Catalog: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian (67)

A long woman’s summer obi made of thin silk, woven in jacquard and openwork techniques with chrysanthemums or asters interlaced with fences of plaited bamboo leaves. On this, in Yuzen dye technique, imitating an ink drawing, several areas painted with cart wheels floating in waves.
The obi has been opened; a practice quite common in order to have the material cleaned. There is a paper (dry) cleaner’s tag on the obi.
Japan, ca. 1950s.
L ca. 13 ft, H ca. 13 inches

Few black ink stains, all in all very good condition

Wooden cart wheels were put into water to prevent the wood from drying out. It is a beloved image in decorative arts, as it alludes to the simple (idealized) rural life.

Small statue of the face of Okame. Her round, full cheeks and Heian period hairdo give her head the silhouette of a penis. Her open mouth is in the form of a stylized vagina. Shunga of sorts.
Cast bronze with dark brown patina. Good details.

H 3 x D 2.25 in.

Few casting flaws, otherwise excellent condition

This type of erotic statues are regarded as funny rather than erotic. In Japan they are called waraimono, ‘something (or someone) that makes you laugh’.

Fun portrait of Daruma with googly eyes, in quick brush strokes. Above him an inscription that mentions the Buddha, the Bulguksa temple on Mount Toham in Gyeongju, South Korea, the name Seog’un, followed by the seals Lim-Chung…. And Seog’un. Other red seals in the lower left corner and to the right of the character ‘Bul’ (Buddha).

Black ink and some gray on paper. Mounted in brocade and framed in wooden Asian frame. Originally this was a hanging scroll but the mounting was cut and used as a decorative border inside the frame.

Korea, first half 20th century.

Frame: H 24.75 x W 18 in.
Painting: H 17 x W 12.75 in.

Paper yellowed and thin on the lines of the paper grid

Pair of golden yellow silk fukusa or gift covers, with diamond pattern with water birds design in brocade weave, over which is embroidered in different hues of pink and in goldthread. The larger fukusa is decorated with a lobster carrying a treasure boat, holding several of the treasures. The smaller fukusa is decorated with a treasure boat, as well. Reverse decorated in brocade technique with a family crest in white silk. Japan, Taisho or Showa era, ca. early to mid-20th century.

H 29 ¾ x W 26 ½ inches and H 24 ½ x W 22 ¼ inches.

The smaller one with slight bleeding on the reverse (consistent with usage). Otherwise both in excellent condition.

Tall vessel of square shape, cut out of a section of a Paulownia (kiri) tree showing knots on three sides, where side branches used to be. The wood is stained dark brown. One side of the vessel is decorated with inlays/appliques and lacquer paint. The appliques colored with gold sprinkle, silver flakes and green lacquer.
A sparrow is sitting on a bamboo stalk.
Red patinated copper liner.

Japan, Taisho era, 1920s

H 11.75 x W ca. 5 x D ca. 5 in.

On the bottom of the kiri wood and on the bottom of the copper liner is written in felt pen: M.E. Boone 821-0930.

Condition: Dent, scratches, scuffs in the wood, consistent with light usage. Liner bent and dented, green insultation? stuff along the bottom seam on the inside.

A folding album titled "Qi Baishi huaji" (Collected paintings of Qi Baishi) with 22 color prints. Rongbaozhai, Beijing 1952, 5th month, no. 507. In brocade covers.
Each print on the left hand page, measuring 31.5 x 22 cm (ca. 12 x 9 inches).

Fine impressions and colors, label on cover with gold speckles, some bleeding of the red pigment, water stains on the last 7 double pages, covers with some traces of usage (rubbing of brocade, upper corners dented, which has an effect on the pages).

Published during Qi Baishi's life time

Images show only a selection of the 22 prints

From a European private collection

Rectangular cover for over a gift, called fukusa made of green (front) and purple (back) silk satin. On the front is an image of three turtles walking towards the water, with a bamboo grove in the back of them. The hand-made decoration is done in velvet, hand painting and gold thread embroidery.
On the back in light gray velvet against purple is a round family crest.

Green and brown braided tassels in the corners.

Japan, first half 20th century

H 22 x W 19.25 in.

Some of the velvet slightly worn, minimal traces of usage, folds from storage, all in all excellent condition. One tassel missing.

