Startled to enlightenment, this is a large Edo period figure of a Rakan (Sanskrit: Arhat), a Buddhist saint kozutsucarved in the Yosegi-zaiku method of joined blocks of wood. Originally covered in polychrome colors, much has grayed and flaked away with time, a fitting aspect of the image. He has glass eyes which seem to burn violently with realization. The image is 43 x 36 x 51 cm (17 x 14 x 20 inches) and is in solid condition. The head is removable, slotted into the body at the collar...

Keman in cut bronze gilded with mercury. Decorated with flowers and Karyobinga (winged musical deities). Keman are hung in Japanese temples and replace bouquets of flowers. Usually Kemans are only decorated with flowers. The one presented here is exceptional with its 4 karyobinga cast in relief and riveted on the copper plate cut with flowers. Very beautiful carving, thick gilding...

A set of three Chin puppies by Miyagwa (Makuzu) Kozan II published in the book Miyagawa Kozan and the World of Makuzu Ware (Yokohama Museum of Art, 2001) page 144, figure 174. They are roughly 5 x 10 cm (2 x 4 inches) and in excellent condition. They come enclosed in the original signed wooden box...

A rare Kuro Raku Chawan by the 7th-generation successor of Raku ware, Kichizaemon Chonyu (1714-1770).

It comes in fine antique condition with a very old red Urushi lacquer Kintsugi and its antique wooden box with an attestation and appraisal of the Urasenke Tea House "Shikien" Kyoto, signed and sealed in 1950.

Born as the eldest son of the 6th generation Sanyu, he took over as the head of the family and didn’t retire until age 49, later passing away at age 57...

A finely cast Japanese bronze koro and cover modelled as a resting egret, 13 cms. long, Edo/Meiji period.

A protective deity is carved into this Piece of a pillar from Himeji Castle dating from the Meiji period restoration of the Tenshukaku (main tower). It is branded with the Yaki-in which reads Himeji Jo Ko-zai-in (Brand of the old wood from Himeji Castle). It has long been a method of raising funds in Japan to offer replaced pieces of a historical building to those who donate to the restoration...

This is his Tsutsugaki item, which is impressive with its very surreal pine and bamboo designs drawn in Tsutsugaki during the Edo period. The young pine tree in the center of the picture is drawn in an unbelievably large and surreal manner, and the bamboo, which is also impossibly deformed, is drawn in the background. This is quite an unconventional item among the indigo-dyed items of the Edo period...

A handle surmounts the peak of this beautifully rendered vase by Myagawa (Makuzu) Kozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seiji-yu Sometsuke Te-oke-gata Kabin (Celadon Handled Bucket Shaped Vase with Blue and White Design). It is 16 cm (6 inches) diameter, 32.5 cm (13 inches) tall and in excellent condition...

An unusual Edo period Oribe serving bowl, the color filled crackled glaze decorated with scrolling lines in iron and splashes of copper green. Both inside and out hash mars denote a bamboo fence with blossoms in the fore. A handle and raised architectural elements around the rim and rising to the mouth echo some western influence, possibly indicating original Christian use. It comes resting on a silk pillow in a age-blackened wooden box titled Oribe Katakuchi...

Very refined earthenware vase, from the Satsuma kilns, with polychrome enamels, presents a decoration of courtesans (bijin) and a child under a flowering tree with on one side, in the background, a cottage at the foot of a hill. At the base of the collar, the shoulder is covered with chrysanthemum flowers. A barely legible mark under the base in a red lacquer cartouche, partly covered by a collector's label, could be attributed to Fujan (?). Height: 15 cm. Period: Meiji (1868-1912) 19/20th.

Globular in shape, on a nashiji gold lacquer base, the decoration represents pines and bamboo in gold and black hira maki-e, hedatsu and kirigane of vegetation at the edge of a watercourse and stylized medallions of chrysanthemums. The interior is also in nashiji. Origin: Japan. Period: Edo (1603-1868) 19th century. Height: 5.5 cm.

Two Jubako stacking porcelain boxes enclosed in their unique wooden boxes which are both enclosed together in an additional outer wooden box for protection. According to the lid, the designs were by Kinoshita Itsuun and Uragami Gyokudo, and the pieces were made by Kawamoto Hansuke. Hansuke is considered the progenitor of porcelain production in Seto, and it was through an act of industrial espionage that he was able to bring the techniques, until then the secrets of the Kyushu potteries, to Seto...

Sample book of the Japanese sarasa, whose title is "Kame Jirushi Sarasa Book" It has 56 fragments of silk gauze with katazome (stencil-resist dye) designs. Generally, in good condition. Early 20th century. W:22cm, H:16cm

Asa (hemp) furoshiki with four owner's names, hand-written with sumi(ink). Both warps and wefts are hand-plied. It has some holes and stains, however it is washed. Probably from Nagano prefecture or Tohoku district. The second half of the 19th century. W:126cm, L:132cm

Large porcelain bowl, decoration painted in red iron oxide on cracked glaze, gold details. On the outside, Buddhist lions (Shishi) are represented moving among peonies. Inside are finely drawn landscapes in reserves and elegant cranes in flight. Each landscape is annotated with Chinese characters which probably indicate what place it is. Under the Kutani kilns mark...

A beautifully crafted and remarkable example of an early Edo period (1603-1868) Raku Chawan. This bowl is strongly reminiscent of the Chōjirō tea bowls, the first head of the Raku family.

This exceptionally well-crafted tea bowl has a very meditative presence and reveals its highlights of a typically Momoyama Period classic black glaze. It comes with an old Japanese wooden box.

Raku tea bowls occupy a unique space in the world of tea because they strongly embody the ae...

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...

Amazing boro made of hand-spun and vegetable indigo dye cotton fragments. It used to be the lining of yogi, which is one kind of futon, in the shape of kimono. It is from the Japan Sea side district in Kansai, such as Fukui or Kyoto. It is partly sewn with hemp yarn. Late 19th to early 20th century. W:95cm, L:165cm