O'Fuko throwing beans for good luck and to drive the girls away on New Years Eve

Woodblock printing in Japan (木版画, moku-hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). Woodblock printing appeared in Japan at the beginning of Edo period, when Tokugawa shogunate was ruled by th​e Japanese society. This technique originated from China, where it was used to print books for many centuries. Its original name is ‘moku-hanga’ and it has a wide usage in artistic genre of ‘ukiyo-e’. As opposed to western tradition, where artists used oil-based inks for woodcuts, moku-hanga technique uses water-based inks. That is why those prints had colors so vivid, as well as glazes, and transparency. This collection describes Japanese printmaking different schools and movements. The most notable of them were: - From 1700: Torii school - From 1700-1714: Kaigetsudō school - From 1720s: Katasukawa school, including the artists Shunsho and Shuntei - From 1725: Kawamata school including the artists Suzuki Harunobu and Koryusai - From 1786: Hokusai school, including the artists Hokusai, Hokuei and Gakutei - From 1794: Kitagawa school, including the artists Utamaro I, Kikumaro I and II - From 1842: Utagawa school, including the artists Kunisada and Hiroshige - From 1904: Sōsaku-hanga, "Creative Prints" movement - From 1915: Shin-hanga "New Prints" school, including Hasui Kawase and Hiroshi Yoshida Woodblock prints were provided by the Library of Congress and cover the period from 1600 to 1980.

New Year's celebrations have a long history dating back to ancient civilizations. The earliest recorded New Year's celebration is believed to have been held by the ancient Babylonians around 2000 BCE. They held a celebration called Akitu, which lasted for 11 days and marked the beginning of the new year, the return of the goddess Ishtar, and the re-creation of the world. The ancient Romans also celebrated the new year, although their calendar was different from the one we use today. The Roman calendar originally began on March 1, and the new year was celebrated on the vernal equinox, which is the first day of spring. The Roman calendar was later changed by Julius Caesar to begin on January 1, and this change was eventually adopted by most Western civilizations. New Year's celebrations have been held on January 1 in many cultures around the world, including in Western Europe, the Americas, and Asia. In many cultures, New Year's is a time for people to reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the new year. It is also a time for celebration, with parties, fireworks, and other festive events. In modern times, New Year's celebrations continue to be a popular way to mark the start of a new year and to look forward to the future with hope and optimism. While both Christmas and New Year holidays are times for celebration, they have different origins and traditions. New Year's Day is a secular holiday that is celebrated around the world, while Christmas is a religious holiday that is primarily celebrated by Christians.