The sage gazes out from his hermitage clinging to the hillside upon a sparse scene of falling water and precipitous climbing peaks dominating this painting by Shirakura Niho dating from the prime of his career. Ink and light color on silk mounted in blue cloth with thin piping terminating in white ceramic rollers. It is 40.5 x 187.5 (16 x 74 inches) and is in excellent condition; enclosed in a modern wooden storage box. A published version of the Niho Catalog will accompany the work...

A masterpiece painting by Shirakura Niho showing every aspect of his pre-war fame, lurid washes of color, wispy figures, a dreamlike allure, and hints at continental scenery. Here the foreground is dominated by a thatched hut, beyond which we see a single hazy figure twisting up in a narrow doorway beside twisting trees all like smoke rising to the sky. It is performed with ink and pigment on silk bordered in brass colored satin with rosewood rollers...

This is a fabulous painting dated 1930 by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ko-Ten-Bo-Setsu (Twilight Snow in the Bay). Viewing it one can hear the silence, the soft pattering of snow and the flap of wings as geese take flight in the distance. Shirakura Niho was from Niigata prefecture, so was a man who not only knew snow well, but was well known for his snowy landscapes...

A river runs past deeply forested hills populated by rooftops in this naïve ink painting reflecting the charm of rural Japan by Shirakura Niho. Ink on paper mounted in a green cloth border extended with beige featuring Shunkei nuri lacquered wooden rollers which would instantly call to mind the mountain village of Takayama, home of the Shunkei style. It is 52.5 x 116.5 cm (20-1/2 x 46 inches) and comes in the original signed wooden box titled Satoyama Fukei (Mountain Village Scenery)...

A quintessential image of a tiny bean-shaped figure lost in thought, perhaps staring out to sea on a sunny hillock before cascading water in lush Spring-green washes by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Enpokihan (Distant Sails Returning). Ink & Light color on Silk in fresh green extended with beige featuring bone rollers. It is 64 x 143.5 cm (25 x 56-1/2 inches) and is in overall excellent condition...

A tiny figure sails on the placid lake depicted among exaggerated precipices of this early landscape by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shunpu Taito. Ink & Light color on Silk, it is 59 x 130 cm (23-1/4 x 51 inches) and is in overall excellent condition.
Shirakura Kinichiro (Kinro, Niho or Jiho, Kanyu, 1896-1974) was born the first son of lawyer and scholar Shirakura Shigeichi in Shibata city, Niigata...

The ultimate in tranquility, a sage aloft his peak gazing out at the fresh green landscape, one can hear the rush of the falls in the distance, and occasional birdsong on the spring breeze. The painting is by Shirakura Niho and comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kankyo Chosen (Leisure Life at the Quiet Spring). Ink & Pigment on Silk, it is 54.5 x 134.5 cm (21-1/2 x 53 inches) and is in excellent condition...

A work so compositionally striking we chose it for the cover of the exhibition catalog by Shirakura Niho titled Baika Shoin Zu (The Plum Blossom Retreat). Pigment on silk in a silk border enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 55.5 x 127.5㎝ (21-3/4 x 50 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Shirakura Kinichiro (Kinro, Niho or Jiho, Kanyu, 1896-1974) was born the first son of lawyer and scholar Shirakura Shigeichi in Shibata city, Niigata...

This scroll is an excellent example of the early Showa era style of Shirakura Niho centering around 1930 enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Teishu Sotai. The painting features two persons in a boat contemplating a precipitous waterfall which extends up through the clouds. The phrase Teishu Sotai in old Japanese translates to "meeting of moored boats" in English...

A peaceful cluster of homes blanketed in snow by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kamo Sekkei (Kamo in Snow). This is likely an image from very close to the artists heart, he lived west of the Kamo River in Kyoto, and one can imagine this being one of the bridges spanning that river he has seen out on a winter day. Ink,Gofun & Light color on Silk bordered in light colored cloth...

A sparse image of tiny boats, sails stretched with wind floating out off the coast by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Enko Hobari (Sails Stretched in the Distant Harbor). Pigment on silk bordered in patterned cloth extended in beige. The scroll is 65.5 x 132.5 cm (25-3/4 x 52 inches)...

Pair of 6-panel screens; ink, colors, gofun (crushed calcified crustacean shell) and gold on paper framed by a double silk brocade border. The screen on the right represents numerous geese (14), some flying down in front of a black moon, others in search of food or resting among the grass at the edge of a body of water with a background of a mountain. The left screen depicts egrets (7), three of which are perched on the trunk of a majestic weeping willow, covered in a white pigment represent...

Love lasts beyond the grave, here a skeleton walks, her pate decorated with flowers and a bundle of daisies in her hand as she strolls grinning under the shade of a dilapidated umbrella held by an attendant, a poignant painting signed Shoken dating from the Taisho period (1922). The four character verse above is taken from the Lotus sutra (Hanya-Shingyo) and reads shikisokuzeku, meaning (loosely) all color is void, the void is all color. Completely restored in a chic Tsumugi cloth border with bl...

