Comment - Scene of the Japan's beloved 'Seven Lucky
Gods' during the New Year, sharing the street with other
travelers and children flying kites. The 'Kadomatsu pines below
the red title cassete on the right panel right margin, as well
as the many kites flying in the air and on the ground,
indicating a setting around New Year.
At lower right,
Bishamonten
(毘沙門天) rides in a rickshaw pulled by a man with a tiger's head.
A green snake with white sections wound around his neck. Above
him, drawn in a horse carriage,
Hotei
(布袋) with his naked, big, white belly sits in the rear of the
cart.
Jurōjin (寿老人) may be
sitting next to him in the cart. In the center, the Goddess
Benzaiten (弁才天 or 弁財天) sits
in a rickshaw pulled by a young boy. Benzaiten is accompanied by
a black snake with white pattern, wound around her head. Upper
left to her,
Fukurokuju
(福禄寿) with a black round high hat covering his long skull is
pulled in a rickshaw by a man-like deer, who is wearing antlers.
At lower left,
Daikoku
(大黒天) with his black hat grins happily, followed by his lucky
white rat wearing a red kimono and carrying a wooden box of
treasure. The big red fish behind him may be an allusion to
Ebisu (恵比寿), drawn by a horse
carriage to be seen upper left panel behind the telegraph pole.
Ebisu is frequently paired with Daikokuten.
Upper left panel shows a boy's kite featuring
Okame, the goddess of mirth,
and not a member of the 'Seven Gods of Fortune'. The
Edo kite ("Edo-tako", "江戸凧")
has become entangled in the telegraph lines. At the foot of the
telegraph pole, a boy with a red kimono is holding an Edo kite,
a kite spindle is laying in front of him on the ground. Between
the horse carriage carrying Hotei, and the rickshaw carrying
Benzaiten, another boy in red kimono is carrying a white Edo
kite with black kanji on his back ("Kanji kite", "ji tako",
"字凧"). Many more Edo kites fill the sky, and the peak of Mt.
Fuji rises in the distance.