This is a vintage Japanese kokeshi doll. The body is made of a solid piece of keyaki (paulownia) wood. The head, also keyaki, is attached w/a dowel. Has a very sweet face. Signed.
In excellent-good condition. Slight wear to varnish surface. Painted design intact throughout.
Measurements: Height: 10 in. (25.4 cm); Width: 5.5 in. (14 cm); Weig ...click for details
This lovely black-and-white sumi-e painting of a scruffy-looking Daruma, patriarch of Zen Buddhism, was once part of the lining of a man's haori jacket. Thus, the painting is done over two panels, on a fine, satin (habutae) silk. A light wash of cinnabar red gives color to Daruma's cheeks, forehead, chest, etc. It is signed and stamped (not read). A powerful painting; very skillfully done!
This is a vintage red Shino (aka-shino yaki) stoneware teapot from Japan. Shino stoneware, still made today, is produced in small villages scattered high in the mountainous region of Mino. The Shino yaki tradition began some time in the 1500s.
This pot has a swiftly and artistically drawn "picture" done in red, using the local iron/magnesium "oni-ita" clay as an underglaze. The picture seems to be p ...click for details
This large copper bell once hung from the eaves of a Shinto shrine in Japan. Before beginning to pray, visitors would pull down on the cord to call the "kami" (god-sprits). Clapping their hands twice, they would then pray.
When rung, this bell makes a very wonderful hollow sound. It has a charming, all-over greenish patina. Hard to date, but patins suggest significant age. See my pics of Hanazono shrine in Shi ...click for details
