Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (196)

Very refined zushi with the sculpture of the bodhisattva Jizo. He stands on a lotus throne on rocks, holding a jewel in his left hand, his right hand missing. Behind his head a halo with very fine decoration in relief of clouds and jewels. Light wood with polychrome and gorgeous gold decoration, especially on the garment. Japan, Edo period, 19th century.
Height 6 in. (15.3 cm).
Right hand missing, otherwise excellent condition. Case: some dents and chips, basically in very good condition.

Sculpture of Daikoku sitting on a rice bale with a big grin on his face, spilling countless jewels (tama) from his treasure bag.
Keyaki (Paulownia) wood, carved in a slightly abstracted manner, called ittobori.
Unsigned. Mingei (folk art)
Japan, 19th century.

H ca. 11 x W 10½ in.

Tension cracks (consistent with material and age), several scuff marks, painters tape on bottom.

Daikoku is one of the seven gods of good fortune. He stands for good fortune and wealth. The rice bales (good harvest) and treasure bag are two of his typical attributes.

Large octagonal bowl made of porcelain, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue. In the center of the bowl a prancing tiger before a roaring stream, looking up towards the sky. Behind him bamboo and rocks. Left of the tiger there is a three-line poem about the tiger and the third moon (May or June).

The sides are decorated with four peonies and leaves draped in arabesques; the rim decorated with a border of key-fret motif. On the outside each flat section of the octagonal decorated with a tachibana in a cartouche. Blue lines on the ribs of the octagonal, sectioning off each flat surface, in the way Kraak chargers were sectioned off.

Hizen, Arita kiln, Japan, 18th / 19th century

H 3 x W 10.5 x Diagonal 11 in.

One underglaze chip (not considered a damage), few scratches in bottom and mushikui on rims commensurate with age and usage, all in all excellent condition

The tiger represents autumn, is one of the four cardinal points in ancient astronomy, rules over the five constellations of the West, and is the personification of the wind.
Tiger in bamboo (take ni tora) in high wind is supposed to mean that even the strongest terrestrial force (tiger) is no match for the elements. However, as the tiger is a symbol of the wind, the image should evoke the sound of the rustling wind in the bamboo.

Shrine with the very rare image of the death of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, called nehan-zu, and his entrance into the state or perfect peace, called nirvana or nehan. The Buddha lays stretched out on a rectangular lotus base, his head resting on his right arm. Although normally in nehan-zu one will see gathered around the bed 52 kinds of beings, human and animals mourning the Buddha, there are none present in this zushi. From the ceiling of the case hangs a curtain of sorts.
Carved wood, gilded and polychromed, with extremely finely painted details in the face.
Japan, Edo period, 18/19th century.

Measurements: H ca. 8.5 in.; W ca. 9.5 in.; D ca. 5 in. (ca. 21.6 x 24.1 x 12.7 cm.). Case: some dents on roof, flaking lacquer at bottom, corrosion on hardware, consistent with age and a humid storage in a temple. Figure: right arm restored, baldachin damaged (some missing parts still extant) and very fragile.

Kanban or shop sign. The sign indicates that the store would sell or manufacture ornamental pin holders for the oars on a boat (ireko), in the shape of dolls. According to the sketch pasted to the back of the kanban, this holder is mounted on the oar and is placed over a pin mounted on the boat edge. The oar pivots around that pin, so that the oar moves the boat through the water.

The pin holders are decorated as a male and a female doll in court style, their mouths wide open. The words ireko ningyo are branded into the wooden board. On the back of the board paper label with a flying plover and the words ireko ningyo; another paper label shows the proper names of the different parts of a rowing oar. Ireko ningyo is almost a play of words. It means nesting dolls (doll in doll in doll), but it also means pin holder on an oar in the shape of a doll.
Wood with color pigments, iron nails. Mingei (folk art).

Japan, early 20th century.

Measurements: W 19 in.; H 8 to 10.75 in.

Paint virtually completely weathered away, upper part missing, old repairs with iron nails

Storage jar with beautiful dark brown glaze drippings from the neck and shoulder down, over a dark brown stone ware with countless inclusions. Around the neck engraved with cross pattern. Shape somewhat distorted. Height 11 inches, width 10 inches. Two short cracks at the rim, one small chip at the rim, glaze partly rubbed due to extensive usage. Overall condition good. Japan 18/19th century.

Very rare. Simple wooden zushi with a figure of Fudo Myoo sitting on a high rock before a flaming halo. In his right hand he holds a sword, in his left a rope.
On lower levels of the rock formation sits Seitaka doji, holding his scarf in his left hand and a (now missing) club in his right, and stands Kongara doji, holding a lotus flower in his hands.

Light brown CLAY, hand modeled (not molded!), fired at low temperature, painted dark brown. Back of halo engraved with name of temple and donors? The rope in Fudo’s hand is twisted metal wire, the sword is made of clay and wood.
Country style, folk art. Probably late 19th century.

Height figure group 8 in. (20.8 cm), height box 11.25 in. (29 cm).
Paint is flaking here and there, pieces of the halo broken off and put back (best seen in photo of the back, where they show up as purple), some larger chips at bottom of base repaired. All in all good and stable condition.

Beautiful small wooden jizai, or pothook. This type is called Daikoku, after the shape of Daikoku’s hat. These hangers were suspended with a rope from a heavy beam, over the sunken hearth. From the hanger an adjustable hook was hung that held the kettle. Good piece of mingei.
Zelkova wood with rests of smut, especially in the grooves.
Japan, 19th century.
H 9.5; w 9.25; 2.75 inches.
Slight traces of usage, very good condition.

