Catalog (283)

Hanging scroll. Portrait of Minamoto no Tsunemoto, sitting on a tiger skin before his sword, dressed in a white garment over his armor. Ink, colors, gofun and gold sprinkle on silk. Dated mizunoe ne (1852), early summer. Signed Gyokurei Omoto and two seals.
Image H 45 ½ x W 20 in.; total height: 80 ¼ in.

Comes with fitted kiri-wood storage box inscribed, dated 1852 and signed Ono Gyokurei.

Minamoto no Tsunemoto (894-961) was an imperial prince who received the family name Minamoto. Founder of the family that brought forth Minamoto, Ashikaga and Tokugawa shogun. He was a fine poet, as well.

Ono Gyokurei (1807-1870) was active in the bakumatsu era (end of Edo period). Not in Roberts.

Hanging scroll. Summer scene. Fireflies flying over fast streaming water and resting on a rock and overhanging leaves.
Black ink, light mineral colors and gold wash on silk.
Signed Bunrin; seal Bunrin and seal Shion.

Japan, Meiji era, 1870s.

Image H 49 x W 19.5 in.; total height 76.25 in.

Gold slightly oxidized, otherwise fine condition.

Comes with wooden storage box, inscribed Bunrin hitsu hotaru no zu Shiokawa ...

Shiokawa Bunrin (1808-1877). Shijo painter, Kyoto. Pupil of Okamoto Toyohiko. Learned nanga painting and western style painting. Specialized in landscapes.

A pair of six-panel screens from 1874 signed by Bunrin and dealing with the exact same subject matter and same color scheme, is located in the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, object numbers 74-12/1 and 74-12/2

Hanging scroll. Cropped image of a fierce looking tiger. Black ink on paper. Signed Shusen Genyu sha. Seal Wata-in Shusen and seal .. Genyu. Japan, late 18th or early 19th century. Collector’s (?) seal in lower right corner.
Image H 49 ¾ x 10 ¾ in.; total height 74 in.
Professionally restored damages; now in excellent condition.

Comes with fitting kiri-wood storage box, inscribed.

Watanabe Shusen (1736-1824) – Nagasaki painter. Pupil of Ishizaki Gensho and Ishizaki Gentoku. Painted landscapes, birds-and-flowers, figures and tigers. (Roberts). A very similar painting by the same artist is known to exist.

A row of begging monks with bowls, hossu and ruyi scepters, emaciated into skeletons. At the end walks a cat skeleton. Black ink and some color on paper. Signed and sealed. Unidentified artist. Japan, early 20th century.
Image 50 ¾ x 19 in. Total length 75 ½ in.
Excellent condition.

Comes with wooden storage box (not inscribed).

Framed painting. Anatomically correct skeleton striking a rather elegant pose. Black ink and gofun on brown paper. Unsigned. Japan, late Edo, early Meiji era. Mid 19th century.
Image: 35 x 13 inches. Japanese frame: ca. 43 x 17 ¾ inches.
Gofun rubbed here and there. Chip in frame. All in all excellent condition.

This is not a medical drawing, but an artistic rendering of the subject matter.

Kabuto maedate, or ornament that sits in the front of the Japanese helmet. Aizen Myoo, flames coming out of his mouth. On top of his head a lion. Polychrome lacquered resin-like material, mounted on a metal base plate. Japan, 20th century.
Height ca. 5 ½ inches, width ca. 6 ½ inches.
Fine condition

Kabuto maedate, or ornament that sits in the front of the Japanese helmet. Long-horned monster face with big teeth and fangs and pointy ears. Wood with reddish color. Japan, 20th century.
Height 9 inches, width 8 ½ inches.
Fine condition

Hanging scroll. The eight-armed deity, bearing arms and jewels, and a coiled snake (the deity Ugajin) on her head, sits on a lotus-leaf-seat, flanked by Daikoku. Before her are the 15 disciples, or jugo doji. Ink, mineral colors, gold and gofun on silk. Japan, Edo period, 18th century.
Painted area: H 37 in. x W 15 in.
Mounting severely damaged. Painting with few horizontal crack in middle section and short one at the upper left, gofun rubbed, all in all very good original condition (no restorations).
Comes with wooden storage box (no inscription, not original)

Hanging scroll with image of the descent of the Buddha to welcome the souls of the deceased and accompany them to the Western Paradise. He is standing on a lotus on clouds and holds his hand in gebon josho. The mudra is the appropriate level for common citizens to be reborn in. Mineral colors and gold on silk. The garment exquisitely decorated in gold. Japan, late Muromachi or early Edo period, 16th century.
Image: 38 ¼ X 15 ¾ inches. Mounting: 84 ¼ x 21 3/8 inches.
Missing areas throughout the silk, mainly in the background. Beautifully stabilized.

