Half cylinder shaped (Hanzutsu) tea bowl, thrown from light, coarse Mino clay, with very little inclusions a clay found on earlier Shino bowls. The walls are cut with a potters knife.

The bowl has been covered fully (with the exception of the foot ring) first with an iron bearing engobe (oniita) and after the decoration had been incised with the typical ash and feldspar glaze inside and outside creating the nezumi-shino glaze...

A rare antique Choba Tansu in 2 stacking sections made entirely of Hinoki (Cypress) wood. All original hand forged iron hardware and patina. Rare design commissioned by a wealthy merchant featuring an extra wide design and a shallow depth. Upper section features 2 sliding doors with 3 side by side drawers. Bottom section features 9 drawers with 2 sliding doors and a hinged door behind which 3 small drawers were used for secure storage...

Stemming from the philosophy of wabi-sabi—often described as the beauty found in the imperfection and transience of the world—cracks and repairs in a work of pottery are often seen as highlighting the history and importance of a ceramic object. Practitioners of tea in particular are fond of reminding us that works repaired with lacquer and gold such as the one featured here become more resilient and beautiful for having been damaged...

An antique Japanese 2 section tall Kyoto Kasane Tansu (stacking chest on chest) made of Keyaki (Zelkova), Kirinoki (Paulownia) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. All iron fittings are original and hand made. Two sliding Keyaki doors the top section open to a spacious storage area behind while a hinged door on the lower section opens to two small drawers.

Straight dovetail joinery construction using hardened wooden nails. Tansu of this configuration have become rare to find in Japan...

The large characters in the center of this scroll "南無妙法蓮華経" are pronounced as "Namu Myōho Renge Kyō” in English — a phrase associated with Nichiren Buddhism that is often recited as a mantra, expressing devotion to the Lotus Sutra. This sutra is one of the main tenants of Nichiren and is thought by devotees to be the ultimate law and truth of the universe...

A bronze crane in dark almond colored patina of superb craftsmanship dating from the late 19th to early 20th century (Meiji period). It is quite large at 48.5 cm tall (19 inches) and is in excellent condition.

Long a symbol of longevity, good luck, and support in many parts of Asia; in Japan the turtle has the added symbolism of being one of the cardinal protectors of Heian, the ancient capital city of Kyoto. This rendition of a turtle basking on a sunny riverbank was done by one of the most renowned and loved Waka poets of the 19th century, Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875)...

An exceptional web of gold interspersed with nishiki-cloth patterned designs on gold lacquer fuses this once broken 16th-17th century Koro with ami-me net patterned solid silver lid. This was likely originally made as a tea cup, considering that the entire interior is glazed. Broken and reassembled using the Kintsugi gold technique and placing unusual patterns on the missing portions, this is an exceptional work of art...

A rare large vase by Kanzan Denshichi decorated with a hermitage in the hills and a poem extolling the beauty of summers first rain by Kanzan Denshichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box bearing the Shountei seal, dating it between 1871 and 1890. It is 34 cm (13-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kanzan Denshichi (1821-1890) was born in the ceramic-producing area of Seto...

An antique Japanese Mizuya Tansu (kitchen chest) in 2 sections made of HInoki (Cypress) and Keyaki (Zelkkova) woods. All original hand forged iron handles including the Mokko style handles. Upper section has 2 sliding doors with iron wire mesh screen that was used similar to the western pie safe with 4 drawers below. The lower section has 2 sliding doors behind which is a removable shelf with 2 side by side drawers below. Side supports added strength and visual design to the chest...

Japanese bronze brown patinated representing a hare laying on a crescent moon.

Japan – Showa (1912-1926)
Height: 11 cm – 4,3 inches

The Hare is a very beloved animal in Japan. Each year, on the 15th day of the 8th month of the moon calendar, Japanese are celebrating “Tskukumi”, a party paying tribute to the hare of a tale.
A God decided to get down on earth as a starved man...

Antique Japanese small, single section Mizuya (kitchen tansu). Hinoki (Japanese Cypress) wood frame with Sugi (Cryptomeria) wood sides and interior. Sliding panels and drawer fronts are made of Keyaki (Zelkova) wood with lovely, dramatic grain...

This is a Bakumatsu item. This hemp Tsutsugaki Noren was used by merchants who handled horses, which was an important means of transportation from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period. This Noren was used in front of the eaves, so it has some discoloration and light stains, but it has been carefully stored. The items are very rare and very valuable. The letters of "Otsu Higashimachi" are the letters of a spell to ward off horse plagues. The "Hannya" mask expresses the wrath of Bato Kan...

A fabulous porcelain incense burner in the shape of a boy playing the flute astride a large ox dating from the 19th century. The box identifies the work as Hirado ware. The quality is certainly of that level. It is 23.5 x 12 x 19 and is in perfect condition, enclosed in a period red-lacquered wooden box.
In Zen, an oxherd searching for his lost ox has served as a parable for a practitioner’s pursuit of enlightenment since this Buddhist sect’s early history in China. In the eleventh ...

A set of 5 rare Dutch glass cups imported to Japan in the Edo period and formerly owned by the Confucian scholar Nakai Riken (1732-1817). They are enclosed in a custom made double sided wooden box with drop in doors titled on the side Yoi-O-Gozui (Five fortuitous ways to be drunken) with a long verse carved into each door. Of course, the meaning of the title goes much deeper, and the Gozui is also a Confucian concept. The emperor of China distributed five jade treasures to the five feudal lor...

An unusual mask with gaping jaws and flattened features covered in red and black lacquer with golden teeth and eyes dated a lucky day in the 6th month of Tenmei 2 (1782). The mask is of carved wood covered in cloth over which has been applied layers of colored lacquer, gold and gofun (powdered shell) to form the white eyebrows. It is quite unusual in configuration. Most masks are open at the back, however this is carved with curling hair all the way down to the neck. Two holes in the teeth we...

Probably Echizen province, late 16th or 17th century. Bizen province artisans also took up Yoshiro zogan inlay work in the Kinai (ancient provinces and surrounds) manner. Brass (valuable in the period) and silver inlay flush with the iron surface was thought to have been introduced by an artisan named Yoshiro, for whom it is named. Slightly earlier, Heianjo school work tends to rest atop the surface into which it is inlaid. Late Muromachi or early Edo period. Length, about 12 inches. More pictur...

Antique Japanese 2 Section Kiri Kasane (chest on chest) Tansu constructed entirely of Kiri (Paulownia) wood. Two full drawers on top section with 1 full drawer and a smaller drawer with hinged door hiding 2 small drawers on the bottom half. Traditionally used to store kimonos, obis, and textile accessories, its contemporary use includes a dresser drawer, linen cabinet or when separated used as side tables or bedside nightstands.

Two features to note: There lies a secret box hidden beh...