New Year's Day Greetings to H. J. Heinz from Hara da Jiro, Tokyo, Japan, December 1917

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Artifact Overview

The H.J. Heinz Company had humble beginnings in 1869 and has since become one of the most recognized names in the food industry today. This artifact, from the H.J. Heinz Company Collection, is one from The Henry Ford's sizeable collection of material dedicated to telling the company's history of innovative business practices and marketing techniques.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Letter (Correspondence)

Subject Date

December 1917

Place of Creation

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

53.41.1419

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of H.J. Heinz Co.

Material

Color
Ink
Rice Paper

Technique

Mounting
Typewriting
Watercolors (Paintings)
Writing (Processes)

Dimensions

Height: 7 in
Width: 16.75 in

Inscriptions

letter reads: 17 Sakuragi-cho, Uyeno, Tokyo, Japan. / December, 1917. / Dear Mr. Heinz: / May the coming New Year bring peace to the world and much happiness to you! / In writing upon this paper, designed to illustrate the subject - "Pine Trees by the Sea" - recently given out / by our Emperor to his people for the poem contest of the coming New Year, I wish you to be always young, preserving all / that which is beautiful and strong in you, even as the pines that keep their rich verdue throughout seasons, though / the ocean ebbs and flows and hills turn yellow in autumn. / As signified by our character for the pine (matsu) it is the prince of trees, full of dignity. / With us it stands for chastity, constancy and longevity. It is indispensable to New Year's decoration / and always used to grace the wedding ceremony -- its needles are always in pairs, even when they fall. / The pines by the sea still inspire our poets with their songs, free and true, in harmony / with the music of the waves. May they carry with them the sweetest messages / and the best greetings from Mrs. Harala and myself. / Sincerely yours, / [signature] Hara da Jiro
New Year's Day Greetings to H. J. Heinz from Hara da Jiro, Tokyo, Japan, December 1917