- Nōka no Shōgatsu (Farmer's New Year) -

The peaceful woodblock print “Nōka no Shōgatsu” (Farmer’s New Year) by Mamoru Hiyoshi (b. 1885) warmly portrays a traditional New Year’s scene in a rural Japanese household.

Inside the home, the father is making straw sandals while the mother sews beside the irori, a traditional sunken hearth. Nearby, the children play mari asobi, a classic girls’ ball game, creating a lively yet intimate family atmosphere. Beyond the shōji doors, strings of persimmons hang to dry, adding a seasonal touch and evoking everyday life in old Japan. This charming scene beautifully reflects the simplicity and warmth of traditional Japanese family life.

Published by Kyoto Hanga-in, the print bears the carver’s name, Kikuta, and the printer’s name, Nagae, along with the publisher’s seal in the lower right margin.

Mamoru Hiyoshi was born in 1885, and the year of his death remains unknown. He was a watercolor painter and woodblock print artist active from the Taishō through the Shōwa periods. Woodblock prints by Mamoru Hiyoshi, produced by the Kyoto Hanga-in in the 1950s, occasionally appear on the market today.

Technique: Woodblock
Paper size: 10 and 3/8 x 15 and 3/4 inches (26.5 x 40 cm)
Image size: 9 and 1/2 x 14 and 1/4 inches (24 x 36 cm)
Sheet number: N/A
Date: Ca.1950
Signed: "Mamoru" on the lower right of the image
Condition: Very good condition. Very faint ink smudges on the margins which will be easily matted out. 

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