Hiroshige Utagawa (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). "New Year's Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Oji," From the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo," Circa 1857. Woodblock print, ink and color on paper, (14 x 9 inches, sight), signed "Fox Fire at Oji" in pencil on the mat lower left and "Hiroshige" lower right. Frame: H: 20 in., W: 13.125 in., D: .5 in. Depicting foxes gathering at the ancient enoki (hackberry) tree on New Year's Eve, in preparation for paying homage at the Oji Inari shrine, headquarters of the Inari cult in eastern Japan. The fox is the messenger for the god of the rice field. On the way to Oji, the foxes set a number of kitsunebi (foxfires), which farmers count to predict the upcoming rice harvest.

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20 x 13.125 x 0.5 in