Early 20th C Japanese glazed porcelain figure of a puppy, most likely an akita. The puppy is wearing a ruffled collar with bells. If you hold this piece under a bright light, you can see some surface crazing that occurred after firing during the cooling process, which attests to its age. In excellent condition, it measures 5.5" high, 3.5" wide, 4.5" deep.

Early 19th century netsuke of a boy holding onto a bamboo branch next to a large ball. Netsuke illustrates one of the paragons of filial virtue, that of Moso - a young scholar who went into the woods in the middle of the winter to look for bamboo shoots, a favorite dish of his ailing and dying mother. Bamboo does not grow in the snow but the Gods were moved by his filial piety and allowed bamboo shoots to suddenly spring from the ground. The large ball probably represents a snowball...

19th century staghorn netsuke of a salamander on a length of half rotten trunk with some leaves on the inside and bark on the outside. Unusual subject, excellent quality carving - see its face with horn inlaid eyes, smooth skin and well defined paws. Porous center of the carving as is the nature of staghorn, beautiful wear and patina, signed HEISHIN on the bottom. Length 2 inches.

19th century wooden netsuke of a millstone dresser working on a millstone. Excellent carving with wonderful lifelike pensive face, beautiful wear and patina. Signed KISUI on the bottom - for information on the artist see NETSUKE & INRO ARTISTS AND HOW TO READ THEIR SIGNATURES by George Lazarnick, p. 624. Height 1 7/16 inches.

19th century staghorn Asakusa School netsuke carved as an old square coin on a coiled ribbon, which was traditionally used to hold coins together. Clever design, netsuke is essentially a wish for wealth, great quality carving. There are some natural lines in the material, but no cracks or repairs. Beautifully stained, superb mellow patina. Wonderful subtle piece in Japanese taste. Length 1 1/2 inches.

Antique Japanese bronze suiban with raised designs of dragons on the front and back. Swirling mist motifs decorate the sides of the suiban and continue on the four feet it stands on. A key motif runs along the edge of the rectangular container. Four character mark on the bottom. Suiban are intended for displaying flowers (with a kenzan) or for displaying suiseki scholar stones for viewing and contemplation...

Antique Japanese uma-jirushi, flag standard for battle. This uma-jirushi is a large inverted gourd surrounded by smaller gourds. The great daimyo, Hideyoshi Toyotomi (famous for being the second unifier of Japan) made the upside down gourd his uma-jirushi symbol. A large upside down gourd was placed on top of his flag pole and smaller gourds were added around it with each victory. Called "Sen nari hisago" or "thousand gourds"...

Netsuke - chestnut and a plump mushroom. Japan Edo 19th.

Unusual 19th century small iron and bronze ojime (slide bead for tightening the cord going from netsuke to inro) in oval puck shape with two relief mushrooms on the front. Wonderful crisp detailing, the body of ojime is iron, mushrooms and the back are bronze, in excellent condition, pleasant patina. Signed on the back TERU in hiragana. Height 7/16 inches.

Antique Japanese rare gyosho bako (peddler's box) for a barber. A set of 3 separated boxes that fit together and can be easily carried. The largest box has 5 drawers with bronze hardware including hirute shaped drawer pulls and decorative peony back plates. The top of the box has 2 open compartments, a small covered compartment, and a handle for carrying. On the right side, a smaller box attaches onto the large box with 2 hooks...

Antique Japanese Tobako-bon (tobacco box) with two small drawers. The top portion has an open square compartment lined with copper, a small rectangular-shaped space and another square compartment closed with a wooden lid. Just above the drawers is a long diagonal space to hold pipes. The box has a bamboo handle for carrying. Made with hardwood burl with dramatic swirling figure...

An antique Japanese Kansai Choba Tansu (merchant chest) made of Hinoki (Cypress) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) woods. Beautiful original Urushi lacquer finish and hand made iron fittings including the Warabite handles. Sliding doors hide a spacious area that was used to store business books and records while the 11 drawers held all things suitable for a merchant e.g. writing brushes, inkstone, receipts, valuables and money.

Each side has handles for carrying about the chest...

Antique pair of Japanese menuki. These small but detailed elements of a traditional samurai sword were originally made to hide the pins (mekugi) that hold the back end of the blade (tang) to the hilt (tsuka). Made in pairs, they were positioned on either side of the handle. These menuki are especially fine and depict two men, likely sages by their long hair. Probably they are the friends, Kanzan (the Zen poet) and Jittoku (a servant at a monastery)...

