There is a great tradition in Japan of paintings combining elements considered to bring good fortune. Some of these themes are obvious enough, such as Mt. Fuji, or the characters of the twelve-year Chinese calendar cycle, but others rely on wordplay in Japanese. For example, nanten, the plant sometimes known as "Heavenly bamboo", sounds the same as Chinese characters nan meaning "troubles", and ten meaning "to (over)turn", so it has gained an association with overcoming difficulties. This is rather as if in English-speaking countries we painted four people playing the flute, and said it meant "four-tune".
The Imaginatorium's resident Blinkered Empiricist has issued a disclaimer: These are attractive puzzles, but we make no claim that they will have any supernatural effect whatsoever.
On this page:
The Year of the Rat -
The Year of the Boar -
The Year of the Dog -
The Year of the Cockerel -
The Year of the Monkey -
The Year of the Sheep -
What is this "Lucky"?
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A family of white rats play on the luck mallet, an icon from Japanese mythology which gives out money if shaken and can bring wishes true. The other elements - Mount Fuji, the cranes, pine bamboo and plum - complete this auspicious scene.
No biographical details, but the artist Mori Seikaku specialises in animal and flower scroll paintings. He signs his work the traditional way, with the characters for his given (brush) name, Seikaku (lit. 'nest of the crane') and a seal of the same.
 This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.
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An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E15033 (15-033 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.30 €18.87 £14.78)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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White rats dance over their wagonload of treasure - a wondrous cornucopia, chests (of gold?), red coral, a lucky mallet, and more...
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10605 (1000-605 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$33.96 €22.64 £17.73)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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Also known as the year of the pig, but this clearly refers to the wild animal (Sus scrofa) common around the world.
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Puppies play among spring flowers, as butterflies and a bluebird look on, while Mount Fuji looms in the distance. There are five of them - generally an auspicious number.
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10466 (1000-466 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$33.96 €22.64 £17.73)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$10.38 €6.92 £5.42)
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© Ozuma Kaname
The dog has long been taken as a symbol of easy childbirth, and here the litter of puppies (six in all) sit with their mother at the foot of Kishimojin. This latter has an interesting story - her name is literally "Devil-child-mother-god", and she started out as an evil character, whose favourite activity was eating other people's babies. But she was persuaded by Shaka-sama (the historical Buddha) to reform, and became a protector of children and augurer of easy childbirth.
More on Kishimojin at Mark Schumacher's Buddhist Corner
The painter Ozuma Kaname was born in 1939, in Niigata. He studied traditional Japanese art, and his pictures are generally based on traditional themes.
Ozuma is his family name: he signs paintings with the single character of his given name only.
 Permanently unavailable
A Yanoman puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: Y101082 (10-1082 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.30 €18.87 £14.78)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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The long, clear call of the cockerel has made it a traditional symbol for long life. Here Kaname surrounds the cock and hen with flowers, particularly the auspicious peony, in a classic 'bird-and-flower' (kachôzu) composition.
The painter Ozuma Kaname was born in 1939, in Niigata. He studied traditional Japanese art, and his pictures are generally based on traditional themes.
Ozuma is his family name: he signs paintings with the single character of his given name only.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10326 (1000-326 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$33.96 €22.64 £17.73)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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An auspicious picture for the Year of the Cockerel. All the usual good-luck elements are here: Mount Fuji, shô-chiku-bai (pine, plum, and bamboo), and cherry blossom. The cock stands proud, with his enormous long tail, while the faithful hen broods over their three chicks.
The artist Shimada Kôhô was born in 1952, in Gifu, and specialises in painting birds in the traditional style.
He signs and seals his paintings with his given name, Kôhô only.
In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E11129 (11-129 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.30 €18.87 £14.78)
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© Tanabe Zigen
A monkey dangles precariously from a gnarled tree projecting over the abyss - from above a tiger threatens, below awaits a dragon.
And the meaning of this terrible dilemma? Why, another pun: the Japanese for monkey is saru, which is also a verb meaning "to go away" or "disappear." So the title, literally "great difficulties monkey" also means the auspicious "great difficulties disappear"!
The artist was born in Toyama in 1970, and specialises in showy images, in his own reinterpretation of traditional Japanese themes.
Tanabe is his family name; he signs his paintings with his given name Zigen. Note that the usual Romanisation of this would be "Jigen", but it seems that Zigen may be the artist's own preference.
This puzzle has a metallic foil finish. In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 49 x 72 cm (19" x 28")
Code: B91095 (91-095 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$33.96 €22.64 £17.73)
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Under a full moon, five monkeys (a family?) play in a cherry tree. Apart from 2004 being the Year of the Monkey, what significance does this have? It's a play on words: the characters for "five monkeys" can be read go-en, which could also mean "Good fortune", or refer to the presence of an honourable guest. Well, by tradition this is deemed to be a Good Title.
The painter Ozuma Kaname was born in 1939, in Niigata. He studied traditional Japanese art, and his pictures are generally based on traditional themes.
Ozuma is his family name: he signs paintings with the single character of his given name only.
Permanently unavailable
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10428 (1000-428 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$33.96 €22.64 £17.73)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$10.38 €6.92 £5.42)
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What is this "Lucky"?
The philosophical underpinnings of all this are rather diffuse. There does not seem to be any direct connection to Buddhism, but ancient Chinese mythology, and miscellaneous folk beliefs have all been brought into play. Mark Schumacher's "Buddhist Corner" pages are a wonderful source of information.
All of the puzzles on this page relate to the successive years of the Chinese calendar animal cycle. For more pictures in this auspicious genre, try the following other pages...
- Gods - features sets of four and seven
- Traditional - themes include Mt Fuji in red, white tigers, flowers and birds
- Kaname - painter of traditional lucky themes, particularly various deities
Deleted puzzles
For reference: you can view all the puzzles from this page that have gone out of print in the Attic.
