Giboshi is an architectural element used on older Japanese bridges. The ends are bulbous and come to a point, resembling the onion domes in Western culture and architecture. They are often found in older Japanese bridges and on bridges in Japanese gardens, temples and shinto shrines. This giboshi was purchased in 1973 from an antiques shop on Shinmonzen Street in Kyoto, and a copy of sales original receipt is available.

CONDITION is excellent, with wonderful original patina. There is some light wear consistent with age and usage.

The Somada style of lacquering developed in the mid-18th century. The highly skilled craftsmen of this school specialized in intricate mosaic inlays of rich colorful iridescent aogai shell and often tiny pieces of gold and silver foil. Tiny flakes of rainbow-colored shell were sliced paper-thin and imbedded flush with the lustrous black roiro lacquered surface to form a precise and highly intricate design. Their black background lacquer was deep in color and usually of excellent quality. Their works were rarely signed. The word “Somada” has come to be a generic term used to describe this style of lavish and highly colorful inlay. (See “Inro and Other Miniature Forms of Japanese Lacquer Art” by Melvin and Betty Jahss.)

This type of moribon basket or tray was used for displaying seasonal fruit, and it was carved out of a single tree stump. (A similar example can be seen in Figure 133 in “Shadowed Reflections, Japanese Views,” a hardcover catalog by Kagedo Japanese Art.) This is a wonderful and scarce example of early Japanese burl wood carving.

CONDITION is very good, consistent with age and usage. Wonderful rich patina. There is evidence of an early restoration to age cracks in the handle which does not detract from its appearance in any way.

The Amah (nursemaid) is dressed in a simple white cotton side-fastened top with four frog closures. Her faded pants had originally been blue. She has the larger unbound feet, showing her lower social station, and she wears a plain black cotton headband on her head. Her hair is painted black, with a carved black bun at the nape of her neck. The Amah’s wooden arms terminate in beautifully carved hands and fingers. The Baby is fastened to her back by a traditional Chinese baby carrier, which is nearly square and made of light blue embroidered silk. To each of the four corners is sewn a coarse muslin tie band, which are all brought around to the front and fastened by tying across the diagonal at the Amah’s mid-section. The Baby is positioned to look over its Amah’s shoulder.

The Baby wears printed cotton garments, with open-crotch seam striped leggings and a tiny checked and floral pattern top. A circular collar of stiffened embroidered silk covers the top. On its head, the child wears an embroidered pink silk cap with fuzzy “ears” embroidered on. The Baby is a totally separate Door of Hope doll which is tied into the carrier on the Amah’s back.

Door of Hope dolls have become highly collectible treasures, in part, because of their fascinating history. In 1900, five missionary ladies started the Door of Hope Mission in Shanghai. They opened schools for destitute young girls so they could learn to support themselves. As a means to learn sewing skills, the girls dressed dolls. These beautifully created and utterly different dolls are magnificent in their carvings and costuming. Heads and hands were carved from Chinese “Niponga wood” or pear wood, a light colored hardwood that is tough and difficult to carve. In its natural color it resembles the ivory of the Chinese skin. Touches of paint were then added for the lips, eyes and hair. The dolls were supplied by craftsmen skilled in wood carving and then meticulously dressed in Chinese clothing with amazing detail by the young girls. Frog closures, tiny undergarments and minute embroideries all accented these wonderful garments.

There were approximately 26 standard and premium characters representing differing Chinese social classes. Each girl could dress only about one doll a month, and the relatively low volume of production of these dolls has increased their scarcity. Production of Door of Hope dolls continued until the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1937, at which time most of the estimated total production of 20,000 Door of Hope dolls had already been made. The Amah and Baby pair is considered to be one of the harder-to-find premium Door of Hope characters, and this one would be a superb addition to any Door of Hope doll collection.

CONDITION overall is excellent. There is fading and minor discoloration on the clothing, both of which are consistent with age. These dolls came from the estate of a private collector. Metal doll stand is included.

