Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Tea Articles (48)

19th century Japanese bronze tea ceremony hibashi (long metal chopsticks for handling charcoal in hibachi brazier) with finials in a form of heads of the Fungus of Immortality. These hibashi are for use in the summer time (winter ones have top half covered in wood). Finely made of bronze, beautiful casting and chiseling of the fungus, embossed areas at the working end for better handling of charcoals...

19th century Japanese Satsuma kogo (box for incense during tea ceremony), its top decorated with bamboo stems and leaves, and the sides with various flowers and leaves, and several flowers on the inside. Good potting, very nicely painted, typical Satsuma finely crackled glaze, in great condition with appropriate age and usage signs. Signed on the bottom in gold on black with 2 characters reading HARAZAN (alternative reading is Warayama). Excellent quality painting...

19th century Japanese bronze tea ceremony hibashi (long metal chopsticks for handling charcoal in hibachi brazier) with bronze working ends and handles covered in lacquered wood. These hibashi are for use in the winter time - summer ones are made entirely of metal. Finely made of bronze with high copper contents, beautiful lacquering with gold sunspots, superb patina, beautiful wear, pleasantly heavy. Length 10 inches.

Rare 19th century Japanese stoneware Kuro Oribe chaire (tea caddy for storing powdered green tea used in tea ceremony) of cylindrical shape with square shoulders. Comes with very well made shifuku (silk brocade storage bag). Beautiful free potting, typical elliptical lines on the foot left by a string used to cut off the piece from potter’s wheel...

Unusual early 19th century Japanese cloisonne kogo (covered box for incense during tea ceremony) made in a shape of a clam shell and decorated with various flowers on the background of scrolling vines. Rims are silvered (some wear), white enamel background on the outside, blue enamel on the inside. Very pleasant finish with original pitting, rare and early object in terms of Japanese cloisonné, from the period of transition from Chinese to Japanese style. Great piece in Japanese taste...

19th century Japanese ceramic Shigaraki ware chawan (tea bowl) with celadon color glaze. Shigaraki is one of the six ancient kilns of Japan with long history dating back to the medieval period. Typical Shigaraki coarse clay body with large sand particles, elegant conical shape, beautiful potting with a sublime Japanese touch of a finger print of the potter with identifiable friction ridges (located on unglazed portion of the side by white spots on the left of Enlargement 1)...

19th century Japanese chaire (tea caddy for storing powdered green tea used in tea ceremony) in a shape of a storage jar with narrow waist and wider shoulders, and 2 mock ring handles. Old Bizen ware with characteristic dark brown clay bearing the marks of potter’s fingers as he was turning the piece on a wheel. Typical Japanese elliptical lines on the bottom left by a string used to cut the item off the turning wheel. Possibly marked by the bottom - see the detail on Enlargement 1...

19th century Japanese ceramic chawan (tea bowl) for tea ceremony with light cream glaze and underglaze blue decoration of a moon rising over a Buddhist mountain temple. Inscribed in underglaze black with 3 characters which translate as ISHIYAMA-DERA (“Stone Mountain Temple”) - a Shingon temple in Otsu (Shiga Prefecture) and the thirteenth stop of the Kansai Kannon Pilgrimage. Superb free painting with strong Zen feeling, wonderful potting of shiro Raku (white Raku) body...

19th century small underglaze blue and white Japanese Arita porcelain sweetmeat dish used during tea ceremony, in lozenge shape with decoration of 2 boys among bushes on the inside, and scrolling vines on the outside. Very nice potting with indented corners, wonderful thick glaze with minute bubbles, beautiful dark spots in the paste consistent with age. Very good quality freehand painting, overall in excellent condition. Length 4 1/8 inches.

Rare 19th century Japanese ceramic Kuro Oribe chaire (tea caddy for storing powdered green tea used in tea ceremony) with two mock handles. Comes with very well made shifuku (silk brocade storage bag). Beautiful free potting, typical elliptical lines on the foot left by a string used to cut off the piece from potter’s wheel. Characteristic kuro (black) Oribe beautiful rich glaze enveloping most of the sides with one open areas painted with underglaze brown flowers, extraordinary patina...

19th century Japanese bronze tea ceremony hibashi (long metal chopsticks for handling charcoal in hibachi brazier) with finials in a form of heads of the Fungus of Immortality. These hibashi are for use in the summer time (winter ones have top half covered in wood). Finely made of bronze with high copper contents, beautiful casting and chiseling of the fungus, embossed areas at the working end for better handling of charcoals. Superb patina, beautiful wear, pleasantly heavy. Length 11 inches.

Late 19th century Japanese stoneware kogo (box for incense during tea ceremony) in a form of Daikoku holding a rice bale in front of him. Daikoku is one of the 7 Gods of Good Fortune, that of rice, and, as a consequence, of wealth. Stoneware with wonderful potting, beautiful celadon glaze, very pleasant patina. Great piece in Japanese taste. Height 2 inches.