Specialties
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19c Japanese Textile Fireman's Jacket
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Pre 1900 item# 8374
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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34” x 28”; relatively smaller size indicates this was made as an undercoat for a Japanese fireman. Dating Late Edo (c1800-1868) to early Meiji (c1868-1900). Excellent condition, no damage, minimal fading or color loss. A few spots of wear but no holes or tears. These remarkable textiles were worn by Japan’s volunteer firemen. While now these are displayed with the designs on the outside they were actually painted on the interiors of the coats. The best firemen’s coats were decorated with paintings ranging from the relatively restrained to the very elaborate. Subject matter often reflected mythical figures demonstrating qualities such as bravery, strength, fearlessness along with auspicious symbolism in general. The jacket is made in cotton, which in layers is quilted with sashiko stitching, and dyed in a technique known as tsutsugaki. These coats can be seen in many museum collections and are relatively rare to find otherwise.
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Fine Old Japanese Ikebana Bamboo Basket
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Pre 1920 item# 8043
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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22.5” tall, 5” (body) diameter. Dating to the first half of the twentieth century. Excellent condition, interior bamboo vase (can be removed) has cracked from the humidity change from Japan, but it is lined with a copper liner so it will not effect function as a container (see photo). Baskets going back as far as the Jomon period (c2000-1000bc) have been found in Japan (see McCallum, Containing Beauty, UCLA), where bamboo has long played an important role in Japanese life and culture. In the early 20th century baskets “hanakago” of this type were made for use in Ikebana flower arranging and for creating an appropriate setting for Japanese, and Chinese style, tea ceremony (“chanoyu” and “sencha”). Baskets were both signed and unsigned, with artists first signing their baskets in the Meiji Era (1868-1912). There are many regional and stylistic differences of basket making in Japan, with baskets from the Kansai area typically reflecting the cultural refinement of Kyoto arts and derivative of “karamono” (Chinese) taste. Baskets like this were often displayed in the “tokonama”, an alcove in a traditional Japanese room (“washitsu”) where art objects would be displayed and changed accordingly to fit a particular season and setting. Basket artisans traditionally were male, working in family traditions passed on through many generations.
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Very Rare 19c Japanese Ceremonial Baby Kimono
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Pre 1900 item# 8028
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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34� x 28�. Dating 19c, Late Edo to Meiji Eras. Very good condition with some discoloration and no significant holes or tears. Extremely rare! This marvelous small kimono was made for the ceremonial celebration of the birth of a son. Of the tens of thousands of kimono we see in Japan yearly we are lucky to find a single textile like this. Marked with family crests (maybe Goto or Matsumae crest see Penkala 178) this would have been made to order from a skilled textile craftsman for a wealthy or powerful family (crests were not only used by Samurai families). From the weaving of the fabric to the dyeing and painting techniques, considerable time and skill was involved in the production of such a garment, sometimes taking as long as six months to complete. The auspicious and resilient carp along with the presence of the color purple for bravery and valor reflected family aspirations for their son. On the back remain some colored strings which would have held additional cloth or paper attachments related to the ceremonial ritual. The dyeing technique used was the tsutsugaki technique (see our textile page to learn more), reserved for the production of special textiles such as ceremonial kimono, futon covers, and wrapping cloths.
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Japanese Woodblock Print Manga Kobayashi
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Pre 1900 item# 8010
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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Just under 10" x 14.5". Good condition, some wear as in folding, no holes, good printing. This is really a marvelous print, not only aesthetically, but showing so much invention and humor. We do not specialize in prints, but found this in Japan with a pile of manga from this series. Roughly the series is based on the theme of typical or standard expressions of people in different situations. We've understood three of these, but one is not clear. Upper left is going into hot water; upper right is a grandpa playing with his grandchild, lower left is smelling something stinky, and we're not sure about the lower right. What is so great about this print is that it really reflects common human experience, across time and cultures. As for the artist, we know the family name reads Kobayashi, the first name could be read a number of different ways. The print was registered in Meiji 15, so 1883. The printer or publisher reads something like Haruaki Hara. We don't know how common these are, or anything else about the artist, but we think it is just super.
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Japanese Pottery Ship Tokkuri Tamba
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Pre 1900 item# 7971
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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11.4” tall, about 8.25” diameter. Good condition with a chip at the mouth and a few along the base. Dating probably late 18th to mid 19th century. A very similar example of almost identical form is shown in The Brooklyn Museum’s Japanese Ceramics catalog from 1979, it is described as 17th century Tokoname. This marvelous wine bottle is called a “funa-dokkuri” in Japanese, from “fune” meaning boat, and “tokkuri” as wine bottle, when combined pronounced “funa-dokkuri”. Form following function they were made with wide bases in order to prevent falling over from being on the wavering surface of a boat. Ceramics at Tamba [Hyogo prefecture, Honshu (near Kyoto)] go back to the Kamakura era (1185-1334). Early production in the large number of kilns at Tamba was mostly of large naturally glazed utilitarian storage jars (tsubo), wide mouthed jars (kame) and bowls for grating (suribachi). Large pots were first made from clay coils and then finished on potters wheels, from which they were fired without applied glaze. From the kiln itself a natural green ash glaze was formed, often creating dramatic results. Early in the seventeenth century (Edo era 1603-1868) the potters at Tamba began to use applied glazes, and produced a variety of container styles. One distinctive slip glaze called akadobe (red earth) was developed, giving pieces a red surface finish. This is a marvelous example from this earthy old Japanese kiln.
