All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1950 item #1411464
Occupation era original Japanese shin hanga woodblock print titled "Snow at Hinuma Swamp, Mito" ("Snow at Hi Marsh, Mito") by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) dated in the lower left margin Showa 22 (1947). The artist's black ink signature and red seal are at the upper right side of the image. The 6mm circular seal of the publisher Watanabe (used 1946-1957) is at the lower right corner. Paper size: 10 3/8" x 15 3/4" (image size: 9 1/2" x 14 1/4")...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1411447
Large late Meiji to Taisho period Japanese Arita porcelain cylindrical form hibachi decorated in underglaze blue, white, and celadon with mirrors and auspicious symbols. Scattered bisque incised signature seals accent the decoration. 12 1/4" high x 17" diameter. Early 20th century. Very good overall condition with no chips, cracks, or repairs. From the collection of an elderly woman in Sun City West, Arizona.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1410602 (stock #05201)


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Quite a rare vintage Japanese artisan's tool. Showa period, early 20th century. Simple and unique form with aesthetic texture. approx...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1837 VR item #1410591
Very fine and rare Japanese Edo era Hasami Bako, or storage/traveling box, measuring roughly 12" wide (including brass hanging hooks on sides), 5 1/2" deep, and 6 1/8" high. It dates to the late Edo era, some time between 1780 and 1850. The top is slightly domed, as is visible in some photos, and all edges and corners are decorated with incised brass metal sections, and two U shaped handles are on both ends, and can stand upright, as would be the carrying position for a larger trunk. The box...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1409038 (stock #TCR6989)
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A rare bowl by Ninnami Dohachi from the Sangama kiln dating from the later Edo period wrapped in a silk pouch and enclosed in a fine custom made Kiri-wood collectors box. Deeply impressed into the base is the six sided Sangama kiln mark. It is 5-1/2 x 5 x 3 inches (13 x 12.5 x 9 cm) and is in excellent condition...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1408940 (stock #L079)
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The golden orb shines out like the light of Buddhism from between the dark clouds on this exquisite 19th century image by Wada Gozan, priest of Jinko-in Temple. Ink and gold-pigment on silk in a patterned silk border with wood rollers in a period kiri-wood box titled Tsuki no ga Yokomono Ippuku (1 wide painting of moon) Wada Gozan koto (of Wada Gozan), annotated by Kuten. It is 25 x 48-1/2 inches (63.5 x 123.5 cm) and is in overall fine condition, with a minor wrinkle in the lower border...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1408607 (stock #TCR6982)
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A superb example of the mastery of Bizen Saiku-mono sculptures by Nishimura Shunko dating to the pre-war era. The musculature and bone structure of the creature is clearly visible, and it wears a cloak of ash glaze like fur, the tail actually covered in dry “goma” textured ash, and the lower extremities showing a fine assortment of Hi-iro flame colors on the raw clay. Stylistically there appears to be some influence of the pottery technique of Okinawan Shisa (lions)...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1408552 (stock #TCR6981)
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A fabulous large porcelain vase by Daimaru Hoppo (Hokuho) enclosed in the original signed and compartmentalized wooden box complete with a rosewood base. The vase is a perfect example of the Sinophile aesthetic that permeated Japanese art in the early 20th century. The simplified form rises from to frets decorated with stylized cicada under a belt of archaic figures and yotsu-domoe (yin-yang) symbols. It is 14 inches (35 cm) tall plus the base and is in excellent condition...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1408200
Japanese shin hanga woodblock print titled "Kansai District: Seta Bridge" by Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) dated Showa 8 (1933). 1st edition impression with "jizure" (self-printed) seal in the upper left margin. The artist's black ink brush signature and red seal are at the lower right. The print is pencil-signed in the lower right margin. Illustrated in "The Complete Woodblock Prints of Yoshida Hiroshi," Abe Publications, color plate #182...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1910 item #1408011 (stock #TCR6977)