A deliciously horrifying painting of a ghost rising from the empty field dating from the 19th century completely remounted and ready to go for another century of leering from the shadows. Ink on paper with highlights of gofun and red pigment separated from a field of blue by a single narrow strand of red and gold Kinran silk terminating in dark wood rollers. The artist has sealed the panting with two crimson chops in the lower corner. The scroll is 42.7 x 196 cm (16-3/4 x 77 inches) and is in ...

Long verses fall like rain upon the sinister figure of an Oni (type of devil) dressed in the habit of a priest who glares as he walks through the village, banging out a warning to all evil-doers. Around his neck hangs a bell which he clangs loudly with the hammer held high in one hand. The stern figure carries in the other hand a booklet titled Hogacho. A Hogacho is a record of the name and quantity of persons who donated (hoga) for projects such as the construction and repair of temples or shr...

A ghost rises from the darkness pulling on her hair, a wry grin as she looks sideways at the viewer on this antique painting by Moriwaki Unkei. Ink on paper completely cleaned and remounted in vine patterned blue silk with dark wood rollers. There are old age stains on the paper, which appear much stronger in the photos than in life. It is 40 x 200 cm (15-3/4 x 78-3/4 inches) and in excellent condition.
Moriwaki Unkei (1858-1946) was born in Tanakura-cho, Kawaetsu-han (Fukushima prefectur...

Byobu 屏風, folding screen, with six wooden panels covered with hand-painted paper with gold leaf and fine silk applications. The main scene shows a pair of black carts with vases and a selection of flowers, such as wisteria, iris, peony and chrysanthemum, with distinct colors in various shades. Period: Meiji end of 19th century. Dimensions: 118 x 364 x 2 cm. State of conservation: Excellent condition - There is slight wear compatible with time.

A Dojin licking Dango-treats dances in erratic dashes of soft wet lines and swift dark strokes of flying white on this vertical presentation by Edo period eccentric Doi Goga. Ink on paper it is 43 x 184.5 cm (17 x 72-1/2 inches) and has been completely remounted in dark silk with bone rollers. The creature clutches the raku-in stamp in his upper hand, the other stamps seem to follow his feet like footsteps. It comes enclosed in an age darkened wooden box. Known as the “Mad monk” Goga had...

A skeleton sits among the dried grasses, alone and forgotten, perhaps reflecting on his life in this earie painting by Buddhist priest Higuchi Ryuon dated Meiji 6 (1873). Ink on paper, it is 41.5 x 179.5 cm (16-1/4 x 70-1/2 inches) and is in fine condition; completely remounted in a border of two subtle shades of black with colorful piping and features black lacquered rollers with mother of pearl flakes. It comes in a kiri-wood box.
Higuchi Ryuon (1800－1885) was a priest of the Jodo s...

BEWARE OF FIRE

Old Japanese paper hanging scroll with hand-drawn traditional slogan word for the protection against fire as ‘Hi-no-yo-jin’ (Beware of fire) in such unique unusual style, 19th - early 20th century, 25 x 92 cm (9.84 x 36.22in). Aged deterioration (stain, peeling, rip, etc.) as is as seen. Repaired at the backside in the later years.


selected by chokkan to telepathy




* Please understand that ...

A hanging scroll (kakejiku) attributed to Kano Masunobu (1823-1880) entitled "take suzume" (Bamboo and Sparrow) with Kiri (paulownia wood) box. Kano Masunobu, also known as Toun, was a member of the Kano School of painters who excelled in ink paintings (occasionally with the addition of pale tints) of landscapes and birds. The school's founder, Kano Masunobu (1423-1530,) was attached to the court of Shogun Yoshimasa. Scroll dimensions: H.90cm(35.25") x W.43cm(17"). Silk-bordered area: H.37c...

Japanese 2-panel Taisho Period screen painting of woman in flower garden, she is almost obscured by bright blossoms but can be seen bending over, a pair of scissors in her hand, her flower basket sits on the ground beside her, painted in bright colors with much use of raised gofun on gold silk, signed and seal "Gaun" which is the artist name for "Yamanouchi Shinichi". Size:67" high x 74" wide Yamanouchi Shinichi. Biog.: Western-style painter. Born in Kyoto in Meiji 23rd (1890), Studi...

A prominent Japanese dealer is currently offering a Kawabata Gyokusho painting of similar size for $21,500. You can find this painting online. Kawabata Gyokusho is considered the last great representative of the Shijo school of Japanese painting. His work is quite delicate, making use of Japanese technique in a realistic manner. He had many pupils who later became well known. His paintings are in the permanent collections of many major museums, including Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, New York's Met...

