Carpenter’s tool to draw straight lines. The shape of the piece is a wheel floating on a wave. On the edge of the ink drenched cotton wool compartment sits a minogame. Middle brown wood. Japan, early 20th century.
Length 9 ¾ inches (ca. 25 cm)
Needle missing, handle missing. Wheel is a lovingly copied replacement. Body with fine detail and very nice patina.

Crosspiece for a kettle hook in the shape of a closed fan. Very elegant piece with simple engraved details. Keyaki (zelkova) wood with bronze hardware. Japan, 19th century.
Length 13 7/8 in. (35.4 cm), depth at widest point 3 1/8 in. (7.8 cm), height 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm).
One side exposed to sunlight, some dent and chips, but otherwise excellent condition.

Beaker shaped cup decorated in underglaze blue and in iron red, green, aubergine and gold with three men standing with the arms wide open and three rabbits crouching next to bamboo stalks. Lower rim decorated with flower petals in underglaze blue, rim on the inside decorated with underglaze blue geometric border. Japan, Arita, early 20th century.
Height 2 ¾ in. (7 cm); diameter 3 ¼ in. (8.3 cm)
Perfect condition.

Two porcelain saucers with scalloped rims decorated in ao-Kutani style with blue, yellow, aubergine, green, black and iron red enamel. One decorated with a bird perched on a bamboo stalk, surrounded by peonies and other plants. The outside rim decorated with lotus petals in iron red. The other decorated with a butterfly above a vase with bamboo and peony. The rim decorated with a flower border. The outsides of both decorated with pine needles in iron red. The bottoms marked with the fuku-mark in black on green enamel. Japan, 20th century, perhaps earlier.
Diameter: 3.75 in. (9.5 cm) each.
Glaze flaw at outer rim of one (bird). Otherwise excellent condition.

The enamels have a halo around them.

Hanging scroll with three goblins running away from the rising sun. One of the goblins holds a long pole with a red flag. Scene from the hyakki yako (Night parade of the one hundred demons). Signed: Kaishinsai hogen hitsu. Seal: Yoshin. Japan, 1819-1834.
Painted area: 13 3/8 x 21 7/8 in. (34 x 55.5 cm). Total height: 53 3/8 in. (135.5 cm).
With plain wooden box, no inscriptions.
Unimportant thin stain in lower left corner, otherwise fine condition. Box with fair amount of insect damage.

Kano Seisen’in Yoshin (or Yasunobu) (ca. 1799-1846). Son and pupil of Kano Isen’in, painter-in-residence to the Edo castle. Made many copies of older paintings. In 1819 he became hogen, in 1834 he became hoin.

A pair of exquisitely carved wooden stands in three parts, used for offering food or other things on a Buddhist altar. The hexagonal stems have each six inset wooden panels with finely carved fretwork in the shape of birds between flowers, colored with gold and bright colors. Each of the panels show different birds and different flowers. Over the stem there is a hexagonal middle section, inserted with each six finely carved pieces of fretwork in the shape of different flowering plants. A hexagonal offering stand crowns the whole, surrounded by lotus shaped fretwork. Each petal decorated with either a chrysanthemum or a paulonia flower (one kiku-mon between five kiri-mon and one kiri-mon between five kiku-mon), symbols of the imperial household. The framework of the stands covered in black lacquer, decorated in gold and silver with chrysanthemums between karakusa. Both stands are completely different from each other. Japan, Meiji period.
Overall height 9 in. (22.8 cm); width at widest point 5.5 in. (13.3 cm).
Four pieces of fretwork broken, three of which are glued and repainted. Some cracks in the lacquered frame along the seams of the wood, some of the gold and silver lacquer rubbed and chipped. The color on the fretwork dried out and crumbling. Damages due to age and use. All in all in rather good condition.

Andon magazine, Vol. 11/2, no. 42. October 1992.
36 pp., 24.5 x 17.5 cm. Paper. English text. Numerous b/w illustrations.