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A very unusual vase by Teishitsu Gigei-In (Imperial Art Academy Member) Ito Tozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box showing decidedly Art Nouveau styling. It is 20 x 8 x 32 cm (8 x 3 x 12-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Ito Tozan I (1846-1920) began as a painter in the Maruyama school studying under Koizumi Togaku...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1950 item #1407914
Occupation era original Japanese shin hanga woodblock print titled "Moonlit Night at Miyajima" by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) dated in the lower left margin Showa 22 (1947). The artist's black ink signature and red seal are at the lower right corner of the image. The 6mm circular seal of the publisher Watanabe (used 1946-1957) is at the lower left corner. Paper size: 15 1/4" x 10 1/2" (image size: 14 1/8" x 9 1/2"). Very good overall condition...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1950 item #1407796
Occupation era original Japanese shin hanga woodblock print titled "Carp Flag at Toyohama, Kagawa Prefecture" by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) dated in the lower left margin Showa 23 (1948). The artist's black ink signature and red seal are at the lower left corner of the image...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1960 item #1407674
Japanese limited edition sosaku hanga woodblock print depicting three chickens titled “Jealousy” by Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997) dated 1952. Pencil-signed and numbered 91/300 in the bottom margin. Visible paper size: 14 3/4" x 10 1/4" (image: 13 3/4" x 9 1/4). Framed size: 24 7/8” x 19 3/4.” Visibly in very good overall condition and color. The print is currently framed but can be purchased and shipped either framed or unframed. A color illustration of this print can be found on page 1...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1405255
Rare pre-earthquake "chirimen-e" (creped) Japanese “mitsugiri-ban” format shin hanga woodblock print by Takahashi Shotei, also known as Hiroaki (1871 - 1945) titled “Starlight Night” published by Watanabe circa 1918. Red Shotei seal at the lower right. Paper size: 5 3/8" x 12." (margins included). This image is cataloged as #M-17 on the informative website www.shotei.com. For image comparison, their section on variant print designs illustrates both the pre-earthquake and post-earthquake...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1404796
Japanese Meiji period woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) depicting the torture of a politically dissident woman titled “Muraoka, Head Lady-in-waiting of the Konoe Clan Bound with Rope” from the series “Personalities of Recent Times” published by Yamato Shimbunsha in 1887. Known image size: 12 15/16" x 8 13/16." Purchased at and framed by Robyn Buntin Gallery, Honolulu in a very high end frame. Visibly in very good overall condition with embossed highlights evident. Not...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1404682
Japanese Edo period woodblock print titled “Azuma Shrine and the Entwined Camphor” (#31) depicting boats passing through the Jukkengawa Canal with cherry blossoms lining the embankment from the series “One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo” by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) published by Uoya Eikichi (Uoei) in 7/1856. Paper: nearly 14” x 9 3/8” (image: 13 3/8” x 8 5/8”). Very good color and overall condition. There are tape stains to the margin edges verso that show through ...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1837 VR item #1404469
Japanese Edo period woodblock print by Toyokuni I (1769-1825) depicting the kabuki actor Nakamura Utaemon III portraying a sake peddler encountering a dog from a set of eight prints published by Yamamoto Heikichi in 1815. Kiwame censor’s seal. Paper size: 14" x just under 10." Very good overall condition and color with some typical minor wear. There is wormage evident that is well disguised and stabilized by an album backing. The print is tipped at the top two corners to a backing sheet b...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1980 item #1403645
Japanese shin hanga woodblock print triptych titled “Pine,” Plum,” and “Bamboo” from the “Friendly Garden Series” commissioned by the Franklin Mint and published by the Yoshida Family Studio in 1980. Each of the three prints is pencil-signed in kanji at the lower right margin and black ink signed and titled at the lower left image. The artist’s red seal is below the black ink signature. The three prints have been reframed with archival materials and UV Plexiglas in the origina...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1402007
A spectacular Ikebana basket, dating to late Meiji or Taisho era, in beautiful condition. It measures 11 3/4" high (one side is slightly lower, 11 1/2") and is 15" wide. It retains the original metal liner. Woven of varying size strips of bamboo, the design is complex, demonstrating the fine skill of the basket maker. No breaks or losses, just minor wear from usage. There is a bit of dust in the woven areas, which we have not attempted to remove or clean. One of the finest examples of Ik...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1950 item #1401726