The turtle stands for longevity, bamboo for longevity and resilience. Auspicious image, excellent for gift giving. The fukusa would be put over a box or a tray holding a gift. The fukusa was just as important as the gift itself.

Hanging scroll. Shoki holds Futen’s wind bag which balloons around him and protects him from a very light rain. While Shoki has his hands full trying to control the wind bag, his bulging eyes are rolled in defeat and annoyance towards the right, where a little demon who has a Chinese mortar on his head and holds the pestle in its hand jumps in front of him.
Ink and color on silk.
Signed and red artist’s seal.
Japan, Taisho or early Showa era, 1920s-1930s.

Image: H 43.25 x W 16.5 in.
Mounting: H 76.5 x W 21.5 in.
W scroll ends: 23.5 in.

Light brown stains in the backing paper. All in all very good condition.

Hanging scroll. Black ink, light colors and gofun on paper.
Painting of the demon of Rashomon stealing back his severed arm from Watanabe no Tsuna. Excellent use of dry-brush technique.
Signed: Yoshimitsu saku, seal Hoko. Japan, Taisho/Showa era.
Newly mounted with original embroidered brocade.
Image: 24 x 12.5 inches.
Total length: 58 inches.

Few old water stains on brocade, few tiny stabilized damages in paper, some damage to embroidery, all in all very good condition.

Large storage jug of typical Shigaraki stoneware with small white inclusions, made in three sections, decorated in multicolor enamel and gold with a cat making a mouse train come to an abrupt halt. A cat, high back, hissing at the mouse going at the head of a train, makes the train come to a dead stop and the following mice tumble, roll, spill in a ripple effect. Funny details: tumbling palanquin, spilling fish, flying papers. Either folk art or export. Japan, 20th century.
Height: ca. 18.5 inches.
Unsigned work from a studio that decorates household ceramics with funny or fantastic images in overglaze enamels that can be fired at low temperatures.

Almost square fukusa or ceremonial cloth or cover. Two hand-embroidered diamond shaped white silk emblems of a pair of cranes, enhanced by gold-thread outlines, on a kikko hanabishi background in multicolor yuzen dye technique between two bands of bright orange-red. Some of the flowers in the kikko hanabishi ground are hand-embroidered. The outlines of the kikko painted in gold (now oxidized to a greenish color).

The back of the fukusa is a solid bright orange-red.

Tassels in 3 of the 4 corners of red and cream-colored silk and gold thread.

Japan, mid 20th century

H 15.75 x W 14.5 in.

One tassel missing, storage folds, otherwise excellent condition

The red color is hard to reflect in a photo. It is slightly more orange in reality.

Brown silk homongi formal kimono with dots in jacquard and with gold threads interwoven, so that the fabric sparkles when the light hits it. The upper part is undecorated, except for three crests of the Sakagami family on the back.
On the section that is underneath the obi, there are hand-painted crossing strips, decorated in bright colors blue, purple, red, orange, green, yellow, silver and gold sprinkle with geometric, auspicious motifs: Waves, shippo, diamonds, kikko hanabishi (hexagons with flowers). Each strip is bordered by a double stitched line of gold thread.

On the inside white silk lining in top half. The bottom half, the inside of the lower part of the lapels and along the inside edges of the sleeves, has been lined the same fabric as the outside.

Japan, Showa era, 1960s-1990s.

H (shoulder seam to bottom) 62 x W (side seam to side seam) 22 in.

This kimono has been worn, but rarely. It was shortened about 3 inches in the area that is covered by the obi. The collar can be shortened (half height) by use of snap fasteners. On the seam that thus forms, the fabric is discolored (red line). Generally in very good condition.

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami, former mistress of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

Homongi kimono with family crests are worn at formal occasions.

Silk kimono decorated in yuzen technique with design of flowering stalks. Bamboo, cherry blossom and marigold. On the stalks small beetles crawl up. Outlines of flowers in silver. Inside partly lined with red silk. Japan, Showa period, mid 20th century.
Length 66 in. (168 cm), sleeve to sleeve 49 ½ in. (126 cm).
Few light stains, one torn seam at sleeve (ca. 2 in.), one small moth hole in seam of other sleeve, otherwise good condition.

