Sushi and New Year’s Sake

We said goodbye to 2022 with a Japanese woodblock print, and we will welcome 2023 with another Japanese woodblock print!  :)

Properly welcoming in the new year is vitally important in Japanese culture. Preparations begin weeks before the main event. The key is to set the stage for growth and good fortune for the upcoming year. As with most Japanese celebrations and customs, sake plays a key role in celebrating the new year. The specific sake associated with New Year’s celebrations is called o-toso.

This elegant still-life surimono, a genre of woodcuts Shinsai excelled in, shows a setting for a New Year’s meal of sushi and sake. The kyōka (31-syllable witty poem) to the right refers to Nanatsu Ume, a premium brand of dry sake brewed in Itami in the Sesshu (Osaka) region. The poems in the middle and left refer to shrimp sushi (ebi no sushi) and sushi rice wrapped in bamboo leaves (sasamaki).

Dear DailyArt users, have a great 2023 full of art, beauty, and inspiration!  :)

P.S. This amazing print is featured in our brand-new Food & Drinks 50 Postcard Set. Also, don't miss our 2023 calendars and planner; it is full art history!

P.P.S. Since we are enjoying sushi and sake ... Welcome the new year with a fancy cocktail in your hand using this artsy inspiration.