Cast & Chart

Omikuji lot 34 of 100

Hook Raised Over Great Waves

吉 Kichi, Good fortune

臘木春將至

芳菲喜再新

鯤鯨興巨浪

舉鈎禄爲眞

Trees of the last winter month: spring is almost here.

Fragrant bloom, glad to be new again.

The great fish raises huge waves.

Lift the hook, and the stipend is real.

What this lot says

Bare midwinter trees stand on the edge of spring, and fresh scent is welcomed. A giant fish churns the water. Someone then lifts a fishing hook, and the income in question proves to be true.

The book has Kichi, Good fortune, printed for this verse. Season and sea both stir before the hook comes up, and the last word, real, gives the grade something solid to rest on.

Against a modern background, the image is of a large opportunity moving under the surface while a person holds a small tool. What is the hook in your hands, and is it the right size?

A lot is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.

The printed text

No differences from the 1684 printing are recorded for this lot.

Credits

The verse and grade were read from the two scanned printings named here. The title, translation and reading are our own and modern.

Our own English. The kana commentary printed under each verse in the old books was not read.