New Year's Eve, Fox Fires by the Nettle Tree at Ōji (Ōji Shōzoku Enoki, Ōmisoka no Kitsunebi), from the series: 100 Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo Hyakkei), 1857
Color wood block print, 14 5/16 x 9 5/8 in. (36.4 x 24.4 cm)
Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Gift of Mrs. William H. Moore
1955.9.4
Nettle trees were often planted along highways at every Japanese mile (2.45 Western miles) during the Edo period. The particular tree at Ōji was made famous by a local folk tale. On New Year's Eve, it was believed that foxes gathered by the tree and threw flames of fire out of their mouths. By the amount of the fire, farmers could predict the grain harvest for the coming year—the more the fire, the better the harvest. As foxes feed on rodents, grains are in effect protected by them, and foxes were semideified as messengers of Inari, the deity who protects cereals. This particular print can be considered one of the finest first editions, in its rendering of the magical night atmosphere created by subtle color tones dusted with rich mica and in giving a clear impression of the sleek foxes.
 |
 |
 |