This pleasant little brass sculpture, probably Japanese, seems to represent a sumotori in a wrestling position, although its grimacing face could also evoke an unusual depiction of a demon. On the back, it bears the inscription “kohan kyo” (“living on the shore”), that can be the name of a place or the designation of the artist. This sculpture was possibly made around the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century...

This remarkable set of 5 Kutani sake cups is part of a series of mostly antique and vintage items that we recovered from the storehouse of a retired construction contractor. His house is located in the southern part of Kyoto, where buildings from the Edo and Meiji periods still stand...

This splendid Persian bowl dates from around the 9th ~10th century AD. A Japanese specialist named Ichikawa Kiyoshi certified it as being from the Nishapur area of Persia (modern Iran); the city of Nishapur, located on the silk road, was at that time a major pottery production center, and one of the largest city on the planet. Its glazed potteries in particular were well sought after.

The bowl comes from a private Japanese collector...

This spectacular chaire (tea caddy) is part of a series of mostly antique and vintage items that we recovered from the storehouse of a retired construction contractor. His house is located in the southern part of Kyoto, where buildings from the Edo and Meiji periods still stand. His son not being interested in inheriting his father's collection, we were asked to take them out, and we are now able to present them to you...

Very elegant black haori (kimono jacket), hand-painted with multicoloured leaves and flying butterflies, some of them outlined with embroidery, on a black ground. The lining, decorated with pale pink chrysanthemum flowers, is also beautiful.
This haori has never been worn, and is in perfect condition. There are still basting threads on the sleeves and on the front...

A splendid chaire (tea caddy) made by an artist named Moritoki Taiyu. This thick tea container is a Bizen ware, from one of the six oldest remaining Japanese pottery traditions. Bizen is a small town in Okayama prefecture (ancient Bizen province). There, for more than one thousand years, potters have been producing a sober yet strong looking wood fired ceramic...

Kondo Yuzo (1902-1985) is one of the best-known Japanese potters of the 20th century. Born in Kyoto, his kiln was in the famous Kiyomizu temple area...

This finely carved kōgō (incense container) dates from Edo period and was made using wood from the Hōryūji. This temple is notably famous for containing some of the oldest wooden buildings in the world. In its natural simplicity, this incense container is a good reflection of the Japanese aesthetic...

Set of five charming Kyoto porcelain chawan (tea bowls), dating probably from the end of Edo period (mid-XIXth century), hand-painted in underglaze blue with two figures on the foreground – two hermits? – and a peasant in the background, in a landscape with a willow tree. They are in perfect condition and come with a wooden box.
Dimensions: diameter: 6.8 cm (2.7 in), and about 5.8 cm high (2.3 in)

Lovely miniature shrine (zushi), enclosing a minutely carved wooden sculpture of Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), with eleven heads and four arms, two of them forming the meditation mudra, two others the veneration mudra. The deity's dress, the lateral inner faces and the opening's frame are enhanced with gold lacquer and the back on the inside decorated with a piece of fabric...

Lovely small incense container in zelkova wood by the late-Edo-period lacquer artist Tamakaji Zōkoku (1805-1869), carved with chrysanthemums and keyfret borders on the sides, and painted in red, black and yellow lacquer.
Tamakaji Zōkoku is said to have initiated the style called sanuki-bori of Kagawa Prefecture (Shikoku island), based on his studies of Chinese lacquerware techniques, creating a new field in the lacquer arts...

This remarkable box made of lacquer and gold dates from the end of the Edo period (1615-1868). It was probably used as a bowl, but it could make a sublime candy box, too.

The box bears the emblem of the Tokugawa clan, the three hollyhocks crest (maruni mitsu aoi) of the family that ruled Japan during that period.

Please inquire if you have some questions.

The box is in good condition, but there are several minute dents around the mouth and at the rim of the foot...