Occupation era original Japanese shin hanga woodblock print titled "Spring Evening at the Kintai Bridge" by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) dated in the lower left margin Showa 22 (1947). The artist's black ink signature and red seal are at the lower left corner of the image. The 6mm circular seal of the publisher Watanabe (used 1946-1957) is at the lower right corner. Paper size: 15 5/8" x 10 3/8" (image size: slightly over 14 1/4" x 9 1/2"). Very good overall condition. Possibly lightly faded. The...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1910 item #1401363
Large Japanese Imari porcelain charger decorated in a free-form pattern of underglaze blue geometric, floral, and phoenix bird patterns with overglaze polychrome and gilt highlights. Two white floral areas in the center are raised in slight "moriage" relief, giving the charger a rich texture. The underglaze blue decoration on the back surrounds a six-character apocryphal Chinese Ming dynasty Chenghua reign mark. Japanese porcelains of the Meiji Period were frequently marked with spurious Chin...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1401211 (stock #MOR6940)
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A Mingei style sculpture of a sake-sprite (Shojo) making off with a barrel of rice wine on his shoulder dating from the 19th century. This architectural work was likely originally part of a gate, and would have been a welcome sign to thirsty fellows after a day of work. Carved from a single piece of hard Keyaki wood, It is in excellent condition. 28 x 12 x 5 inches (71 x 13 x 13 cm). Keyaki as a wood is known for its hardness, beautiful grain and pest resistance.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1700 item #1401101 (stock #TCR6938)
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A perfect example of the Early Edo Tea aesthetic in this Chatsubo dating from the first half of the Edo period, a splash of black over rust with a white glazed waste from the Seto region around modern day Nagoya. It comes with an ancient wooden bung and wrapping cloth. The pot is roughly 27 cm (11 inches) tall and in overall excellent condition, with typical wear around the foot. No cracks or repairs. Called Koshijiro (White wasted) this style became popular in the end of the 16th century, an...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1700 item #1400882 (stock #TCR6933)
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Hints of the finest powdered gold gleam on the edges of this ghostly white tea bowl dating from the early Edo period. Iron-like freckles pepper the surface which is subtly clouded with soft color. The base is almost entirely covered in glaze, the glimpses of earth worn dark with age and use. It comes wrapped in a silk bag with an age darkened kiri wood box titled Hagi Chawan and named within Kan-no-yuki annotated by Yabunouchi Chikusojochi (1864-1942) 11th head of the Yabunouchi school of tea...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1400659 (stock #TCR6928)
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A set of figurines depicting a courtly Chinese couple by Miyanaga Tozan enlclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Choan no Haru from the Tang period tales. Each is expertly molded and painstakingly decorated in a Kyo-satsuma style signed in gold on the base of each. They stand roughly 13 inches (33 cm) tall each and are in excellent condition. The title calls to mind any number of ancient Chinese poems. The same title was also given to an important book by Ishida Kannosuke published...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1400658 (stock #J033)
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A young girl reaches up to steady herself on a branch laden with plum buds, not yet ready to open, as she presses down on the ice with her bright red shoes. This is an absolutely darling image by Chishima Kayo, which came to us as a silk makuri (never having been mounted) painting, which our restorer placed in this natural field allowing the painting to show itself.
Chishima Kayo (b. 1890) was a female artist of the Meiji to early Showa periods. She was born in Saitama and studied init...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1400498 (stock #TCR6924)
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A rare set of five tiny Gosu cups for drinking Gyokuro steaped tea from the Shidehara kiln of Sanda in Hyogo prefecture dating from mid to later 19th century (Late Edo to Meiji). Fish circle the cups as they swim among water plants. Each cup is 2 inches (5 cm) diameter and in great condition.
