Kokeshi, wooden folk toy of NE Japan. Height: 7". This is an example of "Goroujou" tradition of Iwate Prefecture. It is also a rare example of extant pre-WWII kokeshi. It was made at Yumoto Onsen by the artisan, Fujiwara Masagoro, who was born in Meiji 16 (1883!) and passed away at the age of 64 on June 12th, 1947 (Showa 22.) For a brief story on "dentou" (traditional) kokeshi, please see our weblog, which is accessible through our Trocadero website.

A splendid stoneware dish by Sakuma Totaro (1900-1976) with the original signed and inscribed storage box, tomobako. Showa period, mid 20th century.

A substantial dish with deep brown iron glaze leaves on a jade green copper glaze. The back of the dish is undecorated and covered in a transparent ash glaze...

Kawase Hasui
Shirozaki, Tajima, 1924.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.5 x 10.5 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. Bears the Watanabe C (sausage) seal indicating printing between 1929-1942.
Signed in purple and sealed in red by the artist.
Condition: Excellent.

1940s Nezumi Shino Ware Chawan Teabowl for Tea Ceremony. Shino pottery is produced in today's Gifu prefecture since 16th century and it is distinguished by thick white glazes, red marks and the surface of small holes. Size Diameter 12cm Height 7.9cm Weight 380g Condition Overall good. No chips, no cracks. Supplied with wooden box

Rare hat made of rice straw and indigo dye cotton cloth which is hand-spun. It was worn by a hunter or a worker in the mountain. From Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku. Generally in good condition. The first half of the 20th century. L:52cm (indigo cloth 42cm ), W:32cm

A fabulous ceramic casket by Kawai Kanjiro covered in his famous Gosu blue with abstract colorful patterns enclosed in a wooden box signed by the head of the Kawai Kanjiro Kinenkan Museum. It is 25 x 14 x 14 cm (10 x 5-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters...

Shonai obi (sash) hand-woven of cotton for warps and paper yarn for wefts. It is made in Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku district. It is dyed with vegetable indigo and has beautiful tassels in both ends. In excellent condition except for a few tiny stains. The first half of the 20th century. 29cm x 3m56cm

Antique Japanese Kanban soroban (abacus). Used by merchants, this large sized abacus has eyelets for hanging. It has 21 rows of wooden beads with 5 beads in each column (105 beads total). The beads are fitted onto wooden dowels. Behind each dowel is a boar's hair bristle which holds each bead in position when it's pushed upward even while the soroban is hanging sideways.

Showa Period (early-mid 20th century)

Dimensions: 43" wide x 12" high x 2 1/4 deep.

A lovely bowl covered with abstract flower designs by Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hanawan. It is 12 cm (4-3/4 inches) diameter, 11.5 cm tall and in excellent condition. Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters...

Kawase Hasui
Late Autumn at Lake Yamanaka
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.25 x 10.5 inches.
Date: 1947
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. Bears the Watanabe 6 mm seal, consistent with a lifetime strike and first edition.
Condition: Excellent. Light tone at margin.
A breathtaking view of Mount Fuji with sunlit foreground in a rarely seen Hasui design.

A bag for backpacking made of rice straw. It has indigo dyed hemp thread ornament. The cord is cotton. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. W:41cm H:37.5cm Thickness:5cm

A classic design, the peach is said to represent long-life for mortals and immortality for the gods in Asian folklore. According to legend, the moon goddess—a powerful alchemist—can make an elixir from peaches that grow in the garden of the western paradise with miraculous revitalizing properties. This piece was made by one of the few great female Japanese potters of the 20th century—Suwa Sozan II, daughter of Meiji Imperial Court Artist Sozan I...

Paul Jacoulet
Le Mandarin Aux Lunettes, Mandchoukuo (The Mandarin with Glasses, Manchuria).
Date: May 22, 1950.
Size: Dai-oban. Approximately 19 x 14 inches.
Edition: 231/250.
Carver: Maeda, Printer: Uchikawa.
"Note the mica of the lenses, made by using crushed pink pearls." - Richard Miles, The Prints of Paul Jacoulet.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Slight fading. Toning on verso.

Gold and silver steel cigarette case. Work in the style of Komei. The landscape decorations are in gold and silver relief. Examination with a magnifying glass does not show us the typical scratches of a damascene work (nunome zogan). The borders are worked with floral motifs in slight relief, the hollows being filled with black lacquer. two golden metal chains to hold the cigarettes. These two chains are extendable by a clever spring system hidden in each link...

A bag made of rice straw. In good condition but some scraps of rice straw fall. The first half of the 20th century. W:39cm H:21cm Thickness:12cm

Ohno Bakufu
Flying Fish (Tobiuo)
Series: Familiar Fishes of Japan (Dai Nihon gyorui gashu)
Size: Oban. Approximately 16 x 11.25 inches.
Date: 1938.
Edition: No. 260 (noted on back in pencil).
Publisher: Kyoto Hanga-in. Publisher's seals on back in English and Japanese.
Artist's signature and seal upper right.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print employing mica and gofun highlights.
Condition: Light toning to former matte edge. Verso toned...

This is one of the original works of Tokisada Nakamura, who signs as Masatoshi in this miniature sculpture that depicts Oni, the little demon, crossing a river in the company of a Man and a Woman. The Oni is carrying a skull ended mast, and he is holding on to the woman's arm. The man is carrying, over his left shoulder, a large Mokugyo and a couple of giant lotus flowers. He is picking up his robe to prevent it from getting wet...

Japanese early 20th century bronze water lily design vase. By artist, BOKUZEN. Comes with TOMOBAKO, or original artist signed wooden storage box. The vase measures 11 1/8" tall by 7" wide at the widest point.