Door of Hope dolls have become highly collectible treasures, in part, because of their fascinating history. In 1900, five missionary ladies started the Door of Hope Mission in Shanghai. They opened schools for destitute young girls so they could learn to support themselves. As a means to learn sewing skills, the girls dressed dolls. These beautifully created and utterly different dolls are magnificent in their carvings and costuming. Heads and hands were carved from Chinese “Niponga wood” or pear wood, a light colored hardwood that is tough and difficult to carve. In its natural color it resembles the ivory of the Chinese skin. Touches of paint were then added for the lips, eyes and hair. The dolls were supplied by craftsmen skilled in wood carving and then meticulously dressed in Chinese clothing with amazing detail by the young girls. Frog closures, tiny undergarments and minute embroideries all accented these wonderful garments.

There were approximately 26 standard and premium characters representing differing Chinese social classes. Each girl could dress only about one doll a month, and the relatively low volume of production of these dolls has increased their scarcity. Production of Door of Hope dolls continued until the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1937, at which time most of the estimated total production of 20,000 Door of Hope dolls had already been made. The Buddhist Priest is considered to be one of the harder-to-find premium Door of Hope characters, and this one would be a superb addition to any Door of Hope doll collection.

Arita is a town on the island of Kyushu which has been a center of Japanese porcelain production since the seventeenth century. With Arita blue and whites, the blue is produced from a cobalt or indigo pigment and is painted straight onto the biscuit, after which the piece is glazed and fired. Ceramics for everyday use were made at the same kilns that were producing highly ornate, purely decorative wares primarily for export. Blue and white sometsuke porcelains with a karakusa designs are examples of wares made for the domestic Japanese market, and they are prized by Japanese collectors.

Tominaga Genroku was one of the principal potters of Ureshino near Arita. He was a highly skilled Japanese-style painter and potter as well as a teacher at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. He exhibited his work only at Japanese exhibitions, and later he became head of the Protection of Cultural Properties Commission. He won a “santo shohai” (third prize) at the Fifth National Industrial Exposition in 1903. His porcelain ware, which was usually decorated in blue-and-white, was collectively called "Genroku yaki". He died in 1920, and the family business was succeeded by his first son. Genroku’s works are highly regarded and are considered to be of the caliber of those by more widely known studio potters such as Makuzu Kozan. Examples of Genroku’s work are featured in the world famous Khalili Collection entitled “Treasures of Imperial Japan.”

Gama Sennin is a Taoist sennin who usually has a toad on his shoulder. Sennin are the immortals, fairies and wizards of the Taoist tradition that evolved in ancient China. They are typically depicted as recluses living in mountainous areas. They often appear dressed in tattered robes or in cloaks of mugwort leaves. Chinese tradition holds that a three-legged toad inhabits the moon and causes lunar eclipses by swallowing the celestial body. The amphibian is reputed to have stunning powers of escape and a formidable knowledge of healing plants, and the toad is associated with Taoists who seek to develop these talents. Although Taoism never took hold as a formal religion in Japan, large numbers of sennin are represented in Japanese art.

Kugikakushi came into widespread use in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were used to provide a decorative metal covering for the joints of the huge beams and posts of shrines and temples and also in the grand castles that were constructed for various daimyo (feudal lords). Nail head covers were usually cast in metal from molds, and the surface was then finished in varying techniques. So many metal alloys were used that it is difficult to determine the base metal of most kugikakushi. Some of the decorative methods include engraving the design on the mold, which creates an embossed pattern on the metal; openwork; chiseling or engraving on the finished object; plating; lacquering and enameling. Decorative motifs for many centuries played a prominent role in both the religious and daily lives of the Japanese people. Architecture was embellished with these symbols, which were representative of both the tangibles of nature and the intangibles of the spirit. Birds, bats, turtles, bamboo and family crests were some of the popular subjects for nail head covers. (See examples of kugikakushi on page 181 of “Japanese Antiques” by Patricia Salmon.)

Japanese metalwork was a sophisticated and complex craft, and the metal artist was highly esteemed. When swords were banned in 1871 by government edict, many metal craftsmen were forced into new outlets, and so the minor metal arts flourished, with one example being kugikakushi. These unusual decorative nail head covers are interesting and lovely examples of early Japanese metalwork which are sure to be conversation pieces.

The seal was an integral component of the Chinese scholar’s desk. In addition to correspondence and documents, seal marks are found most often on scroll paintings as signatures of the artist and proof of ownership by dignitaries. Inscriptions on seals became greatly expanded to carry long phrases and names of studios. Consequently, seals as a kind of certifying identification changed into artistic creations, focused on aesthetic appreciation and developed to become a unique art form.

CONDITION is excellent.

Yusoku-bina took as their premise that the hina figures should be attired in "correct" court dress. Relying on the yusoku manuals for court etiquette and dress, a new and more subdued form of hina doll emerged in the 18th century, one that adhered closely to the tastes and aesthetics of the elite of that time period. The long braid of the empress is typical of this genre, as is this simpler headpiece and puffed hair around her face. (See “Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll” by Alan Pate for similar imperial pairs.)

The quality of the relief casting is superb. It is bold and strongly rendered, exceeding half an inch (13 mm) in depth in some places. The body of the kettle surrounding the smooth recessed panels is roughly textured, and the top edge is cast with random hollows and depressions. This edge reflects “intentional damage” cast specifically to add the appearance of great age and antiquity to the tetsubin. (A tetsubin similar in style and high relief casting is illustrated in Figure No. 162 in TETSUBIN by P.L.W. Arts.)

Fine ornamental tetsubin of this type were preferred by the upper classes for the sencha style tea ceremony. A common characteristic of sencha kettles was that one side more heavily decorated than the other. In the sencha tea ceremony a tetsubin, held by the host in his right hand, is looked at by the guest with the spout pointing to the right. This is the side of the tetsubin which is usually more ornately decorated in order to enable the guest to admire the kettle’s “best” side. High relief ornamental tetsubin like this one are magnificent examples of Japanese ironwork which are very much sought after by collectors today.

CONDITION: The iron kettle is in perfect condition with only normal rusting on the interior. The bronze lid has lost its finial although the fixing rod is still firmly present.