Two lidded jars with Qingbai and Jizhou glazes and terra cotta playing pieces. Not Song Dynasty but all hand made. The brown jar Jizhou jar has some discoloration. This white “stones” are 180 and there are 176 of the darker ones. D: 12cm/4.8in and H: 8cm/3.1in.

Bats, symbol of good fortune, flit over the sunset surface of this Ki-seto vase by Kato Sakusuke enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kiseto Kabin. An inscription inside begins Fukuju ? Zu (Lucky ? Image) and appears to be dated 1919 in the 60 year cyclical Zodiac calendar (possibly 1859). This is followed by the signature of a painter who also signed and dated the vase, indicating Sakusuke made the vase, while another artist provided the decoration...

An exceptional Oki-goro Incense Burner in the shape of a dark glazed Catfish by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Namazu Koro dated the 6th month of Taisho 10 (1921). This would have been placed over a dish in which a burning incense cone would have been placed. It is 48 cm (18-1/2 inches) long, 23 cm (9 inches) tall and appears in excellent condition...

A crow at rest upon a rock raises its head in a gruff cry by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Karasu Okimono. It is pierced in the back, allowing it to be an oki-koro incense burner. It is 34 cm (13-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. A nearly identical piece was published in the 1923 book Sozan Toko, attributed to his late period...

Original pair of antique Thai cast bronze recumbent temple deer with three stag antlers. Each deer sits flat to the floor. Original bronzed patina, consistent with age. Each has an opposite leg tucked in, with gaze looking back over shoulder. Wheel of life dharma blanket is seen on each, along with beautiful collar. Complete and both ready to be enjoyed.
Each with These sika deer are closely associated with the Buddha because of his “Teaching in the Deer Park” in Sarnath...

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...

Japanese seto ware ceramic chawan (tea cup). Made of dark brown stoneware with round body and small round foot. Appealing greenish glaze with drips. Artist's mark on the bottom. With tomobako.

Age: Taisho Period (early 20th century)

Dimensions: 2 7/8" high x 5 1/4" wide

Rare Antique Japanese Kashiki Bowl for used ceremony of Meiji Period made by Rokubei Kiyomizu IV (1848-1920). The seal of the potter is stamped on the bottom. Rokubei Kiyomizu IV belongs to one of the most influential Kiyomizu family of potters. He was born in 1848 as the eldest son of Rokubei Kiyomizu III. He got his family title and the name Rokubei IV in 1883 when he joined the Toyukai artists’ association. He co-established the Kyoto Ceramic Research Institute in 1895...

A striking baluster from vase decorated with sinister crows hunched in the silhouette of a leafless winter tree signed on the base Satsuma Kinunzan and dated on side the fifth month of 1911. This fits in perfect with our Kwaidan theme this month, the brooding figures austere against the bleak winter sky, something ominous, a lingering threat...

Sake Flask, "tokkuri," Meiji Era (1868-1912) from Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture. H.10", Body Dia.6". This early Mashiko ware shows the "tobi kanna" technique of chatter marking around the body. In Meiji-era Mashiko, this patterned flask was called a "matsu-kawa-tokkuri" (pine-skin-tokkuri.) A rich, dark brown glaze decorates the neck. Similar wares were also produced around the same time in Fukushima Prefecture...

A large figure of the Daruma in celadon glaze by Teishitsu Gigei-in Suwa Sozan I set on to a rosewood stand and enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The beautifully carved face and feet are in raw, burnt clay, the rest is entirely robed in pale green. It is 18.5 x 16.5 x 36cm (7-1/4 x 6-1/2 x 14 inches) plus the stand and is in excellent condition, signed inside with his koban shaped oval seal...

A jewel-like miniature ‘Imperial’ Satsuma vase, of baluster form with elephant head handles. One side is decorated with flowering lotus, the other with a gourd vine. The base has the signature Hogetsu beneath a blue Shimizu mon.

Approximately 9.7cm high. Perfect condition...

First we hear the clang of the hammer striking the bell, then the steadily approaching clop of his wooden shoes before the horrifying creature dressed in the robes of an itinerant priest appears; a ledger in one hand noting our sins. This is a very rare ceramic figurine by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nenbutsu Oni and bearing the seal of the imperial Art Academy. It is 30 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition. He would have originally held a hammer, ...

No two faces are the same on this incredible Toyoraku ceramic stacking box covered in gold and silver Maki-e lacquer dating from the 19th century. Inside is typical Oribe style green over crackled cream colored glaze with floral designs in iron. Outside lightning strikes in silver separate the multitude of intense lattice designs in fine gold lines on black lacquer. Stacked they are 15 x 13 x 17 cm, each vessel 15 x 13 x 4.5cm tall, and in excellent condition.
The Toyoraku tradition be...

A beautiful black Raku bowl with golden lightning splitting across the surface like an eruption of light in the night sky. It is roughly 12 cm (4-3/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. An exquisite repair.
Kintsugi embodies the spirit of wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic worldview centered around imperfection, transience, and the beauty of the natural cycle of growth and decay. Embracing the flawed and broken aspects of an object through kintsugi is a way to appreciate the passag...

Featuring rich earthy tones and intricate hand-drawn stencil designs of passion flowers resting on a string of vines, this bowl would be perfect for displaying an ikebana flower arrangement. A kintsugi (gold) repair attest to the age and care that went into maintaining this piece through generations. The label on the lid of the box reads “e-Seto Karatsumon O-wan” indicating a large Seto bowl with arabesque hand drawings (絵瀬戸 唐草文 大鉢). The piece also features a technique known ...

An iconic work with dynamic floral pattern in pale white on pink by Kiyomizu Rokubei V enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Taireiji Ichirinsashi. It is 19.5 cm (7-3/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition. The vase retains the original wood stand and stamped cloth pouch. Undeniably Taireiji was the most important development by this innovative artist, and pieces are exceedingly rare.
Kiyomizu Rokubei V (Shimizu Kuritaro, 1875-1959) initially studied painting and decorati...

A striking Peacock feather colored flambe glazed vase by Leading Kyoto Potter Uno Ninmatsu enclosed in a signed wooden box dated the 10th month of Showa 5 (October 1930). It is 28 cm tall and in excellent condition.
Uno Ninmatsu (1864-1937) was born in Kyoto son of potter Wada Sohei and studied under his father as well as from a young age Seifu Yohei II then future Imperial Art Academy artist Seifu Yohei III until setting up his own studio at the age of 21. Outgoing by comparison to the ...