Shidehara was a kiln established in the Sanda district of Hyogo prefecture in the mid 18th century. They created works based on continental styles of Gosu, Sometsuke, aka-e and later celadon. It ...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1700 item #1400094 (stock #TCR6774)
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Remnants of yellow glaze covers this Heishi (Heiji) bottle form from the Owari-Seto area engraved clearly about the neck with three lines. A quintessential Kamakura pot. There is much degradation to the glaze typical of Seto which has withstood a millennium of earthquake, fire, war and abuse. That anything survives so long in Japan is miraculous. It is 9-1/2 inches (24 cm) tall, 6-1/2 inches (16.5 cm) diameter and comes wrapped in old cloth in an old wooden box.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1800 item #1400074 (stock #F081)
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An Edo period image of plums blossoming on thick branches by Kitayama Kangan. Ink on paper in a patterned cloth mounting with beige piping in the Mincho style so popular int eh 19th century and featuring bone rollers. It is 21-1/2 x 78-1/2 inches (55 x 199 cm). Some minor loss to the piping at the top of the scroll, otherwise in surprisingly good condition.
Kitayama Kangan (Ba Moki, 1767-1801) was the grandson of a Chinese émigré. He studied painting under his father Ba Doryo (Also us...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1399837 (stock #WN200)
An early and rare Japanese copper plaque showing a bird on a prunus mume twig, worked in dull colored cloisonné enamels, the reverse with green contre-émail. The former owner attributed this artwork to an artist of the "Japonisme Movement". Condition: bubble bursts, a hairline (see photo No. 5). Dimension: 20.3 cm x 20.3 cm x 0.3 cm.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1800 item #1399339 (stock #3533)
A small square gold lacquer Japanese incense container with rounded corners. The lid is decorated with a relief of waves and rocks, inlaid in mother-of-pearl and lead. Interior and base with nashiji, the rims covered with lead. Later tomobako. Dimension: c. 9.5 cm x 7.5 cm x 2.5 cm. Condition: few traces of usage, a tiny chip (see photo No. 2 at 2 o'clock).
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1399111 (stock #TCR6908)
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A lovely hand formed bowl in the shape of an inverted mushroom with brush strokes (Kushi-me) defining the gills and the bulbous stipe laying like a handle to one side. A speckled yellow glaze (typical of Maiko) covers the sandy clay, with a drape of green and white seeping like milk from one side. It is roughly 21 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, stamped on the base Mahiko (In traditional writing the character for Hi is interchangeable with the character for I as is Fu and U)...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1398616 (stock #MOR6904)
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A lacquer box decorated with a Rimpa style thatched house under blossoming tree by Kamisaka Sekka dating from the late Taisho period. It is 12.5 x 12.5 x 6 cm (5 x 5 x 2 inches) and is in excellent condition. An identical box which was part of the permanent collection of the Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute along with the original design sketch is visible on page 154 of the book Kamisaka Sekka: Rimpa Master - Pioneer of Modern Design published by the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art in 2003. ...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1800 item #1398422 (stock #SOR6903)
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A mid Edo period (16th to 17th century) five plate cuirass (go-mai-do) of heavy iron emblazoned on front with a sun and moon in inlayed silver over the fierce god Fudomyo with protective sanskjrit characters in silver damascene on the sides and a five character phrase (The Gotoku or five precepts of Confucianism, also espoused in the book of five rings) on back, also in silver. It is lacquered red inside, and about the waste hang rows of black lacquered scales laced in blue with color fleckedwh...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1397903 (stock #MOR6889)
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The full moon glowing in shimmering gold illuminates the silver blossoms adorning the ragged plum tree growing along the river bank, a superb lacquer box dating from the 19th century enclosed in a period wooden box titled Plum & Moon Maki-e Suzuri Bako. Inside the lid the stream continues, running past golden rocks and young flora reaching for the moon. Contained within is a grinding stone with gilded edges and a blossom shaped suiteki water-dropper inset into a raft structure upon which the b...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1800 item #1397483 (stock #F077)
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A fine rendition of a plum by Tanaka (Zuitai) Ryurei (commonly known as Ryudojin, 1740-1804)). Ink on paper, it has been fully remounted in a silk frame with wooden rollers reflecting the original style. The scroll is 12-1/2 x 70 inches (31.5 x 178 cm).