Very large tile in the shape of (and virtually in the size of) a handscroll decorated in underglaze blue with a crashing wave and a full moon. The image is surrounded by borders of geometric flowers and medallions filled with a phoenix. Some of the phoenixes looks left, others look right. Medallions colored in underglaze pink and yellow.

On the back are two ‘loops’ to hang the tile up.

Japan, Seto, Meiji era, 1870s-1900.

H 10.6 x W 39.25 x D 0.25 in.

Excellent condition

The tile might have been part of a wooden bench or bed, mounted as the back or head board.

Very rare.

Mask made of kiri (Paulownia) wood, showing the wide-laughing and dimpled face of god of good fortune (shichifukujin), Daikoku. The base of his hat just sitting on the top of his head.

The broad grain of the wood was used to accentuate the round cheeks, nose and nostrils. The wood was formerly stained with a reddish-brown color, now almost completely worn off. Around the eyes there are remnants of a light-colored pigment.

There are two small holes in the top of the ears in which the attachment cords would have been fastened.

The mask was made perhaps for Kyogen, the comic interludes of a noh performance. Since it has folky characteristics, it may have been used in rural theaters, on village stages or by itinerant street performers.

Japan, 19th century

H 8.25 x W 7.5 in.

The mask comes with a black lacquered metal stand. H with stand 13 in.

Chips in the pigments on the front, unimportant chips in the wood on the edges on the back. All in all very good condition.

War fan, gunbai uchiwa, made of bronze clad wood, in the shape of a butterfly. In low relief on front and back the text Hachiman Daibosatsu, surrounded by generic family crests in the shape of quinces. Hachiman is a war deity. These fans were traditionally handled by samurai commanders to direct his troops in battle. It is also a symbol of power. Japan, Meiji era, late 19th century.

H 21.5 x W 15.75 inches

Some corrosion, good condition

Hanging scroll. Various insects walking in line with luggage, simulating a lord (daimyo) traveling with his entourage to or from the capital (samurai or daimyo gyoretsu). A butterfly, suzumushi, praying mantises, yellow jackets and grass hoppers are traveling in a line, holding flowers and grasses for keyari, carrying a honeycomb for a palanquin, and berries for luggage.
Black ink and colors on silk.
Signed Bunrei; two red seals reading bun and rei.
Japan, mid 19th / second half 19th century.

Painted area: 14.5 x 20.2 inches. Total height: 46.5 inches.

Painting with some light stains, otherwise in excellent condition, mounting damaged.

Mori Bunrei (Meiji era painter) was the adopted son and pupil of Mori Ippo (1798-1871), the Shijo painter. His style and technique closely follow those of Ippo.
A very similar painting by Nishiyama Hoen (1804-1867) is in the British Museum. This type of painting is typical for the Maruyama/Shijo school and could have originated with Maruyama Okyo. The image of a procession walking out of the painting symbolizes the fading away of Edo culture in the 19th century.

Two erotic shunga drawings in black ink and mineral colors on thin paper.
On the right hand painting a double-sided dildo, to pleasure two women at the same time. The left half is made of tortoise shell (yellow with black patches), the right half is probably indicating buffalo horn.
The left-hand painting shows how to use the dildo properly.

Unsigned.

Japan, 19th century.

Each drawing 9.75 x 9.75 inches. Both drawing fully mounted onto a thicker sheet of paper.

Condition: Left hand drawing with worm holes mostly in the upper margin (unpainted area), but a few inside the circle. Right hand painting with worm holes in lower margin, inside the circle, two other torn and straightened areas. Wrinkles in paper of left-hand drawing.

Glass ball on a wooden stand of finely carved and undercut work. The base has been carved in the shape of high foaming waves in which fishes are swimming, and that carry the jewel of the tides. The waves inlaid with little pieces of mother-of-pearl and gold lacquer. Ryujin, the Dragon King, held this jewel to rule the tides. Overall height 7 ¼ inches. Japan, Meiji period. Ball in near-perfect condition (one tiny, shallow scratch), the stand with some repairs and some missing tips on the waves.

Image of a heron in water in rice-paste-resist dying technique (tsutsugaki) on cotton. The color showing are coffee brown for the background and different shades of brown with white for the heron. The image mounted as a hanging scroll, which has been cut to fit into a frame. Meiji period, late 19th century. Mingei.
Cotton image: 11 ¾ x 8 ¾ in. Frame: 36 ¼ x 13 in.
Excellent condition.

Framed painting of Shoki standing with a sword in his hand. On his head a large straw hat. Inscription on the upper left side with three red seals. Signature and seal on the lower right side: Kano …Fujiwara Masuyoshi hitsu. Ink on silk. Kano style. Rollers cut of and framed with original mounting.
Painted area: 34 1/8 x 11 ¼. Frame: 54 ¾ x 17 ¼ inches.
Silk darkened with age, stained, undulating, one minor crack, otherwise good condition.

Wooden nyoi (ruyi in Chinese) scepter, an implement used by Buddhist priests during a ceremony or during formal preaching. Carved naturalistically in the shape of a lotus bud on a long stem with a lotus leaf wrapped around the stem. Rose wood or sandal wood. Made in two pieces.
Japan, 19th century.

Length 13-1/8 inches

Tiny chip at leaf edge. Fine condition.

Sturdy storage jar for tea leaves or other goods with horizontally ribbed surface, sloping shoulder with very short neck. Coarse but dense clay with small inclusions. Outside middle brown with cream-colored and yellow natural ash glaze. Mingei.
Japan, 18th/19th century.

Height 7.5 inches, width 6 inches at the neck. Ash glaze partially rubbed off at upper edge and at the body commensurate with holding and using, otherwise very good condition.