industry: Highlights from the Collections, Drexel University, Spring 2012.