Ryudojin was born in Owari, near modern day Nagoya. He is referred to also as Ryurei Zuitai and or Ryudo Reizui or simply Ryurei. Born into the Tanaka family, he was sent to the priesthood at Reigenji at the age of 11. Then he went to...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1397244 (stock #MOR6883)
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A seething dragon in white bronze by Mitsui Yoshio dating circa 1930 enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The very distinct character of the creature is similar to the famous dragons of Yakushiji temple in Nara. It is 32 cm (12-1/2 inches) long, 25 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Mitsui Yoshio (1899-1959) was born in Tokyo and initially studied metal craft under Tsuchida Katsue and then Unno Kiyoshi. While studying at the Tokyo University of Art (then Tokyo Bijut...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1800 item #1396636 (stock #TCR6876)
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An elegant Edo period Mokko-Gata bowl decorated in gosu floral motifs over yellow under a clear glaze from the kiln established by Chinese Ming émigré Chin Genpin (Chen Yuanyun 1587-1671) around 1660 in Nagoya under direction of the Daimyo of Owari Province Tokugawa Mitsutomo. The piece makes use of Seto clay covered in a combination of imported yellow glaze and local glazes mimicking the popular Annan Yaki of Southern China and Vietnam. It is 15.5 x 11 x 7 cm (6 x 4-1/2 x 3 inches) and is i...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1396496 (stock #WN186)
A patinated bronze okimono of a young woman with a beautiful face, dating around 1910. On her back a large basket and in her hand she was carrying a tool. Signed "Seiya" on the base. Dimension: 29.5 cm high, weight: 2.4 kg. Condition: tool broken off, few tiny areas with wear to the patina.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1800 item #1396484 (stock #TCR6874)
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Loops of white decorate the dark pitted glaze of this quashed bowl from the kilns of Kyushu dating from the early to mid Edo period. The small foot is testament to dating, and there is much natural wear to the dark glaze. The vessel is 14 x 10 x 6 cm (5-1/2 x 4 x 2-1/2 inches) with an age darkened chip in the rim where it rolls over on itself. It comes in a silk bag enclosed in a black lacquered antique wood box. It comes from a collection of Edo pottery, and inside the box is a receipt desc...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1396291 (stock #TCR6869)
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Pierce-work combined with over and under glaze decoration create the perfect picture of spring on this bowl by Takahashi Dohachi enclosed in the original wooden box signed Kachutei Dohachi and titled Kenzan Yo Tsubaki Bori Hachi (Kenzan style Camelia patterned Carved Bowl). It is 20 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
The Dohachi Kiln was established in Awataguchi by the retainer of Kameyama fief, Dohachi I around 1760, and the name Dohachi was brought to the forefront of ...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1396002 (stock #F020)
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The soft blur of blossoming plum, as if viewed in a dream, by Murashiam Yuichi. The evocative form, rising up in an arc to dominate the paper, seems powerful in comparison to the delicate petals clinging to new branches rising from the gnarled limbs. Ink on paper in green silk border, the scroll is 216 × 45cm (85 x 18 inches) and in overall excellent condition.
Murashima Yuichi (1897-1983 born Yuichiro) also known as Ho-o, was born in Toyama and graduated the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko (Mod Un...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1395494 (stock #F024)
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A crow stands stark against a dark landscape, the last vestiges of autumn clinging to frozen branches as the landscape settles with snow. Below water surrenders to gravity as it drops into the unseen depths. Ink and light color on silk in a green silk border patterned with tangled vines and featuring stag antler rollers. It is 19 x 76-1/2 inches (48 x 194 cm) and in overall great condition.