Contents:
Pulverer, Gerhard, Japanese woodblock prints and impressionism, pp. 31-42;
Groenewegen, Peter, Photography of prints and small objects, pp. 43-49;
Morse, Peter, Additional Drawings in Hokusai’s ‘Hundred Poets’ series, pp. 50-52;
Lane, Richard, Teenage mutant ninja: the book, p. 53;
Kress, Else, Travelling shrine in shape of an inro, p. 54/Front cover;
John Stevenson, Book reviews: Undercurrents in the Floating World, pp. 55-56.
Perfect condition.

In his very interesting article on Japanese woodblock prints and impressionism, Gerhard Pulverer cites examples from the Hokusai Manga over Edouard Manet and Whistler to Hiroshige, to Gustav Klimt, and to Aubrey Beardsley.

Item location: Europe.

Kakudo, Yoshiko, Later Japanese Lacquers, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Exhibition, July 18 – November 15, 1987. With a Foreword by Rand Castile, Director.
14 pp., 23 x 15.5 cm. Paper. English text. 17 colour illustrations.
Almost perfect condition.

The brochure was produced in connection with an exhibition of Edo period (1615-1868) lacquer objects owned by the museum. Shown are writing boxes (suzuribako), a tray decorated with Daikoku’s hammer by Zeshin, a set of 12 incense containers of globular shape, each decorated and signed by another Taisho-period (1912-25) lacquer master, a sho flute, and a picnic-set.
Essay by Kakudo Yoshiko, entitled ‘Later Japanese Lacquers’, sub-titles ‘Surface Decoration’, ‘Writing Implements’, ‘Objects for Incense and Tea’, ‘Objects for Dressing’, etc., pp. 2-11.
Detailed list of the objects shown in the exhibition, measurements, inv.-no., etc., and Suggested Further Reading, pp. 12-14.

Item location: Europe.

Kanazawa Bijutsukan, Kaga yukari no makie-ten (Kaga Lacquer Art Exhibition), Kanazawa bijutsu seinenkai yonju-shu kinen (Exhibition in Honour of the 40th Anniversary of the Opening of the Kanazawa Art Museum). Japanese Exhibition Catalogue, 1995. Exhibition at the Kanazawa Museum of Art, Japan
104 pp., 30 x 21.5 cm. Hardboard. Japanese language only. 62 colour plates.
Outside cover very slightly soiled, otherwise perfect condition.

The 62 colour plates present excellent and detailed photographs of writing boxes (suzuri-bako), saddles, furniture, and other objects, produced during the past centuries by the best lacquer masters in the Kaga area. Among them are members of the Igarashi family, and their followers.
In an essay by Motoya Fumio (pp.11 - 18) of the Ishikawa prefecture Museum of Arts, style and technique of lacquer objects made by Igarashi Dôho and his followers are compared to Edo (Tokyo)-style lacquer objects. The Kaga province, at the Japan Sea coast, is famous for its high-quality lacquers.

Total 49 illustrations of lacquer objects by Igarashi masters, or also executed in Igarashi-style, are shown on pp. 19 – 50. This is followed by 18 illustrations of lacquer objects made by Shimizu Kuhei (1686 - ?) and his circle (pp. 52 – 61). Lacquered armour, writing boxes, and other Kaga lacquer objects are shown on pp. 62 – 70.
Pages 72 – 84 focus on works by less known Kaga lacquer masters active in the Meiji period and the 20th century. Shown are 26 illustrations of objects by such masters as Igarashi Zuiho (1852-1903), Yoneda Magoroku (? – 1874?), Sawada Sotaku (1830-1915), Shinoda Getsukyo (1883-1931), Ogaki Shokun (1865-1937), Awada Beizan (1881-1943), Fugaki Seiho (1884-1954), and others.
On pp. 85 – 88 are presented 32 enlarged examples of the various techniques seen on objects by Igarashi, and other lacquer masters. Explanations and commentaries concerning the objects shown are given on pp. 89 – 99.
List of plates with measurements and relevant information on pp. 100 – 101. A list of the association’s chairmen during the past 40 years, and photograph of the 12 present members of the board are found on pp. 102 – 103.

