HATSUHARU (the New Year)

Hatsuharu, the first spring or New Year, marks the traditional Japanese new year when the world is still cold but culturally renewed. Nishijima's composition likely focuses on a Kyoto street or temple approach decorated with kadomatsu pine-and-bamboo arrangements flanking wooden gates or shop entrances. The color palette would shift toward whites, pale yellows, and clean blues, suggesting crisp winter light and the ceremonial freshness associated with the season. Fine key-block lines define the precise geometry of gate timbers, roof tiles, and decorative shimenawa rope, while restrained color blocks printed on washi convey the quiet civic optimism of the New Year period in a historic district where tradition governs public space.