Antique Japanese scroll painting of a rugged mountain landscape. A house is nestled between trees and rock formations. A tiny figure in the lower mid-left climbs toward the house...

Japanese antique pair of small Inari Shinto shrine foxes made of pottery with traces of Mica in the clay...

Antique Japanese scroll with a small painting of a building, possibly a shrine or a palace with gate high in the mountains and surrounded by trees. Painted in ink and light colors on silk. Calligraphy and signature and with tomobako. The seals are hard to make out but lowest two read 白山, White Mountain, Hakusan, Hakuzan artist's name.

Dimensions: Total size: 41 1/4" high x 12 1/2" wide (14 1/4" wide with rollers). Size of art: 7 3/4" high x 6 1/2" wide

Japanese scroll with calligraphy around a bridge and blooming irises. With box and extensive writing. Ink and mineral colors on paper. Post-humous work of Kenzan's famous "Yatsuhashi" Artist Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743) — biographical information here: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ogata-Kenzan And the seal at the bottom left is: 深省 An online source says this is Shinshо̄, but Shinsei could also be possible (and the bio link above mentions both) As the link says: His ...

Japanese large three(3) section Kimono Tansu with ornate decorative simple hardware, Ca. 1920, 60" high, 47" wide, upper section has two(2) sliding doors reveals open space with shelves on the right side, and two(2) small drawers for lady's necessary assortment and jewelry in the left side above three(3) large drawers horizontally next each other and middle drawer has lock compartment with very pretty flower shape metal lock backplate. Middle section contains three(3) pull out long trays for st...

Very unusual pair of komainu or guardian dogs to a Shinto or Buddhist shrine. The lef one has its mouth open and has drooping ears, the right one keeps its mouth closed and has the ears perked up. Very fine and smooth bronze cast with rich brown patination.
Makers mark chiseled into the bottom of each lion dog. The name consists of a single character that can be read in a variety of ways: Yasushi, but also Hiroshi, Yutaka, Toru or Akira; followed by "saku" or "made by".
Japan, late 1...

An exempliary Japanese 18th century Edo Period Myochin school iron somen (full facial armor). Constructed in three sections producing a very expressive fearsome face. The stylized curled eyebrows, bulging eyes, forehead wrinkles repouse in high relief.
The bulbous noise and upper lip is riveted on. The mouth section has two large rings on the cheeks and is hinged to the upper face portion. The chin has two cord pegs. The sides have iron coverings to protect he ears. The mustache is ...

An an antique Japanese Nihon Matsu Kasane Tansu made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. All original hand forged iron hardware and natural Urushi lacquer finish. Warabite handles feature Atari (backstoppers) with upper Butterfly and lower Plum Blossom motifs. Lock plates feature Sho Chiku Bai (Pine, Bamboo, and Plum Blossom) motif with stylized Chrysanthemum lock knobs. Two smaller drawers are hidden behind the lower hinged safe door that locks with a key (included). Side hand...

This ia a Japanese antique Thick handspun & natural indigo dye katazome long fabric of meiji era .It's a tako arabesque pattern. There is a very slight stain and one small hole.They are not disturbing, and as a whole it is in very good condition. Size::Length::186cm( 73.2inch) Width:: 34cm( 13.3inch)

This ia a Japanese antique Thick handspun & natural indigo dye katazome long fabric of meiji era . It's a tsunagi-sankaibishi pattern. There are two small holes near the end. There is a light stain. They are not disturbing, and as a whole it is in very good condition. Size::Length::176cm( 69.2inch) Width:: 34cm( 13.3inch)

The shallow dish with a roundel containing a very finely painted coiled dragon, Danryū mon, within a double circle. The cavetto is decorated with a stenciled trellis or Chinese lie-wen design against a pale ruri background. Within the foot-rim is found an apocryphal Chinese Ming Chenghua reign mark.

See Shibata vol II #612, for another example, dated to 1690-1710.

Approximately 17.4 cm diameter. In perfect condition.

Please study the photographs.

Within...

Antique Japanese unusual funa tansu (funa-dansu, ship merchant's safe box). Rare side-by-side configuration with a safe on the right and a compartment with sliding panels on the left. The right side safe box opens with a hinged door heavily decorated with iron work. A ivy leaf in circle mon (Itowa-ni tsuta) in the center with a ring for opening and a fan motif on the lock itself. The interior has 3 drawers in a vertical row, all with square handles and the bottom drawer with a lock. To th...