Item locations: Europe.

Dees, Jan, van der Star, Renee, Uzawa Shogetsu, Collections Baur, Special Issue no. 42. Collections Baur, Geneva, Switzerland, 1986.
20 pp., 24 x 17 cm. Paper. French text. 9 b/w plates.
Perfect condition.

Designs produced by the Japanese lacquer Master Uzawa Shogetsu seem to grow out of smooth surfaces of the perfectly finished lacquer boxes and other items he produced. Shogetsu’s (probably 1877 - ?) specialty were subtly shaded lacquer (maki-e) decorations, painted in meticulous details.
With 26 items, the majority of works of this little known master is found today in the Collections Baur. Some of the objects were especially made to order for the collector Alfred Baur (1866 - 1951), who bought as many of Shogetsu’s objects as were available. As a consequence of Baur’s passion for this artist’s work, Shogetsu is comparatively unknown in Japan today.
Various Tables, Glossary, and Notes.

Item location: Europe.

Ducros Alain, Briot Alain, Paris Edo, netsuke & sagemono – convention 1994, Catalogue, 1994.
160 pp., 29 x 21 cm. Paper. French / English text Alain Ducros. Japanese summary and list of netsuke, 7 pages, Alain Briot. Numerous colour plates.
Outside cover slightly worn, otherwise perfect condition.

The catalogue is filled with illustrations of approximately 200 netsuke, 50 inro, various pipe cases, tobacco pouches, kiseruzutsu pipe holders, and other items worn hanging from the belt. Also provided are reproductions of pages from design bases, such as the Soken Kisho (1781), and other woodblock-printed books. Enlarged details and signatures are shown separately.
With a preface (French language only) by Guy de Lasteyrie, and introduction by Alain Ducros.

Item location: Europe.

Ledderose, Lothar (ed.), lm Schatten hoher Baeume. Malerei der Ming- und Qing Dynastien aus der Volksrepublik China - (Literati Paintings of the Ming- and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) from the collections of the Museum of the Province Liaoning, Shenyang, China. Exhibition Catalogue, 1985, in 3 German museums: Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Museum fuer Ostasiatische Kunst, Koeln, Museum fuer Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 13 Jan. – 4 Aug. Baden-Baden, Germany, 1985.
250 pp., 27.5 x 23 cm. Paper. German language. 23 colour plates, 152 b/w illustrations.
Perfect condition.

Almost all the 80 paintings illustrated and discussed in this catalogue, entitled ‘Im Schatten hoher Baeume’ (In the shadow of old trees), are shown here for the first time outside China. Many of them have never been published before. They all are from the collection of the Museum Province Liaoning, Shenyang, which is internationally known for the quantity as well as the high artistic level of its collection.
Although the exhibition focuses on Literati paintings, from the 15th century onwards, examples of various styles and subject groups were selected. The exhibition was planned in cooperation of Chinese and German experts, among them Prof. Lothar Ledderose, Art-Historical Institute, University of Heidelberg, Nora von Achenbach, Herbert Butz, Gerald Holzwarth, Burglind Jungmann, and others.
Introduction by Roger Goepper, Axel von Saldern, Katharina Schmidt, for the exhibiting museums, and Lothar Ledderose for the exhibition.
Table of contents, p. 9. An essay by Lothar Ledderose, Die Malerei der Literaten (On Literati Paintings), pp. 10 – 21. Historical map of China, era names of the Ming and Qing dynasties, pp. 22 – 23.
Colour plates, pp. 25 – 48. List of painters, with reference to the catalogue numbers, p. 49. Exhibition objects, pp. 50 – 239.
Index of Chinese names and descriptions, pp. 240 – 245. Bibliography, pp. 246 – 248.

Item location: Europe.

Four copies available.