Specialties
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Japanese Meiji Era Eggshell Lacquer Box Tokugawa signed
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Pre 1920 item# 476626
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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5.75" long, 4" wide, 3" tall. Very good condition, very minor scratching and slight losses on edges, visible in photos. Interior has minor black paint loss. This pretty box of eggshell lacquer dates most likely to the Meiji Era, late 19th century. It is signed on the bottom, and decorated with gold makie and inlay of mother of pearl. Interestingly the piece is decorated on the lefthand corner with a Tokugawa mon, however according to Penkala in "Far Eastern Ceramics" this mon was also used by the Musashi, Matsudaira, Iwashiro, Hoshima, Ikeda and Hachisuka families. Also if this dates to the Meiji Era then it is hard to ascertain what the crest represents. Eggshell lacquer is known in Japanese as either Tamago-ji (tamago meaning egg) or Keiran nuri (Kei referring to chicken, nuri meaning lacquer). This lacquer is believed to have originated in China and was later transferred to Japan via Korea.
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Ko Imari Celadon Seiji Sometsuke Japanese Kylin plate
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Pre 1800 item# 476620
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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7.25" diameter. Excellent condition, no chips or cracks, some surface scratching. Dating to the second half of the eighteen century. Klyins are fantastic animals appearing in Chinese and Japanese art, Penkala in "Far Eastern Ceramics" described it as "a fabulous beast, a being of dual nature. Male ch'i and female lin. Its head resembles a dragons head, he has the body of a deer, and the busy tail of a lion, hoofs of a horse and one horn". For some reason the Kylin seems to have been a popular design on Imari of this period. Celadons were made at Imari since the 17c...this particular plate is typical of its period in its molded form, and simple central design. The Kylin itself is skilfully drawn, and overall the plate is a good example of later 18c Imari.
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Fine Edo Era Japanese Pottery Tea Jar Chaire
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Pre 1800 item# 475265
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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2" wide, 3.25" tall, with an antique ivory lid and an unmarked box. Dating to the Edo Era, most likely 17th, poss 18th century. Excellent condition, no damage. This is a minature masterpiece of Japanese potting, a fabulously potted form decorated with a mottled ash glaze strategically placed to allow one simple and deliberate drip as an accent in a uniquely Japanese style. This lovely tea jar shows a potting comparable to other fine pieces made from the 17th to 18th centuries for tea ceremony, and most likely originates from a kiln in Kyushu, either from the Satsuma or Karatsu region kiln (Yatsushiro, or Agano perhaps). It is string cut at the base and is a fine example for collectors of Japanese pottery or followers of tea.
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19c Japanese Pottery Tohoku Soma yaki Tea Cup
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Pre 1910 item# 474060
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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4.5" x 4", (larger than average) excellent condition with no damage. Impressed with a chop but illegible. Dating c late 19 early 20c, Meiji Era. This marvelous hand modeled and painted cup is an excellent example of Ohori Soma pottery from the Tohoku region of Norther Japan. Obori Soma (or Ohori Soma) was one of a number of Soma kilns in Fukushima Prefecture which developed out of traditions transplanted from Kyoto in the 17th century. Producing utilitarian wares for commoners, the umbrella of “Soma Obori” actually represents a number of varieties of pottery by many families. A similar cup appeared in my article on Tohoku ceramics in Daruma magazine issue 29, similar examples can be seen in Morse's c1900 famous catalog of Japanese pottery. A detailed history of Soma ceramics can be found in my article, a copy of which I will include with the cup .
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Edo Japanese Porcelain Imari Bowl Shi Shi Sho Chiku Bai
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Pre 1837 VR item# 428209
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
sold
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8.5 " x 3.5", excellent condition, no damage. Sometsuke underglaze blue somewhat faint, a normal irregularity. Dating early 19th century, late Edo Era. This charming plate is a beautiful example of Imari porcelain towards the end of the Edo Era, but is especially appealing with it's colorful palette and central shi shi, mythical dog lion. The colored enamelling is especially nice on this example, with three windows of sho-chiku-bai, plum, pine and bamboo (the three friends of winter). Pieces such as bowls and plates dating to this period were often parts of large sets made for use on special occassions, and thus are decorated with celebratory and auspicious motifs. This attractive bowl is a nice starter piece for new collectors or an appealing addition to a 19c collection.
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Very Fine Japanese Lacquer Natsume - Crow Tea Jar
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Pre 1900 item# 427948
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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3.2" x 2.2", excellent condition with no damage. Accompanied by an old marked tomobako storage box, translating to "Red-painted lacquer" (Shun-nuri), "crow" (karasu), "gold-relief lacquered tea jar "(makie hira-natsume). Dating probably 19c, Edo - Meiji Eras. Anyone who has had the chance to visit Japan quickly becomes aware of the ubiquitous crow, a bird to be reckoned with! The crow has long been a popular theme for major Japanese artists in all major mediums, and this example is a magnificent rendition with an individual crow in low relief lacquer on the exterior, with an interior revealing fine gold and silver layered lacquer work. This is an exceptional piece of lacquer in quality and theme, and a rare find for the tea practitioner or collector. Lacquer tea jars are used for dry powdered tea and are made in various sizes as one of numerous accoutrements in Japanese tea ceremony.
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19c Japanese Porcelain Soba Cup Set of 5 Aizu Hongo
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Pre 1910 item# 389778
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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2.4" tall, 2.6" wide, excellent condition with no damage. Painted mark on one cup. Dating 19c. These cups originate from the Aizu Hongo kilns in North Honshu’s Fukushima prefecture, where porcelains began being made around 1800 by potters who studied methods in other porcelain producing regions of Japan such as Arita and Seto. The kilns were begun by regional Daimyo (feudal lords) first as private kilns some two hundred years earlier, but eventually became kilns producing utilitarian wares in an attempt to develop a regional ceramic industry. While a small number of Tohoku (Northern Honshu) ceramic products were exported (the best known are those from Soma), the majority were not, and the region produced an interesting variety of ceramic types. These were made for the Japanese market and are unusual to see outside of Japan.
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17c Japanese Tokoname Hanaike Wall Vase Edo
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Pre 1700 item# 389462
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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6.7" tall, 2" wide. Very good condition, shallow chipping along edges. This simple wabi taste vase is a beautiful example of early Edo style of Japanese tea ceremony aesthetics,. This form was common during the early Edo Era, in the early 17c. It is a simple form with an early metal fitting (this is how they were made) on the back allowing it to hang against a wall. Tokoname is best known for its storage jars (from small to very large), and it differs in appearance from other stonewares like Shigaraki, Tamba, Echizen and Bizen, in clay and natural glaze effects. It is a beautiful piece ideally used in a setting related to tea ceremony, or a similar subdued or minimalistic interior.
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Mingei Rabbit Waves Japanese Tetsubin
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Pre 1910 item# 389074
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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7" across, 9.3" tall with handle extended. Dating 19 to early 20c, most likely Meiji Era. Very good condition with minor rusting on the interior; the handle also does not stand up on its own. A rare design for a tetsubin: rabbit (dancing?) on one side, waves on other. Rabbit designs and tetsubin are popular with collectors and chajin (people who practice tea ceremony). They are made in a timely and costly process where molten iron is poured in mold made of sand and clay, after which the form is tempered in a furnace and finished with minor surface work. This is an unusual piece, great for collectors of tetsubin or Japanese folk arts.
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