A pair of hanging scrolls depicting the gods of wind and thunder: Futen or Fujin on the left and Raiden or Raijin on the right. Ink and colors on silk. Both signed Soseki saku and each with two seals, one of which reads Soseki as well. Japan. Late Meiji or Taisho era.
Image: H 41 ½ x W 15 ½ in.
Whole: H 69 ½ x W 20 5/8 in.
Each with several horizontal cracks and missing spots lovingly restored and with scratches on the silk surface. All in all in very good and stable condition.
Rare.

Wooden sculpture of an old man and woman taking a break from the rice harvest. They are sitting on an elevation. He is preparing his pipe, taking tobacco out of his tonkotsu. She is getting out a lunch box and two tea cups, while the tea kettle is at her feet. Behind them a sheaf of rice and two sickles. Perhaps a modern reference to Jo and Uba, the old couple on the island Takasago who symbolize longevity.

Signed on bottom: the 74 year old man, Tomoyuki.

Probably Taisho era (1912-1926) or early Showa at the latest.

H ca. 11 inches, W at bottom 10 ½ inches.

Few thin age/stress cracks, all in all fine condition.

Chawan in Raku style, made in dry lacquer technique (kanshitsu) simulating ceramic. The lacquer is applied in such a way that you see small crevices and patches of red and brownish black lacquer in the same way we see it in Raku ware. Japan, Meiji era.

H ca. 3 ½ inches, dia. Ca. 4 ½ inches.

Excellent condition.

Comes with brocade pouch and plain wooden box.

Zushi with beautiful hardware on the front; inside the figure of Yakushi Nyorai (medicine Buddha), sitting on a high lotus throne, holding the medicine jar in his left hand and with his right hand making the gesture of picking medical herbs. He is surrounded by 16 rakan, painted onto the inside of the doors (not decals). On the mardorla behind his head two apsara are painted, playing the sho and the flute. High quality carving. Wood decorated in mineral colors and gold. Japan, Edo period, likely late 18th century, perhaps early 19th century at the latest.
H of case ca. 9 ¼ inches.
Painting on the doors a bit darkened, slightly chipping; some lotus petal with tiny chip, otherwise in very good condition.

Sculpture of Shomen Kongo, standing with 6 arms, holding ghanta and sword, bow and arrow, halberd and chakra. Shomen Kongo protects against demons and diseases. Wood stained black, with metal parts. Japan, Edo period, shortly after 1800.
H ca. 11 inches.
Sword missing, few traces of usage. All in all very good condition.

Small shrine holding the image of the Buddha Dainichi Nyorai, sitting on a lotus base, before a circular mandorla. Doors decorated on the inside with an exquisitely painted motif of star-shaped flowers. Wood decorated in mineral colors and gold. Very high quality. Thin metal for mandorla and crown. Japan, Edo period, 18th century.
H of case ca. 5 inches.
Most of the crown missing, some traces of usage but all in all in excellent condition.

Hanging scroll. Benzaiten mandala. The eight-armed deity, bearing arms and a coiled snake (the deity Ugajin) on her head, sits on a lotus-leaf-seat, flanked by Daikoku and Bishamonten. Before her are the 15 disciples, or jugo doji, above her the sun and the moon.
Ink, mineral colors and gold on silk. Japan, Muromachi period, around 1500.
Painted area: H 38 3/8 in. x W 18 5/8 in.
Few horizontal creases, but all in all in excellent condition.

A similar painting of Benzaiten and the 15 disciples is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, inventory no. 11.4107. Even though it dates from an earlier part of the Muromachi period, and the composition is different, there is a striking similarity in the details on the garments and in the hairdo of the doji and the size of the painting. The Tokyo National Museum holds another comparable painting under inventory no. C0018069 /A-1228.

Bronze sculpture of a Dakini, dancing on a human body on a lotus base. Two part cast. Khmer, Bayon style, 19th century or later.
H ca. 13 inches. Excellent condition.

Ex Doris Wiener, New York

Very small shrine holding the figure of Dakiniten riding a white (or silver) fox. Dakiniten is worshiped at the Toyokawa Inari temples. The zushi is on the inside encased behind a glass pane, surrounded by painted treasure symbols. These kind of zushi are sold at the temple to the patrons and other visitors. Polychromed wood with abundant gold and silver Japan, dated Taisho 13 (1924).
H of case ca. 4 inches.
Comes with original fitted kiri-wood storage box, inscribed with the receiver’s name (juyo), a Kyoto address, dated Taisho 13, 9th month, 17th day, Toyokawakaku and stamped with a red seal. Excellent condition.

Enpukuzan Toyokawa, Myogonji is a temple dedicated to the eleven headed Kannon and Dakiniten and the fox Inari. It was originally founded in 1441 by Tokai Gieki. Most of these temples were rebuilt in the Meiji era or even later, hence many of the products of these temples are from modern times. Worshipers traditionally are merchants.