Wakasa was a provincial lacquer center which developed its own technique, which is very much like tsugaru lacquer. In Wakasa-nuri, layers of different colored lacquers (predominantly brown, yellow-gold and orange) were applied to a ground deliberately rendered uneven by applying a paste, such as egg white or chalk, or by the addition of small pieces of egg shell, rice chaff, etc. Very thin gold or silver foil was then pressed so firmly into this “relief” that it fit the uneven surface like a skin. Then a coating of transparent lacquer was applied and, after it had hardened, everything was polished down to form a smooth surface. As a result, a mottled effect was created as the layers of colored lacquer under the gold foil reappeared in places to produce rather unusual patterns. This style of stand was traditionally used for an ikebana floral arrangement display or for a home altar.

Surrounding the crest and filling each of the corners are a flying crane (“tsuru”), a long-tailed tortoise (“kame” or “minogame”) and “shochikubai” (pine, plum and bamboo). “Sho” represents the pine tree for longevity, “chiku” represents the bamboo for tenacity, and “bai” represents the plum tree with its blossoms for beauty. The crane is one of the luckiest and happiest symbols in Japanese animal lore, and it is most closely associated with the New Year and with marriage ceremonies. The tortoise is believed to live to an exceptional age, at which time it develops a flowing white tail. In the Japanese art design known as "tsuru to kame,” the tortoise is teamed with the crane, also a symbol of longevity, and the two animals frequently appear with pines, plums and bamboo, just as they do on this wonderful textile.

This futon cover is made of four panels of coarse hand spun woven cotton that have been hand sewn together to make a large rectangle. This is the only way authentic old futon covers were made in Meiji Japan because loom widths were narrow, typically 12 to 14 inches. The assembled futon cloth was then dyed using a rice paste resist and all natural dyes for the colors. Indigo textiles were the fabric of the countryside in Japan, and they are wonderful examples of Japanese folk art or mingei.

The “tsutsugaki” technique involves freely drawn designs that are applied to cotton with paste resist squeezed through a paper cone having a tubular metal tip. The textile is then dipped repeatedly in indigo dyes. Where the paste lines had once been, white lines now remain, outlining the design in sharp contrast to the deep indigo blue background. Country dyers produced tsutsugaki textiles -- often with mythical and auspicious designs -- as bedding, wrapping clothes, banners and celebratory textiles for weddings, births and other important events. These tsutsugaki textiles were part of a bride’s trousseau which parents prepared for their daughter as a prayer for the well being of her new family as well as her happiness, so great care was taken in their handling as they were regarded as necessary for an auspicious future.

CONDITION is excellent and near perfect. The futon cover has been washed and used, but there are no holes, tears, repairs or other problems. There are one or two very tiny brown spots here and there, but you have to look hard to see them. This Japanese folk textile has it all: the larger size, varying shades of indigo dyes, a family crest, numerous auspicious symbols, and great condition.

The white blossoms of the plum tree, with their delicate fragrance, have been likened to a beautiful woman and her feminine charms, whereas an ancient, twisted blossoming tree branch is emblematic of strength, endurance and the vitality of old age. Plum blossoms are often seen in combination with pine and bamboo (“shochikubai”), and this combination signifies lasting happiness and longevity.

In ginbari, a copper or brass body is generally covered with a thin sheet of silver foil which frequently has a stippled or other repetitive design embossed upon it. The foil is then covered with transparent or translucent enamel, so that the reflective quality of the foil enhances the color and gives the piece a shimmering effect. The background portion of the piece has some similarity to basse-taille in that light traverses the transparent enamel layer to shine from the hollows and ridges of the design. The foreground in gin-bari is like standard cloisonné in that it is made of wired cells filled with colored enamels, either transparent, semi-transparent or opaque. Akasuke is a type of ginbari in which a brilliantly-polished copper body is punched, often in an overall stippled design, and a transparent red enamel (hence the name “pigeon blood”) is applied over the entire object. The combination of the transparent red enamel and bright copper base gives rise to a deep reflective look which is quite pleasing, resulting in a creation of the utmost delicacy and subtlety with a three-dimensional effect.

CONDITION is excellent; no damage. DIMENSIONS: 5” (12.7 cm) high, 4 ½” (11.5 cm) diameter.