Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Metalwork (15)

A small beaker form vase of square section with vertical barbed halberd shaped vertical flanges dating to the Meji period. The decoration rather than cast has been cold chiselled in “Chinese style”. The upper register contains four seasonal vignettes, Spring Ume ni Egisu, Bush warbler and Plum blosson, Summer, Botan ni Kiji, Autumn Maple and Deer, Shika Momiji-zu, and Winter, Pine and Cranes, Matsu ni Tsuru...

A rectangular bronze suiban decorated with patterns of swimming Koi in fast flowing water. The design apparently largely cold worked rather than cast and patinated with a reddish brown finish. The moulded handles in the form of Kuwai, the marshland Japanese Arrowhead plant. The suiban measures 18.5cm long, excluding the handles, and 13cm wide and stands 7.2cm high to the rim and weighs approximately 1.1kg. The bronze is in good, sound condition. It dates to the late Meji period...

An archaistic style large heavy baluster form Hu shaped vase with elephant form handles. A taotie mask to the neck and further pendant Taotie masks of shield form, cicada, arranged around the shoulder of the vase. The foot of the base decorated with further Taotie style motifs. The design is partially cast but with some cold working notably to the neck and the foot of the vase. The vase has an attractive mottled patination. The interior of the vase is quite roughly cast...

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...

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...

An iron and copper alloy black lacquered Tsuba of mokko-gata form with dragon in clouds pattern indistinctly signed. It measures 7.5cm (2.98ins) by 7cm ((2.8ins) approximately 4.78mm (0.19 inches). For condition please see images, some minor corrosion, rust in places. Shipping at Cost.

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 small bronze mirror with a diameter of 6.88cm (2.71 inches) and a total length of 12.1cm (4.8 inches) weighing a mere 42gm. Decorated with a Kano school asymmetric composition of a prancing Tiger and Bamboo probably having a common source to similar compositions found on Kakiemon porcelain. The mirror is signed Fujiwara. Dating probably second half of the 17th century. For condition see photos. some wear and minor corrosion. Worldwide shipping at Cost.

An e-kagami of very small proportions 69.4mm (2.73 inches) in diameter, and 12.2cm (4.8 inches) weighing 51gm. Decorated with a sand textured ground and Hares, usage, leaping over stylised waves, nami,in this example taking the form of ryusuimon in which there is a reflection of a crescent moon. The mirror is signed Fujiwara and probably dates to the late seventeenth century, Mid Edo period. For condition see photos, some wear and minor corrosion. Worldwide shipping at Cost.

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...

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...

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 Japanese circular hand mirror decorated with a stylised representation of Penglai, Horai, island the principal elements of which are a pair of small birds in flight, stylised rocks with pine branches above stylised waves and a central Turtle, kame, form boss. The mirror is probably late Kamakura or Nambokucho in date, first half of the fourteenth century. The mirror measures approximately 10.7cm in diameter, and 0.7cm high at the rim, and the edge measures 3.75mm in width, and weighs 200gms...

A Japanese Bronze mirror of circular form decorated with Chrysanthemum Sprays a pair of Cranes, Tsuru, in flight, a circular ring and a central Turtle, Kame, shaped boss. Probably late Kamakura or Nambokucho in date, first half of the fourteenth century. The mirror measures approximately 11.45cm in diameter, and 0.76cm high at the rim, and the edge measures 5.1mm in width, and weighs 273 grams. See images for condition, wear commensurate with its age. Shipping within the UK included in the ster...