1500: Year of the Cockerel (Seikaku)
The cockerel looks proudly on as his hen looks after her chicks, and a pile of gold coins scattered on the ground. The background includes many more treasure items, including more bars of gold, red coral, and some mystery urns. More auspicious symbols, pine, plum, and bamboo, Mount Fuji, and the rising sun, complete the 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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Box slightly dented
An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E15081 (15-081 on package)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.85 €26.79 £23.62)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.54 €10.71 £9.45)
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1000: Golden cockerel (Kazumi)
The cockerel is said to be auspicious in regard to money matters, and this splendid creature is called "golden" not for the colour of his plumage, but for the golden eggs guarded by his mate. The surroundings are filled with more of the customary symbols of good fortune: pine, bamboo, plum, cherry, and more.
Izumi Kazumi is an animal artist who graduated from Osaka University fine arts department in 1984. Izumi is her family name.
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10792 (1000-792 on package)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$34.62 €32.14 £28.35)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.54 €10.71 £9.45)
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1500: Year of the Monkey (Seikaku)
A monkey family: Mama, Papa, and three offspring who illustrate the old adage of "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". They are surrounded by piles of treasure, coins, nuggets, and bars of gold, while rest of the picture is filled with the usual auspicious symbols, from Mount Fuji to the turtle in the foreground.
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. In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E15078 (15-078 on package)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.85 €26.79 £23.62)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.54 €10.71 £9.45)
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1000: Year of the monkey (Kazumi)
The full title of this puzzle is "Difficulties overcome, and problems removed", an elaborate pun, in which the first part matches the name of the plant nandina with the bright red berries, and the second part matches "nine monkeys". And those are what we see in the picture, along with all the usual auspicious signs, from Mount Fuji to the rope-encircled rock.
Izumi Kazumi is an animal artist who graduated from Osaka University fine arts department in 1984. Izumi is her family name.
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10772 (1000-772 on package)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$34.62 €32.14 £28.35)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.54 €10.71 £9.45)
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3000: Dragons of five colours (Kayomi)
This challenging puzzle includes no less than five of Kayomi's fluffy but fierce dragons. Five is the number of ancient Chinese elements, which are associated with the cardinal directions (including "centre"), and also with colours. So the central yellow dragon symbolises imperial authority, and manifests rank by having five claws and holding the magic ball. Around the four corners are the four protectorate dragons: Black to the north, Blue to the east, Red to the south, and White to the west. (These also match with the colours of the four protectorate gods.)
No biographical details available. She signs her given name Kayomi in Roman letters.
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size. In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 3000 pieces; 102 x 73 cm (40" x 29")
Code: E21105 (21-105 on package)
Retail price ¥4800 (approx. US$46.15 €42.86 £37.80)
Shipping from ¥2050 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$19.71 €18.30 £16.14)
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© Hojo Yuka / Sankoh
1000: Kannon rides the Dragon
A very matronly Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, stands barefoot amidships on a rather nice dragon. In her left hand she holds a flower (perhaps a lotus flower), while the dragon similarly clutches the symbolic Chintamani Stone (or "treasure ball").
This is a standard pose for Kannon, and this version is subdued in tone yet full of details. The image also includes a complete sutra for the elimination of disasters — this is essentially in Sanskrit transliterated into ancient Chinese, so a typical Japanese reader can make no more meaning of it than you can. Although Kannon is often known as "Goddess of Mercy", experts in Buddhism tell us she is really Avalokitêsvara, who was a man...
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10676 (1000-676 on package)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.85 €26.79 £23.62)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.54 €10.71 £9.45)
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What is this "Lucky"?
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 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 - Red Fuji, and lucky flowers, fish, animals and birds
- Tigers - the auspicious white tiger, and the ferocious yellow one
- Dragons - dragons alone and facing their arch-rival the tiger
- Kaname - painter of traditional lucky themes, particularly various animals
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!
Deleted puzzles
For reference: you can view all the puzzles from this page that have gone out of print in the Attic.
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