A fine old ceremonial sake pourer, hisage, hand made from copper and decorated with shochikubai (pine, plum and bamboo), minogame and cranes. Also present are two prominent Tokugawa family crests and on the handle three 16 petalled chrysanthemum crests and another on the rear handle mount. 19th century or earlier. Fine work.
The body of the pourer has probably been raised from one sheet of copper...
A Japanese copper writing box used for paper and writing supplies. The lid is engraved with grape leaves and grape clusters. The border is nail studded. The interior is beige velvet.
Date: Taisho c1920
Dimensions: 11" X 9.25" X 2.75"
Antique Japanese copper and bronze tsuri-doro, Buddhist temple hanging lantern. Six sided lantern with doors decorated with pierced designs of kiri blossoms and scrolling leaves. The base stands on feet which have a repouse design of lotus leaves. The top finial and handle is in the shape of a budding chrysanthemum flower. The double door is latched with a flying crane...
A Japanese bronze vase decorated with dragons and clouds. Meiji period, mid to late nineteenth century. Unsigned. The work is reminiscent of Murata Seimin.
Approximately 21 cm high...
A five prong vajra or dorje. Bronze, with fine reddish green patina. Japan, 18th century. Length: 13 cm. Very good condition.
A rare Japanese bronze mirror in Tang style dating to the late Heian period decorated with Karahana, Tang flowers, and a pair of Mandarin ducks, symbols of marital fidelity. A distinguishing feature of Japanese mirrors was that each individual design was carefully carved into the sand mould using a spatula and similar tools, so that no mirror was identical, rather than using a mould as did the Koreans and the Chinese...
Japanese small bronze censer for a Buddhist shrine, made in a squat round form with inlaid gold metal shapes in a random pattern. Cast mark on the bottom. Nice patina.
Meiji Period (1868-1912)
Dimensions: 2" high x 2 7/8" wide diameter
A bronze mirror, wakyo, decorated with a classic Autumn pattern that evolved in the Heian period which features a pair of birds, sparrows, water weeds, ashi, water, and a wave washed sandy beach, suhama. The design is cut by a single ring. The design of the inverted pistil boss and the density of the design, horror vacui, dates the mirror to the late Kamakura period 1275-1325.
A great deal of the detail has been lost as a result of wear and over polishing...
A good quality mirror of comparatively small proportions decorated with a fine line drawn pattern of a double and single Chrysanthemum supported by a fence and a banded hedge set against a fine sand textured ground to the reverse of the mirror. Fine line drawing in this style first appears in the eighteenth century. The mirror is signed on the left hand side Fujiwara Mitsumasa...
A Japanese handled mirror, e-kagami, decorated with a Hoo Bird in flight, a harbinger of Peace, combined with Waka Matsu, Young Pine, a common motif associated with the celebration with the New Year. The design can therefore be seen as symbolising a wish for a Peaceful New Year.
In the right hand portion of the mirror reverse is a set of four characters reading Fujiwara Mitsunaga...
A Japanese handled mirror, e-kagami, cast with a Hoo bird in flight, a symbol or harbinger of peace, and a Kiri tree to its right, auspicious symbols associated with the Empress of Japan, Kiri ni Hoo. Beneath which is pine tree set upon a rocky shoreline washed by seigaiha; a wave pattern symbolizing eternal peace and happiness. The design overall connoting a wish for Peace and Harmony.
To the left of the pattern is a set of four characters reading Fujiwara Mitsunaga...
Considered auspicious symbols of wealth, status, and good fortune; foo dogs—commonly referred to as shishi or koma-inu in Japan—are often seen in pairs guarding shrines, straddling the doorways of shops, and protecting public buildings. This fierce guardian appears to be made from bronze, has very detailed and skillful etching, and a wonderful patina that would place it sometime before the turn of the last century.
Guardian lions are commonly seen in pairs...
This finely crafted Japanese yakkan (copper teapot) shows the kind of beautiful patina that can only be achieved with time and careful used and looks to date from the Meiji period of the late 1800s.
The brilliant rich auburn color of this type of metalwork is achieved by adding smoked straw during the firing process and often deepens in character over time...
This is a beautiful pair of mixed metal decorated bronze vases. They are highly detailed and stand just 5 inches. Both vases are signed Miyabe Atsuyoshi. One vase has a lightly bent rim otherwise the condition of the pair is excellent.
This is an exquisite decorated iron Koro signed Nihonkoku Kyoto ni sumu Komai sei. The condition is excellent and actually better than the images show. A glue/cloth residue was left on the underside and side of the base.This is easy to remove.The piece stands 4 1/8 inches tall and is 3 1/8 inches wide. The delicate lid appears to be silver.
With short neck and ovoid body, this beautiful Japanese copper ‘do-chu' vase is marked 'Hisayoshi' on the side. The brilliant rich color of this type of ware is achieved by adding smoked straw during firing and often deepens over time...
The design of this mirror has not entirely escaped the conventions of earlier Kagami-e (Long handled Mirrors) of the late Muromachi –Momoyama era, which are essentially mirrors of conventional round form retaining a central boss to which a handle has been attached.
In this example the Cranes are arranged directly opposite each other, their beaks meeting with that of the kame, to create a T form; a convention that appears in the late 16th century...
A small bronze, hakudo (white bronze), early handled mirror 17.2cm long. The mirror portion measuring 7.7cm in diameter. Typically for an early bronze mirror, it is basically a round handleless mirror, even down to a pierced boss for the attachment of a ribbon, with an attached handle.
The mirror is of a design typical of the sixteenth century incorporating a pair of Cranes, sotsuru, conjoined at the beak with a tortoise kame-gata form central pierced boss in a “Y” shaped formation In add...