Getzuzan inherited from his renowned father an effortlessness with the brush, shown here in the easy curves of the robe and face of the 12th Century Zen master, Taikobo, and the gentle washes that are used to compose the soft landscape that is the lovely place where he meditates and fishes. Gekko had several students who achieved fame, but he always favored his son. Getsuzan paintings that are available for sale are very rare. 45.5 x18 inches, 115.5 x 45.5 cm, unmounted

Okutani Shuseki (1871-1936) was born in Osaka and lived in Kyoto for most of his life. His artistic lineage is among the very best. He, along with Yamamoto Shunkyo and others, studied under Mori Kansai, who was the pupil and adopted son-in-law of Mori Tetsuzan, who was one of Maruyama Okyo's best pupils. Like all painters of the Mori family school, Shuseki's nature paintings are remarkable for their unsentimental naturalism, showing his keen interest in the essence of nature. He won prizes...

Okutani Shuseki (1871-1936) was born in Osaka and lived in Kyoto for most of his life. His artistic lineage is among the very best. He, along with Yamamoto Shunkyo and others, studied under Mori Kansai, who was the pupil and adopted son-in-law of Mori Tetsuzan, who was one of Maruyama Okyo's best pupils. Like all painters of the Mori family school, Shuseki's nature paintings are remarkable for their unsentimental naturalism, showing his keen interest in the essence of nature. He won prizes...

Okutani Shuseki (1871-1936) was born in Osaka and lived in Kyoto for most of his life. His artistic lineage is among the very best. He, along with Yamamoto Shunkyo and others, studied under Mori Kansai, who was the pupil and adopted son-in-law of Mori Tetsuzan, who was one of Maruyama Okyo's best pupils. Like all painters of the Mori family school, Shuseki's nature paintings are remarkable for their unsentimental naturalism, showing his keen interest in the essence of nature. He won prizes...

Okutani Shuseki (1871-1936) was born in Osaka and lived in Kyoto for most of his life. His artistic lineage is among the very best. He, along with Yamamoto Shunkyo and others, studied under Mori Kansai, who was the pupil and adopted son-in-law of Mori Tetsuzan, who was one of Maruyama Okyo's best pupils. Like all painters of the Mori family school, Shuseki's nature paintings are remarkable for their unsentimental naturalism, showing his keen interest in the essence of nature. He won prizes...

Sessho was a student of the legendary Tani Buncho. His paintings were collected and much appreciated by Emperor Meiji. He painted this gorgeous flower painting in a deliberately straightforward manner in order to take focus away from his superior technique and have you consider only the beauty of the subject. Silk Canvas and Mount. Mount: 72 x 25 inches, 182.5 x 63 cm. Painting: 44 x 20 inches, 112 x 50.5 cm. cf. C.H. Mitchell's The Illustrated Books of the Nanga, Maruyama, Shijo, and other Rela...

Ink and mineral pigments on silk

Interior of a fan maker’s shop with craftsmen at work, ca. late 1800s

Unsigned, very good color, good condition, small repair to backing on upper right margin, retaining a portion of its original silver mounting paper probably from being mounted as a framed panel.

Overall size: 13 x 17 ½ in.; image size: 10 ¾ x 16 ½ in.

A Very Fine Imperial Court Traditional Dancer Scroll Painting by Gyokuto: Japan,19th Century, The artist is not identified, but his work is so impressively done in this painting with ink, water colors and gold. This painting was executed with such detail of this portrayal of a traditional imperial court dancer wearing a brilliant colored court costume dress. This type of dress is typically worn with various heavy hair ornaments and her hat is painted with gold very intricately. She is pose...

18th Century Japanese Two Panel Painted Screen. All four seasons are represented here, with the background representing Winter and the kimono patterns representing Spring, Summer, and Fall. This is an unusual and creative take on the tagasode (whose sleeves?) genre of screen painting that usually depicts interiors. The pair of kimono poetically speak of a romantic liaison. The colors are breathtaking and the painting technique is pure master work. 68 inches (173 cm)w x 60 inches (152.5 cm)h. Exc...

Japanese antique scroll painting of a group of three monkeys in persimmon tree, painted in colors on silk, school of Mori Sosen, Meiji Period (1868-1912). total size: 58" high x 38" wide

Wonderful Japanese 2-panel byobu screen painting, 2 intricately painted Meiji Period fans, probably once used in a Noh performance and later mounted on a screen, each fan is painted in colorful mineral pigments with gold leaf, the fan on the left depicts white wild flowers blossoming near a meandering stream with billowing gold mist, the fan on the right is painted with a scene of 3 cranes flying over sea crests and a weeping willow tree, the two fans are mounted on a ground of gold flecks...

A very rare and unusual Japanese 2-panel astrology screen. The blue pigmented mica-flecked screen depicts the Northern Hemisphere and shows Hokuto Shichi Sei, the 7 star constellation or the Big Dipper which points to the North Star. The celestial chart is surrounded by calligraphy naming processional years.

Meiji Period (1868-1912).

Dimensions: 61 1/4” high x 34 1/2” wide.

Beautiful large Japanese antique scroll painting depicting a scene of Mt. Fuji with clouds and rural village below, leaves of the trees in the foreground are painted in Autumn colors, painted in sumi ink and light colors on paper, silk mounting. Regarding translation of calligraphy on scroll, the language formally states that this painting is respectfully given to a person (Sei in) from another person (Koō yoū ro). It is implied that Koō yoū ro is the artist although it i...