Thick hirame polished gold disks glimmer on the surface of this peach-shaped container by Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Toju. The peak is tinged pink, while a green leaves embedded with kiri-gane gold wrapping up the sides. A striking work of kanshitsu (dried lacquer art) from the pinnacle of the artists career. It is 7.5 cm (3 inches) tall, the same diameter and is in excellent condition...

A splendid antique cut glass cup selected and decorated by contemporary female lacquer artist Arai Etsuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Glass Maki-e Hai, Yoake (Glass Sake Cup named Breaking Dawn). She said that when she first saw the glass in a street market, she instantly envisioned how the engraved patterns could be accentuated by colors and powdered precious metals. Here an interesting comparison of techniques is possible...

A very modern and sleek interpretation of the classic lacquer sake warmer otherwise known as a “chōshi” in Japanese. The author of this piece, Kado Isaburō, was born in the town of Wajima in Ishikawa in 1940. Born into a crafting family, he learned the family trade from a young age from both his mother and father and would later go on to do an apprenticeship under Hashimoto Tetsuhiro...

A blue tailed lizard, symbol of summer, crawls up the gnarled root, tiny ants, a tempting snack just above. This is a piece from the Shiun studio designed by Okada Yuji, the decoration performed in built up Iro-urushi colored lacquer. It is 45 cm (18 inches) long and in excellent condition, enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seasonal Visitors...

Gold disks like suns gleam in a shimmering blue cloud of mother of pearl stars on this dry lacquer vase by Okada Yuji dating from 2011. In the center, a golden spout rises up from a deep pool, like a digitized map of the event horizon of a black hole. An incredible shape and incredible work of art by this important post-war dreamer...

A wave like form seemingly cut from stone decorated with a river of black lacquer in which flows inlayed mother of pearl and Suzuita metal strips by Okada Yuji exhibited at the 32nd National Modern Crafts Exhibition in 1993. An exciting and striking work sure to inspire conversation. It is 43 x 55 cm. The height is dependent upon how it is displayed (we currently have one side elevated to flow like a waterfall)...

To use the term Museum quality would be an understatement. This piece, I always had the impression, wat the artwork for which Okada Sensei was most proud. A dry lacquer base covered in layer upon layer of iro-urushi colored lacquer to which has been added hira-maki-e, taka-maki-e, toidashi-maki-e, inlays of mother of pearl, and the entire carved through revealing the layers of color beneath. It was created in 2002 and comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box...

Creatures congregate among the fallen leaves and small grasses surrounding this incredible Kanshitsu (dry lacquer) box by Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yafu (Field Wind). A plethora of techniques have been used to create this box. First the dry lacquer technique means perhaps a year in creating the egg-like shape, due to drying time of the many layers. It is covered in polished black lacquer, with leaves of gold maki-e riven with kirigane cut gold chips...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, an inscribed lacquerware covered vessel from the famed U Aung Myint workshop in Myinkaba Village, Pagan Burma (Myanmar), from which the British Museum has commissioned pieces for display in London. See Isaacs and Burton, Visions from the Golden Land, Burma and the Art of Lacquer page 222-223...

Like the layered hills of Kyoto at twilight, this vase is of Kanshitsu dry lacquer body with layers of colored Urushi by Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. in the dark blue about the base glimmers tiny flakes of mother of pearl. The rim is covered in white Chogai shell applique. About the flaring neck, is a slight indentation, a very challenging form to be polished out. It is 34 cm (just more than 13-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition...

Done in a style reminiscent of Japanese Mingei art, this striking yet functional folk-craft piece is the creation of Chikuunsai Tanabe III. Made entirely of traditional materials, the red lacquer is quite eye-catching and is sure to liven up any setting.

As the name suggests, Chikuunsai (1940-2014) is from a line of woodworkers—“Chiku” in this case meaning bamboo...

A striking Dry Lacquer form covered in black lacquer with a galaxy of red and gold swirling about the offset neck, the entire an undulating wave of abstracted dimensions by Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 32 x 27 x 8.5 cm and in perfect condition, dating from 2007.
Okada Yuji was born in Kyoto in 1948 and graduated with honors from the Kyoto Hiyoshi-ga-oka High School Lacquer Course, Receiving top prize for his graduation project. In 1969 he apprenticed unde...

Seed pods cluster beneath the glimmering white flowers clinging to the silver tinged gold vines decorating the exquisite marbled grain of this large tray from Okada Yuji. The vines and leaves are in gold and silver taka-maki-e, the flowers inlaid carved and polished shell, and the beans are inlaid lead. The tray has been enhanced with wiped on lacquer accentuating the natural wood grain. Turned from a tree dried for over ten years in 1995, it was decorated by Okada in 2008. The tray is 46 cm di...

A strange phenomenon occurs when walking past this piece. From head on it appears to be highly textured gold veined with blue mother of pearl. Move a little and the Ke-uchi designs laid out on chevrons overlapping the gold design stand out strongly, move a little more and the brilliant red disc in center comes into view for the first time. This piece shows the true mastery of lacquer craft Okada Yuji possessed. The ability to make something change, the phantom of a sun, is both mesmerizing an...

A voluminous wine glass with lacquer colored stem and dark foot by the Shiun studio of Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is roughly 12 cm (4-3/4 inches) diameter, 26 cm (10-1/4 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
This is not dishwasher safe

An intriguing architectural sculpture by lacquer artist Okada Yuji exhibited at the 25th Gendai Kogeiten National Contemporary Crafts Exhibition in 1984. The wooden structure is edged with strips of pewter, the sculpted wings covered in red and black lacquer surrounding a field straight off the deep ocean floor or some alien landscape. The center is made of shitaji, a combination of powders and lacquer, carved and covered in Suzu-fun metalic dust. It is 60 cm square and in perfect condition ...

A beautiful hand crafted box by Nitta Kiun enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tanzaku Bako (Poem Card Box). It is 40 x 11 x 7 cm and in perfect condition. Nitta Kiun was born in Wakayama in 1944, and studied woodcraft under his father, establishing his own woodcraft studio in 1980. He held his first Solo exhibition in 1985, and was accepted for the first time the following year into the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Crafts Exhibition. He was awarded Governors prize in 1988 at ...

The spider crosses a glimmering golden web wet with dewdrops of solid gold Hirame and inlayed mother of pearl, a stellar work by Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The interior and base are glittering with gold Nashiji. Known for his depictions of small creatures, this is a perfect example of his work. It is 8 cm (just over 3 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Okada Yuji was born in Kyoto in 1948 and graduated with honors from the Kyoto Hiyoshi-ga-oka High S...