1900s (late Meiji period) Japanese cloisonne napkin ring with decoration of various flowers on aventurine enamel background. Excellent quality work, vibrant colors, gilding to metal parts (worn from age), one stress line area - see Enlargement 5. Diameter 1 7/8 inches, width 3/4 inch.

1890s (late Meiji period) Japanese cloisonne napkin ring with decoration of butterflies in flight among various flowers. Excellent quality work, vibrant colors, gilding to metal parts (worn from age), no cracks or losses. Diameter 1 7/8 inches, width 1 inch.

Antique Japanese scroll painting of a noble courtier on horseback. He wears a green robe with swirling gold details and his horse is adorned in red tassels. His younger attendant hurries behind on foot. Both figures hold their long sleeves over their heads as they make their way through the snow. A tree in the background is partially obscured by a low mist. Painted in sumi ink and mineral colors on silk. Signed: Kiyohara shi onna Harunobu hitsu. Seal: Harunobu, Provenance Indianapolis M...

Japanese Meiji Period "okubi-e" (literally "big head") woodblock print depicting a modestly dressed woman from the Horeki Era (1751-1763) from the series "Mirror of the Ages" ("Jidai Kagami") by Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912) published by Matsuki Heikichi in 1896. The upper inset portion of this print illustrates the facade of the Nakamuraza Kabuki theater in Edo. This series features bust portraits of beauties representing various eras from the 16th to 20th centuries. This image is described and i...

Japanese Meiji Period "okubi-e" (literally "big head") woodblock print depicting a beauty from the Meireki Era (1655-1658) from the series "Mirror of the Ages" ("Jidai Kagami") by Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912) published by Matsuki Heikichi in 1897. The upper inset portion of this print illustrates a group of people playing handball. 14 1/8" x 9 1/4." The series features bust portraits of beauties representing various eras from the 16th to 20th centuries. This series is described and illustrated on...

Japanese pair of shrine figures depicting two Lucky Gods, Ebisu and Daikoku. On the left is Ebisu, a popular god of business prosperity and abundant crops as well as the patron of fishermen. Carved from wood, he stands with a fish under one arm and a smile on his face. On the right is Daikoku, who represents prosperity and is the protector of crops. He is the patron of cooks, farmers and bankers. Carved from wood, he stands on bales of grain with a big bag slung over his shoulder. Ebisu an...

Early 19th century small Japanese cloisonne plate decorated on the front with two black ground roundels containing various flowers on a light blue “crackled ice” background interspersed with cherry flowers, all surrounded by a brocade border. Back is decorated with cherry flowers among karakusa (scrolling vines) on light blue ground. Most probably was used for tea ceremony, rare and early piece in terms of Japanese cloisonne, from the period of transition from Chinese to Japanese style, gre...

Japanese Keyaki Wood front heavy weight two(2) section Tansu with heavy black Iron Eagle mounted and back plates plus Brass Turtle, Meiji period, 1890's, 46" high, 48" wide, 17 1/2" deep with two(2) long graduated size drawers on top section, lower section consist of one(1) shorter drawer on the left side and two(2) small drawers hidden inside heavily mounted hinged with black iron door. Black Iron raised Eagle back plates with Brass Turtle around key holes, handles are also heavy weight black ...

A Japanese baluster vase painted with two scenes, separated by brocaded curtains. The neck in imitation of a cloth cover also featuring two Shimizu mon. The painting is quite remarkable; please remember when you look at the detail photographs that the vase is just a tad under six inches tall. Within the foot-rim is an extensive signature that begins…Satsuma, and is followed by two lines, one ending Sei (made) and the other Ga (drew) so this vase might prove to be the work of two artists.

...

An Arita Export porcelain plate in Dutch ‘Kraak’ style. A plate with the same border is illustrated in the Impey Collection “Japanese Export Porcelain, Catalogue of the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam, 2002”, item 12. The border pattern shows a striking similarity to that used for V.O.C. orders produced at the Hikeoba and Sarugawa kilns. Circa 1680.

Approximately 22 cm diameter. Perfect condition.

Please study the ...

A Japanese Arita dish decorated with scrolling flowers, a central roundel of ( possibly ) passion flowers. The base with four spur marks and an apocryphal Chinese Ming Jiajing reign mark.Circa 1700.

Approximately 19.4 cm diameter. Perfect condition.

Please study the photographs.

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