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Meiji Era Japanese Textile Horse Noren
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Pre 1900 item# 7948
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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36" across, 43" long, three panel construction. Cotton or linen with paste resist dying, indigo dye. Very Good condition, very slight fading, slight wear from use entering and exiting, no holes or tears. Dating to the Meiji Era, late 19th early 20th century, This is called a "noren", a paneled cloth which served as a sign or decoration outside Japanese homes and businesses; this tradition still continues today in Japan. Brilliantly designed and executed, we are unsure for what purpose the horse design could have served. The dyeing technique called "tsutsugaki" (tube drawing) was standard for this kind of textile. It is a paste resist dyeing process done by hand, with an applicator using a paper cone with a metal tip used to draw a rice paste onto the cloth. After the fabric would be dyed one or more different colors, with the main background color an indigo dark blue. Outside of museums textiles like this are rare to see outside of Japan.
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Old Japanese Porcelain Soba Choko
Cup
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Pre 1900 item# 7947
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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Excellent condition. One bare unglazed spot, no damage. Measures 3.2” diameter top, 2.2” tall. Quite rare--these originate from the Tohoku region of Northern Japan, either from Kirigome (Kirikomi) or Aizu Hongo, where porcelain production started sometime in the Koki era (1789-1867), which these date from. While it is popularly believed that soba choko were made for the purpose of holding sauce for soba noodles, they actually predate the commercial production of noodles in Japan (the first shop documented opening in Osaka c1710), and were originally made for use as spice holders, tea cups, and other culinary functions. An excellent article by David Miller on in the 1999 summer issue of Daruma magazine describes the soba cup’s interesting history. Scholars commonly agree that the word “choko” originated form the Korean word “chonchi” or “chunga”, meaning small wine cups or bowls. Soba cups are generally dated in four eras (as is Imari), subdivided from the Edo era Shoki (1616-1720), followed by Chuki (1721-1788), Koki (1789-1867), and last following the Edo era the Meiji era (1868-1912. Its base style (ja-no-me) or eyeball style is typical of soba cups from the Koki era; smaller circles indicating a date later in the era. Tohoku porcelain products often imitate those of Imari but are typically done in a freer form (there are Tohoku porcelains out there, they are usually misidentified as Imari). The mark on the interior (kama) is actually a kiln mark indicating these did not originate from Imari.
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Japanese Nabeshima Style Porcelain
Plate
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Pre 1940 item# 7788
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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21cm diameter, 3.4 cm deep. Excellent condition with no chips or cracks, a faint 4mm hairline that is barely visible. Hand painted, glaze has a celadon tone. Dating probably first half of the 20th century. Nabeshima porcelains are among the most famous of Japan’s porcelains, the Nabeshima kiln operating as a clan kiln throughout the Edo Era (1612-1868) to the strictest standards of perfection which demanded the destruction of anything less than perfect. From close to its inception the style has been copied by other porcelain producing kilns, and by the late 19c the style was being produced at any number of places where porcelain was fired in Japan, including the Nabeshima kiln itself which following the Edo Era opened for commercial production. Despite its later date this piece is a fine example demonstrating fine painting and enameling in a design of maple leaves amidst waves.
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Old Japanese Hirasa Pottery Sake Carafe
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Pre 1900 item# 7663
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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 4.75”. Late 18th to early 19th centuries, Edo Era (1612-1868) Very good condition, some body crazing lines, see photo. No chips or restorations. “Karakara” is the name given to this form of sake carafe, the name obviously an onomatopoeic rendition of the sound of pouring sake. The Hirasa kilns located in Kagoshima prefecture of Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost island body, became a center for porcelain production after potters settled there from Arita in the early 18c. Products of the kiln were cobalt decorated plain porcelain wares made for everyday use such as sake bottles, tea and soba cups, rice bowls and teapots. This particular example is illustrated in the Satsuma volume of a famous Japanese language Ceramic book series. The stylized design is lively and vibrant as in the best examples of Japanese folk pottery.
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Ki-Seto Japanese Chaire Pottery Tea Jar
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Pre 1900 item# 7616
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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3.5" tall, 2" wide, with accompanying new box. Excellent condition, no damage. Ivory lid. Dating approximately Meiji Era (1868-1912). Bottom cut in string cut manner. Ki-Seto or Yellow Seto from the Mino region of Japan was the forerunner of Shino and Oribe wares (see other listings for the background of Shino and Oribe). Ki-Seto grew out of the Ko-Seto tradition in the late 16th century, and typical examples of that era are cahracterized by a pale buff or yellow glaze with splashes of green and outlines of brown, from copper oxide glazing. Stylized and simply designed motifs often were of plants or vegetables. This example is later; good copies of Momoyama tea wares were made throughout the Edo and Meiji Eras by skilled potters, some of the most well known including Shuntai, Sakuske and Kato Sakuro. Copies were not made in the sense of forgery but as both techical challenges for the potters, and in a pottery tradition of paying homage. Ceramic tea containers (cha-ire: literally tea put in) for thick powdered tea are used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Tea jars have been used in this manner for the tea ceremony since before the Edo era, when jars from China were first used (karamono) and from which a distinctly Japanese form developed.
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