Designs for Happy New Year's cards
(Nengajo)

In Japan, people send a New Year greeting card, called "negajo", to each of their relatives, friends, and aquaintances. There is a symbolic animal for each year, e.g. momkey for the 2004th year. Twelve animals are assigned to each year, rotating in the following order: ne (rat or mouse), ushi (cattle), tora (tiger), u (rabbit or hare), tatsu (dragon), mi (snake), uma (horse), hitsuji (sheep), saru (monkey or ape), tori (hen, rooster or chicken), inu (dog), i (wild boar).

I am sorry to annouce that I cannot make the New Year illusion design for 2005 because of mourning. <December 8, 2004>

"Monkey 2004"

Rings appear to rotate.

(The design for the greeting cards of the Heisei 16th year (2004 AD))

Non-adopted works

Copyright A.Kitaoka 2003

"Sheep 2003"

Red appears to be orange or magenta.

(The design for the greeting cards of the Heisei 15th year (2003 AD))

Copyright A.Kitaoka 2002
(c)Akiyoshi Kitaoka "Trick eyes" Tokyo: KANZEN 2002

"A horse"

The light-green grating appears to move laterally.

(The design for the greeting cards of the Heisei 14th year (2002 AD))

Copyright A.Kitaoka 2001

"Snakes 2001"

The Cafe Wall patterns appear to move.

(The design for the greeting cards of the Heisei 13th year (2001 AD))

Copyright A.Kitaoka 2000
(c)Akiyoshi Kitaoka "Trick eyes" Tokyo: KANZEN 2002

"Dragon ascending"

Vertical and horizontal gray lines appears to be curved to the center.

(The design for the greeting cards of the Heisei 12th year (2000 AD))

Copyright A.Kitaoka 1999
(c)Akiyoshi Kitaoka "Trick eyes" Tokyo: KANZEN 2002

"Rabbits"

Concentric circles appear to be a spiral.

(The design for the greeting cards of the Heisei 11th year (1999 AD))

Copyright A.Kitaoka 1998

"Tiger"

Thick oblique lines appear to wave.

(The design for the greeting cards of the Heisei 10th year (1998 AD))

Copyright A.Kitaoka 1997

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