Here we have a very unique ceremonial tea implement made by one of the most important figures from Japanese tea culture in the past century. While most tea scoops (chashaku) are made of bamboo, this piece is fashioned from the branch of a plum tree and retains part of the bark on the handle...

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
Hikawa Park, Omiya
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.5 x 10.5 inches.
Date: 1930.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. Round, red 6 mm seal at lower left, indicating a lifetime printing (1946-1957).
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Reference: Hotei #207.
Condition: Excellent. Top back margin corner has paper residue.
"Omiya...was prosperous during the Tokugawa period (1600-1868) as a post-station on the Nakasendo." - Hotei.

Japanese woodblock print of the Yasaka pagoda in Kyoto by Toshijiro Inagaki (1902-1963) depicting, almost exclusively in shades of blue, the pagoda and surrounding houses with water and hills in the distance. The blue is relieved by a few touches of red and yellow. The artist’s seal is in the lower left corner. This design is from the 1950’s but it is not numbered so may be from a later edition...

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)
Sudden Night Rain Near a Bridge
Size: Mitsugiri-ban. Approximately 15 x 6.75 inches.
Date: pre-1936.
Hiroaki seal at lower right.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
No. 539 in 1936 Watanabe catalog. M-50 in Shotei catalog.
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Top center margin has transparent tape residue.

Takahashi Shotei
Red temple in rain; priest over the steps
Date: ca. 1920s-30s.
Size: 5.75 x 3.5 inches
Reference: S-7 in Shotei catalog.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Compare with our Shotei127.

Five Sake Cups by the ;legendary Okabe Mineo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seto-Te Hai. The cups hav a very intimate feel, tiny, just enough room for a shot, each in a different style of Mino ware: Shino, E- Shino, Ki-Seto, Nezumi Shino, and Ao-Oribe. Each cup is 4.5 cm (1-3/4 inches) diameter and all are in excellent condition. It even includes the artists biography from the time, still early in his career, likely 1950s...

Comfortable in the hand and with a unique textured black Raku glaze, this tea bowl by 20th century potter Samukawa Seiho would make a fine addition for collector and practicing tea devotee alike.

Born in Osaka at the very end of the 19th century, at a young age his family moved to Kyoto where he would later take up an apprenticeship under well-known potter Sawada Sozan...

Kawase Hasui
Evening in Beppu
Souvenirs of Travel, third series.
Date: 1929.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. A first edition with the Watanabe A seal in the right margin.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15 x 10.25 inches.
Hasui signature and seal at lower left.
Reference: Hotei No. 143.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: The back has two spots of foxing. Tone line in margins.

Arai Yoshimune
Suma Beach
The figures carrying pails are making salt.
Date 1930s.
Size: Oban. 15.25 x 10.25 inches.
Unsigned.
Publisher: Nishinomiya Yosaku. Seal at left margin and back.
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso. Marked #103.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Toning. Faint surface scuff on beach. Upper right margin corner crease. Back corners have mounting residue.

Raised designs in slip decorate the yellow glaze of this deep bowl by Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in a kiriwood box titled O-yu Tsutsugaki-mon Wan annotated by Kawai Toshitaka, current head of the Kawai Kanjiro Museum. This piece dates from later in the artists illustrious career, 1950s-1960s. It is 4 inches (10 cm) diameter, 3-1/4 inches (5 cm) tall and in excellent condition...

Arai Yoshimune
Snow in Wakanoura Bay
Date 1930s.
Size: Chuban. 10.25 x 7.75 inches.
Sealed by the artist at lower left.
Publisher: Nishinomiya Yosaku. Seal at right margin and back
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Very faint foxing in sky. Back top corners have mounting residue.

Kiyomizu Rokubei Teacup Set of 11 cups for green tea.

The teaset refers to Chinese longevity teacups called Wan Shou Wu Jiang (万寿无疆 in simplified Chinese) where the character 壽 (kotobuki in Japanese or shou in Chinese) means Long Life and character 福 (fu) means Good Fortune or Blessing.

The Rokubei family is one of the most influential pottery clan from Kyoto leaded by 8th generation now with over 240 years of history.

Size
Diameter 6.6cm
Heig...

A set of colorful Tokkuri in the shape of squared gourds by Living National Treasure Kato Hajime enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Aka-e Hohyo Tokkuri (red glazed Tokkuri in squared gourd form). About the white bottom are fortuitous characters in green with a belt of blue, yellow and green in the center. They are 15.5 cm (6 inches) tall. There is slight rubbing of the red glaze typical of handling...

Dramatic waves are combed into the clay surface of this large Toban Platter by Living National Treasure Suzuki Osamu (Kura) covered in glass-like copper green; unusually signed and dated on bottom 1957 and enclosed in an artist signed wooden box...

A small bowl in Kaki-yu by important artist Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in a wooden box upon which his friend and equally important artist Munakata Shiko has painted an image of the bowl outside titled Go-Kowan (Honorable small bowl) and inside annotated: Kanjiro Sensei Saku (Made by Kanjiro), signed Munakata Shiko. It is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition...

Meiji Period (1868-1912) Japanese Raku Chawan with Amazing Glaze for Tea Ceremony Raku pottery is traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremony since as early as the 16th century. Size Width 11.3cm Height 8.3cm Weight 340g + Box 260g Condition Overall good considering the age. Supplied with fabric bag shifuku and wooden box

Ota Masamitsu (Ota Gako) (1892-1975)
Nakamura Tokizo III as Shizuka Gozen
No. 7 from the shin hanga series: Leading Figures of the Modern Stage in Their Most Famous Roles (Gendai Butai Geika).
Date: 1955.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.75 x 10.75 inches.
Publisher: Banchoro. Seal at bottom margin.
Printer: Miyake Koshodo. Seal at bottom margin.
Condition: Excellent.

Small bamboo basket box with washi. The corners of the bamboo basket are rather breakable, so it has nice washi for reinforcement outside as well as inside. In good condition. The first half of the 20th century. 10.5cm x 16cm x 5.5cm (with a lid)