Egoyomi: Japanese Picture Calendars April 1, 2011

In celebration of the New Year and new calendars to be filled, this exhibition brings together approximately 40 egoyomi, the unique Japanese prints that cleverly incorporated calendar markings into their designs. Until 1873, the Japanese calendar was based on a lunar system that divided months into dai no tsuki (long months) of 30 days and sho no tsuki (short months) of 29 days. Because the sequence of long and short months changed annually, the order of the months was recorded subtly and skillfully in the lush pictures of egoyomi prints.