Birds chatter, perhaps excited by the promise of Spring from the plum blossoms peeking out of a bamboo grove, winters snow melts and trickles through the stones in the stream belwo. A two panel screen, ink and light color on gold by Mizuta Chikuho (1883-1958). An excellent example of this artists Nanga style, the subject and rich wet lines of the bamboo crisp and direct, fading to washes of gray in the shadows. The screen measures 68 x 68 inches (172 x 173 cm) and is in fine condition...

A whimsical Bizen stoneware figural koro. A young man is depicted inebriated - sake barrel by his side (the hat cover and barrel form inokes the otherwise absent tanuki associated with sake and mischief.) The sake barrel holds the burning incense while a separate piece represents the boy's hat and forms the cover for the censer. The enjoyment of incense from the burner suggests the intoxicating qualities of imbibing. Late 19th to early 20th century. Good condition...

The tanuki rests, energy spent, among fallen bamboo leaves lit by the crescent moon, only those yellow eyes alert and watchful. A beautiful pigment on silk painting signed Seiei enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is bordered in patterned green silk and features bone rollers. The scroll is 21-1/2 x 76-1/2 inches (55 x 194 cm) and in overall fine condition.

A fox and cubs under the crescent moon and falling leaves by Hotta Shuso (b. 1894) in a style representative of the Taisho era. Light color on silk in a pale green silk border with bone rollers. The scroll is 21-1/2 x 86 inches (55 x 219 cm) and in fine condition but for a faint discoloration in border top and bottom.
Hotta Shuso (1894-1954) was born in Nagano prefecture and studied under Ikegami Shuho, settling in Tokyo...

Steam coils about the petit young woman at the public bath, a fine Taisho era painting signed Ikuho. The color blends into the silk, leaving a soft edge enhancing the sense she is being viewed through the steam and heat of the bath. Pigment on silk, mounted later in green patterned cloth extended with grey and featuring wooden rollers. As pictures of nudes were forbidden, Ikuho is likely a pen-name, possibly taken from Ikuho Street in Northern Kyoto city where the artist may have resided...

A superb bronze vase with silver plate design enclosed in the original wooden box and stamped on the base by the artsit. The vessel is 11-1/2 inches (30 cm) tall and in excellent condition

Heavy pigment on thickly veined gold creates a powerful collection of scenes from the Taiheiki, the 11th century story of the fall of the courtiers and usurpation of power by two military families, the Taira and the Genji. The screen dates to the 18th century, or middle Edo period. Many old repairs attest to age. We have had it completely remounted, with no painting restoration performed. On the left the famous scene of shooting a fan from horseback from the battle of Yajima...

A set of five Meiji period dishes hand painted by Suzuki Hyakunen in commemoration of the Gosho-Nai Dai-Hakurankai (Exposition in the Imperial Palace, Kyoto) stamped on the underside with the event name and each individually signed by the artist. The literati scenes include a scholar contemplating a waterfall, Mountain retreat lost in rugged hills, sails on the lake, traveler in the hills and horses on the lakeshore under weeping willows...

Oversized Japanese limited edition sosaku hanga “kappa-ban” (stencil print) of a tengu mask titled “Mayoke Tengu” (also known as "Tengu-shaped Amulet") by Yoshitoshi Mori (1898-1992). The print is pencil-signed “Yoshitoshi Mori,” dated ’87, and numbered 10/50. The artist’s red seal is above the signature. The known paper size is about 17”V x 27 1/4”H. The framed size is 19"V x 28 1/2"H...

A haunting vessel by Miyagawa Kozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Haku Korai Bin, Yukan Tsuki (White Korean form with free handles). This piece is the epitome of the elegance which came from Japanese working with traditional forms. Devoid of decoration, the shape stands alone among works by this famous artist. It is 10-1/2 inches (27 cm) tall and is in perfect condition. I will enclose a rosewood stand for display purposes with this vase...

Japanese plique-a-jour cloisonne enamel vase densely decorated with a bouquet of flowers set against a celadon green background. Chrome rims. Dates from the Occupation period (1945-1960). Measures about 3 3/4"H x 3" diameter. Very good overall condition. There is a faint interior stress crack at the shoulder that cannot be felt (see enlargements 6 and 7). The neck is very slightly tilted.

A 17th – 18th century Neko-tora Tiger by Nagasaki school artist Watanabe Shuseki performed with ink and color on paper in yellow bronze silk border with bone rollers. The parchment is aged and gray, giving the sense of a wall painting in some ancient tomb. The scroll is 14 x 63 inches (36.5 x 160 cm)...

Item description:. The lead warrior charges headstrong into the frothing waves, a band of mounted warriors following across the six panels of this mid Edo period gilded screen. Cherry blossoms, symbol of impermanence and the life of the warrior, and pines, symbol of strength and long life, create teh back drop, with clouds of gold applied smoothly and over a pebble textured surface defining the characters. A well painted rendition of this famous scene from the epic Taiheiki . The screen has...

Japanese limited edition sosaku hanga “kappa-ban” (stencil print) of a samurai titled “Tobacco Pipe” (Kiseru) by Yoshitoshi Mori (1898-1992). The warrior grasps his sword with one hand and holds his smoking pipe with the other. The print is pencil-signed “Y. Mori,” dated ’86, and numbered 11/70. The artist’s red seal is above the signature. The paper measures 15 3/4”V x 19”H. This print is in very good overall condition. The print is backed by a thin sheet of archival pape...

Japanese woodblock print triptych of swimming turtles and fish with actor mons and human faces by Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912) dated 5th month of Meiji 19 (1886). The convention of disguising portraits of actors arose in the Edo period when bust portraits of actors were banned, through the Tempo Reforms of 1841-1843, for being conspicuous and a detriment to public morality. Each panel measures about 14"V x 9 1/8"H. The print is in good overall condition with fading evident. The panels are sep...

A massive evocative painting exhibited at the first Bunten National Exhibition in 1908 by Ito Koun enclosed in a large period wooden box and pblished in the Nitten-shi series volume I. It is performed with pigment on silk, and shows that soft, almost mystical touch typical of late Meiji Rekishi-ga historical imagery. The samurai crouches at the gate, letting fly arrows at his overwhelming opponents. Metal tipped shafts pierce the thick wood of the gate before him and broken arrows lay scatter...

A nice drawing b/w dish, decorated with Shansui scene pattern. Japanese 18th/19th century. Base with six character mark 'Da Ming Cheng Hua Nien Zhe' and four spurs mark. Condition with glaze hairline appears to base. Diameter: 24cm.

Japanese Meiji period woodblock print depicting William Howard Taft viewing a sumo match during his 1905 diplomatic mission to Japan. With Taft weighing in at over 300 lbs., this print is likely offering a subtle comparison between Taft and the wrestler. This print is unsigned and undated. 14 3/4"V x 10 3/8"H. Very good color and impression quality. Good overall condition with pigment transference at the upper left corner, some minor soiling, and a few small holes and thinned areas. The pr...