Tanaka Raisho (1867-1940) was born in Shimane prefecture, into an important household which fell...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1800 item #1395355 (stock #TCR6849)
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A very rare Nana-sun plate with swirling hake-me design from the kilns of Utsutsukawa dating from the early to mid Edo period wrapped in a ragged bit of sarasa dyed cotton cloth and enclosed in an age darkened wooden box titled Utsutsukawa-Yaki Kashibachi - Ikko (Sweets dish-1) It is 7-1/2 inches (19 cm) diameter. Thinly potted, there is a tiny chip in the rim, otherwise is in perfect condition; exceedingly rare for this type of pottery.
Utsutsukawa-yaki originated in Nagasaki in the lat...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1960 item #1395305
Japanese pencil-signed limited edition sosaku hanga woodblock print known by the title "Cat and Green Leaf" featuring a seated black cat set against a wood grain patterned background with several prominent green leaves by Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997). The artist's red seal is at the lower left portion of the image. Circa 1950s. Pencil-signed and numbered 29/300 in the bottom margin. Paper size: 16 1/2" x 11 3/8” (image size: 15 5/8" x 9 3/8”). Very good overall condition with no tape or tape ...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1394928
Japanese Meiji period three-case boxwood inro carved on the front with two oni or animal creatures peering out from the trunk of a tree. The back holds a bearded man holding a sword or knife. All three have inlaid eyes. A wood ojime bead and a netsuke in the form of a smiling tiger is attached to the string. A two-character “Nissho” signature within a circular cartouche is embedded on the bottom. 19th century. 3 1/8” x 2 1/4" x 1 1/4." Very good overall condition with only minor imp...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1950 item #1394666 (stock #L042)
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Ducks are the only life in this landscape of frozen rice paddies by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original double wood box (Nijubako) signed Kanyu (the name he used later in his career). Teh composition is very minimalist, relying on the diagonal lines of paddy walls to define the foreground, only a haze of color to intimate the hills beyond. Judging by the style this likely dates from the 1940s and is an exceptional work by this innovative artist. Ink and pigment on silk in a superb border ...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1394245 (stock #TCR6837)
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A rare opportunity to pick up a perfect condition Mingei pot from the former Yonezawa Clan's Narushima-kiln of Imaizumi on the border between Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures, one of the Edo period Daimyo feudal kilns, dating from the later 19th to opening years of the 20th century. It is 7-1/2 inches (19 cm) diameter, 6-1/2 inches (16 cm) tall and in fine condition with no chips, cracks or repairs. Very similar in appearance to nearby Tsutsumi-yaki of Sendai, the lesser lip between the gla...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1980 item #1393986 (stock #MOR6835)
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White Robed Kannon by Zen Wako (also Chon Fua Fan/Chow Wha Whang), Oil on panel, 22 x 27,5 cm (9 x 11 inches) in the original frame.
Zen Wako was born in Pyongan (modern day North Korea) in 1909, while that country was under Japanese Influence, and one year before it was officially annexed by Japan. He was first recognized in 1929 when his work was accepted into the Korean national Art Exhibition. In 1933 he came under the influence of Nishida Tenko (1872-1968), a spiritual figure in Jap...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1393752 (stock #J027)
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A young Maiko parts the curtains of an Okiya Tea-house entrance, perhaps on her way to training, or to begin a night of traditional entertainment through song and dance. Pigment and ink on silk in a fine brocade border with lacquered red wooden rollers. It is 25 x 78 inches (63.5 x 198 cm). There is some loss to the gofun in the center where it was obviously folded once before being mounted in its current state.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1393406 (stock #MOR6817)
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Ivy in colored maki-e lacquer drapes over the ro-iro polished black of this museum quality Tankei oil lantern dating from the 19th century complete with oil container, with both ceramic and lacquered-brass oil dishes; enclosed in the original wooden storage box. It is 22 x 18 x 54 cm (8-1/2 x 7 x 21 inches) and is in overall fine condition, with minor wear typical of age and use.
