Specialties
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Old Japanese Makie Lacquer Bento Box
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Pre 1920 item# 6067
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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6.5" square, 8.5" tall. Dating c1900-1910s, Late Meiji to Taisho Eras. Four layers and a top. Good condition with a few minor and very small chips of paint missing, a few scratches, nothing striking or noticeable. Paint of gold and silver in low relief of Peonies and flowering vines "karakusa", over a black lacquer exterior, and with a red lacquer interior. Square stacked lunch boxes are known as "jubako" in Japanese, versus what are called "danju" for round layered boxes. These are especially nice to collect since they also can be put to use as storage containers. Obtained in Japan. Main photo color is somewhat flat, please see additional photos.
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Edo Era Japanese Pottery Mingei Sake Bottle
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Pre 1900 item# 5214
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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8.5" tall x 5.5" wide. No damage, some glaze crazing. Dating approx late 18th - early/ mid 19th century. Rustic old sake bottle (tokkuri) from Seto or Shigaraki, one of Japan's great old kilns. Very simple design of six dots (flower shaped) at four locations circles the mouth, done in iron oxide. Could also be Seto, but this type of bottle is generally identified as Shigaraki. This is a nice example of Japanese folk pottery, made for common use during the Edo era; obtained in Japan.
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Old Japanese Karatsu Chawan Tea Bowl
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Pre 1700 item# 5155
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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4" diameter, 2.5" tall. Repairs, see photo. Dating 1600-1700, Momoyama to Edo Eras. A Karatsu tea bowl with a raised foot rim, of contrasting striped white and gray clays in an undulating pattern, with clear applied glazing and an unglazed foot rim. Decorated in a straw-whisk hakeme manner, and closely resembling a piece on p. 28 of Folk Kilns II, 1981 which Okamura attributes as Utsutsugawa, or Mikawachi. Accompanied by an unmarked box. Sueki was first produced at Karatsu in the Hizen province in Northern Kyushu between the sixth and tenth centuries; however the stoneware that would become so famous-- for tea and common use--began to be made in the late 16th century, when Korean potters were forced to settle in Kyushu after being brought back from Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea, (however it appears that Korean potters were working there for some time, perhaps as far back as the Muromachi era (1392-1568) before Hideyoshi's invasions). The pottery's simple beauty quickly attracted attention from people such as tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615), whose influence is felt in the affectation of form and innovative designs; although Korean potters used a simpler techniques for glazing than Mino ones. The term Karatsu actually embraces a variety of Northern Kyushu ceramic types.
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High Quality Japanese Silk Obi - Rabbit
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Pre 1960 item# 5090
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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 14' long, 12" wide. Great condition, a few slight spots which appear treatable. About 40 years old, a Wedding or special ceremonial obi. Finely finished with a brilliant Japanese abstract design. The pattern woven in the fabric is a famous old rabbit flower design, done in gold, on two backgrounds of one dark peach and another light beige peach. The reverse side is done entirely in the darker peach fabric. This quality obi is rare to see outside of Japan, as they tend to be more expensive and harder to obtain than most of those exported or sold to visiting tourists.
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18c Japanese Imari Arita Bowls Set of 5
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Pre 1800 item# 4792
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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5.5" diameter, 1.5" tall. Two are perfect in condition, one has a chip (see picture) and one has a crazing, a hairline, and a rim nick (under 1/16"), and the third has two 1 millimeter nicks (see photos). Dating to the mid / second half of the 18th century. Marked with an uzu-fuku mark. The pattern is called Tako-karakusa meaning Octopus vine, and evolved through various manifestations during the production of Imari, continuing to the present day. Japanese collectors and experts date pieces in part by scale and style of the takokarakusa pattern itself, with high quality examples winning the praise of "jozu-te", meaning that done by a skilled - hand. The central "mikomi" [literally looking in] is the famous three friends design of Sho Chiku Bai--plum, pine and bamboo, auspcious motifs which appear often on Sometsuke (blue and white) porcelains. They are marked on the reverse with the uzu-fuku mark, which while often appearing on older Japanese porcelains, also appeared on later copies in both the 19th and even 20th century (collectors beware). This form of dish began being made in the 18th century and was easy to stack for mass firing in kilns (Shibata). They are painted with a domestic cobalt (less brilliant and less expensive than imported), the porcelain is iron specked and the glaze has a somewhat celadon cast and other features typical of the period . This style was made for the Japanese market, and as a set are unusual to see in the West.
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Edo Era Japanese Crane Bronze Koro
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Pre 1900 item# 4703
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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8" long, 5" tall, very good condition with one tiny and shallow chip of metal on a feather on the tail. Unsigned. Dating most likely to the Edo period (1615-1868). Remarkable quality with fabulous detailing, this is a bronze censer of a crane, fitted with a lid. It is a fantastic naturalistic form with superb sculpting. The crane (tsuru) is a classic symbol of longevity in Japanese art, and the lid on the koro is of an ancient fan (Ushiwa), which was an emblem carried by miltary chieftans in ancient time, representing safety and said to ward off evil. Placed on the Ushiwa are rolls "Makimono", representative of wisdom. All of these symbols are part of what are known collectively as "precious things" (Takara Mono).
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Rare Old Japanese Textile - Baby Wrap
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Pre 1920 item# 4685
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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3' x 2'4". Dating approx late 19th century to 1910s, Meiji - Taisho eras. Cotton. Good condition with very slight fading and a number of rust spots. No holes. Paste resist dyeing, two panel construction, the panel indicating loom size. These are very rare to find in Japan, originating from the Sannin area of Japan. This was made for the birth of a child, and to wrap the newborn baby in (we do not know if it was used after that). The red area representing the sun, was thought to be good for a baby's health (the origin of this is probably from Chinese thinking). The auspicious designs were derieved from popular and religious beliefs. The dyeing technique called "tsutsugaki" (tube drawing) was standard for making futon covers (part of a marraige dowry), and being handmade took a good deal of time and care to make. Cotton was difficult to grow in Japan and thus was used much less than hemp, the standard fiber used for the majority of common use clothing during this period. Tsutsugaki is a paste resist dyeing process done by hand, with an applicator using a paper cone with a 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. Extremely rare.
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Rare Old Japanese Festival Kimono
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Pre 1920 item# 4677
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bleu et blanc/Blue & White America, Inc.
Tokyo Time: 011-81-90-1844-8776
sold
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4' x 4'. Cotton. Dating most likely to the 1910s, approx late Meiji to early Taisho era. Condition is fair, with fading, some patching repairs, light discoloration; it has been worn and washed many times, but still is holding up reasonably well. Fantastic design for a festival--this is one of the hardest types of old Kimono to find. The front is marked with the associated temple crest (unidentified). Brilliant Japanese design of a big lobster with waves underneath. A super example of a folk art textile. Please see following listing for additional photos. The lobster color itself may is paler than it appears in most of the photographs, the waves and crest are a dark grey and appear close to that of the photos.
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Old Japanese Imari Hiire Ash Container
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Pre 1800 item# 4358
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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" diameter, 3.5" tall, excellent condition. Dating second half of the 18th century. This is a "hiire" in Japanese, literally a fire container, or rather a miniature hibachi, used as a hand warmer and/or part of a box of smoking utensils. The pattern relates to a method of Chinese divination, and appears occassionally on Imari porcelains. This was made for the Japanese market and are unusual to see outside of Japan. See the Shibata volumes for similar examples of Hiire of the period.
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