As I have written elsewhere, I myself don't subscribe to the common habit of using astrological symbols for my New Year Print designs, so there is nothing to tie each image to any particular year. And although some of them reflect a 'wintry' season, most of them are neutral in seasonal concept.

At the time that this particular image was created, I was just coming to the end of the first year of work on my 10-year project to reproduce the Hyakunin Isshu designs of Katsukawa Shunsho. So I chose a theme related to that poetry - the game of karuta.

I sketched a few of the cards as though they had been slapped into the air during a vigorous round of the game. I particularly enjoyed cutting the tatami mat design, and if you take the print near a window, you will see the realistic embossing that resulted.