Historically slow burning rapeseed or fish oil would have been used, the long wicks burning on the dish drape...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1393334 (stock #MOR6815)
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Wisteria vines in gold and silver Maki-e lacquer decorate the natural body of this beautiful sake flask cut from a section of vine, hollowed and capped with natural wood and black lacquer, a pouring spout of brass bunged with bamboo. It is 9 inches (22 cm) tall and in fine condition, dating from the 19th century.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1393280 (stock #MOR6814)
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A troop of Shishi lion dogs sewn with couched gold thread. frolic among the blossoms and crashing falls embroidered on the re-purposed rich blue patterned Edo period silk of this altar cloth. The original form was likely an uchikake kimono, assembled as an altar drape as a tribute to the owner at a Buddhist Temple. Embroidered up high is the Mitsuba-aoi crest of the Tokugawa Shogun, indicating this was from an aristocratic family as the quality of the embroidery presmes. The dimensions are ro...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1930 item #1393210 (stock #MOR6813)
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A mandala from the Main Kyoto Nichiren Sect Buddhist Temple Honnoji cut from a hardwood slab used in the rebuilding of the great hall in the Taisho period. Written on back is “Given in Taisho 14 (1925) to the temple supporter’s representative as a prayer for good fortune upon the occasion of the ceremonial raising of the roof beam of the main temple structure (Honden), the plackard cut from wood used in the rebuilding”. It is signed Nichijo-gan. Nichijo was the 62nd head of Honnoji Templ...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1980 item #1393124 (stock #MOR6808)
The Kura
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An anonymous basket of both red and white soot-stained bamboo (susu-dake) with a root-wood handle, the various textures and colors gleaming with sheer elegance. It is 18 inches (45 cm) tall and in excellent condition, containing a black lacquered bamboo otoshi container lined with copper.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1910 item #1391934 (stock #3563)
A patinated bronze okimono of a young woman with a wonderful face, dating to the Meiji period. On her back and in her hand she is carrying iris flowers. Signed on the base. Dimension: 34 cm high, weight: 3.7 kg. Condition: few areas with wear to the patina.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1960 item #1391643
Vintage Japanese watercolor painting by Fukutaro Terauchi (1891-?) depicting a village scene with figures walking under parasols in the snow. Signed at the lower right. Likely dates from the 1950s. Executed on slightly textured watercolor paper measuring about 11 3/4" x 8 1/8." Very good overall condition. There is a narrow strip of old tape residue at the top back and there are a few pencil notations on the back.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1900 item #1389836
Japanese ukiyo-e style ink and color on silk scrolled painting of a standing bijin (beauty) by Ohara Donshu (1792-1857), aka Ohara Tonshu and Ohara Kon. Signed in black ink “Donshu” and with two red artist’s seals “Donshu” and “Hara kon no in.” Ohara Donshu was a follower of Shijo-style painter Shibata Gito, who was in turn a follower of Matsumura Goshun. Although best known for his Maruyama-Shijo style landscape paintings, Donshu also produced fine figure paintings. His painti...
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1940 item #1389526 (stock #MOR5258)
The Kura
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A carved wooden box with removable lid revealing a container for matches and tobacco slotted in the side to carry a Kiseru pipe. Exquisitely crafted by a man who both understood design and wood grains, it is likely from the arts and crafts era. It is 5-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 5 inches (14 x 9 x 13 cm) and is in overall fine condition, with wear to the base attesting to age.
All Items : Archives : Regional Art : Asian : Japanese : Pre 1920 item #1388988 (stock #TCR6814)
The Kura
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An exquisite vase decorated with crashing waves and plovers in blue by Seifu Yohei dating from the Taisho era. It is 12 inches (31 cm) tall and in excellent condition. Quite large for a work by Seifu, it is marked on the base with an incised signature. Either the work of the third or fourth generation, according to the definitive book "Kyoto Ceramist Seifu Yohei III", pieces from this era with this signature are impossible to differentiate between the two generations, as they worked side by s...