Long obi, woman’s sash for fastening a kimono. Silk with decoration in yuzen silk painting technique and silk and gold- and silver-thread embroidery. The story of Momotaro, Peach Boy, fully illustrated. The old couple, Momotaro’s foster parents, the boat that brings Momotaro and his friends the dog, the monkey and the pheasant to the island of the demons (Onigashima), the demons surrendering the treasures they stole. Momotaro, with the banner ‘Nihonichi’ (no. 1 of Japan), sits like a war general, while the demons bring the treasures in front of him.

Japan, Showa era, 1930-1940s.

Small silk laundry? tag with the digit 3 written on it.

H 12.75 in. x L 13 ft.

Minimal traces of usage, excellent condition

More images available upon request

Small box and cover. The base of the box made of kiri wood (Paulownia), the cover made of kiri and keyaki (Zelkova) wood, diagonally joined together. The outside of the cover is decorated with two black shijimi fresh-water clam shells in kiji makie technique (applying makie lacquer decoration to natural wood).

Inside of the cover signed with red lacquer seal: Tairei; bottom of box stamped seal of the wood worker who made the box: ‘To’ inside a double gourd.

Comes with the original wooden storage box. Outside of cover inscribed: Shijimi, kiri kobako (Clam shell, small box in Paulownia wood). Signed inside of cover: Tairei saku and seal Tairei.

Japan, Showa era, 1950s

H 1.25 x 3.3 x 2.75 in.

Excellent condition

From the collection of Ed and Julie Lewis, Chicago

Takai Tairei (1880-1971) was trained in the workshop of the Imperial Artist Ikeda Taishin. He lived in the Aoyama ward of Tokyo. In his young years he made inro and pipe cases in the Zeshin/Taishin style. Later on, he produced boxes and trays with lacquer decorations directly applied on the wooden objects (kiji makie), such as the one presented here. After World War II, Tairei made his living by manufacturing lacquered jewelry: obi pins, brooches and rings, while continuing making kiji makie objects. His brother-in-law was the famous lacquer artist Akatsuka Jitoku, who was married with his elder sister Takai Kei (1877-1946).

Small box and cover made of very thinly cut kiri (Paulownia) wood, in the shape of a Daruma doll. The cover is decorated in gold, silver and red kiji makie technique (lacquer decoration applied to natural wood) with three tumbler dolls: rat, farmer girl, samurai boy.

Inside the surface is covered in plain black lacquer, the cover signed in makie gold lacquer: Tairei.

Japan, Showa era, 1950s

1.25 x 4.3 x 2.7 in.

Few traces of usage on the inside of the box, overall in excellent condition

From the collection of Ed and Julie Lewis, Chicago

Takai Tairei (1880-1971) was trained in the workshop of the Imperial Artist Ikeda Taishin. He lived in the Aoyama ward of Tokyo. In his young years he made inro and pipe cases in the Zeshin/Taishin style. Later on, he produced boxes and trays with lacquer decorations directly applied on the wooden objects (kiji makie), such as the one presented here. After World War II, Tairei made his living by manufacturing lacquered jewelry: obi pins, brooches and rings, while continuing making kiji makie objects. His brother-in-law was the famous lacquer artist Akatsuka Jitoku, who was married with his elder sister Takai Kei (1877-1946).

Small food dish for vegetables, relish etc. of round shape with small indentations in the rim. Thin, light colored stoneware, covered in cream-colored glaze with very fine crackle and pinkish brown swirls. In the bottom a highly stylized kotobuki character (longevity) in iron brown and three green glaze splashes on the rim. Glazes have left a few spots uncovered. Oribe ware, Japan, early Taisho era, 1920s.
H 2 x diam. 4-1/2 in.

Minimal traces of usage, fine condition.

Wall vase for ikebana flower arrangement, to be hung at one of the vertical beams of the tokonoma. Brown stoneware with white inclusions, splash of greenish glaze. Metal eyelet through hole in the back for hanging the vase up (new replacement).
Signature in bottom: Jinsai.

Shigaraki ware, Japan, mid-20th century, before 1977, when Jinsai changed his name.

H 5 - 5-1/4 inches, diam 3-1/4 inches

Fine condition

Ogawa Jinsai was born in 1914 as the eldest son of the Ogawa Tokusai III, a master of Shigaraki ware. The family was founded in the late Edo period. The founder was a master at replicating ancient Iga warea and was invited by the Todo clan in Iga to make such warea. In 1977 Jinsai took over the family business and became head of the family, changing his name to Tokusai IV. He made tea and sake wares, firing in a traditional cellar kiln. He passed away late Showa/early Heisei era.