Tsuchiya Koitsu
Twilight at Hira
Date: 1936.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.25 x 10.25 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Edition. First. Watanabe D seal at right margin (used 1931-41).
Artist's signature and seal at lower right.
Reference: Koitsu catalog TK-DH-18.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Reference: TK-WN-7 in Koitsu catalog.
Condition: Print is fully adhered to slightly larger board. Two marks above boat. Slight soling in sky...

Saiho-hinagata (or hinagata), the sewing sample which is a miniature sample to learn sewing. It was invented by an educator for saving time and textile using a special measuring rod. It was practiced in a girl's school from Meiji 7, 1874). Reduced scales were one-third in the beginning and one-quarter, one-half, one-fifth etc. The sewing technique was exactly same as the real size in details. Saiho-hinagata was designated as a significant tangible folk cultural asset...

A classic mid 20th century Dry-lacquer vase by Kawai Masazo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Rankaku (crushed egg shell) on cream colored lacquer alternating with highly polished black. This work truly encapsulates the freedom for form which artists were seeking in the post war period. It is 45 cm long and in excellent condition. Kawai Masazo was born in Osaka in 1928, graduating the Osaka Municipal School of Art and Design...

55" tall by 30" in diameter. Dated Showa 25 ( 1950) . From Muneatsuji Temple in Gifu Prefecture. This Temple is connected to the Rinzai temple of Myoshinji in Kyoto. (Full translation of what is written on the bell is available). Made by Fujiwara Sadaatsu. Inscription says it was made for world peace.

Kawase Hasui
Great Buddha, Kamakura (Hase Daibutsu)
Date: 1930s.
Size: 5.875 x 3.75 inches.
Hasui oval seal at lower right.
Reference: Hotei Hp-53
Condition: Back of print has paper residue at top.

This beautiful chawan (tea bowl) is a Raku ware made by famous Kyuraku Kimura. It was made about 40-50 years ago. The seal of Raku is stamped on the bottom.

It comes with its originally signed and sealed wooden box and an appraisal of the Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto. This temple is very famous for its knowledge about chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony). Tea ceremony items with a signature and an appraisal of the Daitoku-ji Temple have a high evaluation for collectors...

Coxcomb decorates the deeply carved surface of this box covered in green and red lacquer outside, gilded with gold inside in the Kamakura-bori carving tradition. It is 22 x 25 x 5 cm and comes enclosed in a period wooden box. Kamakura-bori is a type of lacquer ware made in the area around the ancient capital city of Kamakura in Kanagawa prefecture. The tradition is based on carved lacquer wares imported from China during the Kamakura era...

Saito Hodo (aka Nishimura Hodo)
Two women walking on a spring night
Date: 1920s-1930s.
Size: Oban. 15.5 x 10.25 inches.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo (label on back).
Signed "H. Saito" by the artist.
Medium: Japanese watercolor.
Condition: Excellent.
Note: Paintings and woodblock prints variously signed "H. Saito" (Saito Hodo) and "Nishimura Hodo" were published by Takemura Hideo. They are very likely by the same artist...

Saito Hodo (aka Nishimura Hodo)
A balcony scene with falling cherry blossoms
Date: 1920s.
Size: Oban. 15.25 x 10.25 inches.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Signed "H. Saito" by the artist.
Medium: Japanese watercolor.
Condition: Faint matte line.
Note: Paintings and woodblock prints variously signed as "H. Saito" (Saito Hodo) and "Nishimura Hodo" were published by Takemura Hideo. They are very likely by the same artist...

Ide Gakusui
Heron in Rain
Date: ca. 1950.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.25 x 10.25 inches.
Artist's signature and seal lower right.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. Round, red 6mm seal lower left, which is consistent with a first edition (produced 1946-1957).
Embossing is featured on the snowy egret's body. Please see enlargement 2.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Adhered to board via contact sheet.

Saito Hodo (aka Nishimura Hodo)
Street After Rain (雨後の街)
Date: 1920s-30s.
Size: Oban. 19.75 x 13 inches.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Signed "H...

Saito Hodo (aka Nishimura Hodo)
Street in Front of Restaurant
Date: 1920s-30s.
Size: Oban. 19.75 x 13 inches.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Signed "H. Saito" by the artist.
Medium: Japanese watercolor.
Condition: Excellent.
Note: Paintings and woodblock prints variously signed "H. Saito" (Saito Hodo) and "Nishimura Hodo" were published by Takemura Hideo. They are very likely by the same artist. Works with these signatures had similar style and at times depict...

Tsuto made of rice straw which is used for containing ceramic plates. It has a small wooden tag "12 plates". In old age, there was no plastic cushioning material so that rice straw was used much for it and for other crafts. In good condition and very few scraps which is usual for old crafts made of rice straw. The first half of the 20th century. Diameter:24cm, H:26cm

Sakiori obi for an everyday kimono. It is handwoven of cotton and silk strips of old kimono and cotton yarn for warps. Some wefts are from kimono with kasuri. In excellent condition. 20th century. W:16.5cm, L:2m92cm

Yuki-boshi (snow hat) or yuki-kabuto (snow helmet) made of palm tree fiber and vegetable indigo dye cotton inside. It has washi painted with Paulownia oil for waterproof, between outside and cotton indigo lining. It is from Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku district. It is said it was worn by "matagi", a hunter. The second half of the 19th century. In good condition with belts inside are left, which is rather rare. 40cm x 57cm

Kondō Yuzō is one of the more recognized names in the world of modern Japanese pottery of the 20th century. Though known mainly for his sometsuke creations (blue and white porcelains), he did not settle on this style until well into his potting career that lasted nearly seven decades. The pieces shown here then would be from an earlier period and are evidence of his competency with varied styles and glazes—not just the ones he is most well-known for. The intricate brushwork on ea...

The cormorant prepares to take flight, wings extended, captured in bronze in a moment of excitement, the shapr eyes focused ahead. Captivating realism with simple Art-deco overtones signed below the tail. It is 32 x 36.5 x 25 cm (14-1/2 x 13 x 10 inches) and is in excellent condition. The cormorant, known in Japanese simply as U, is a migratory bird native to the east Palearctic with a range from Taiwan to the Russian Far East. It has a black body with a white throat and cheeks and a partial...

An unusual woven basket of bamboo strips and roots in the shape of a cocoon or bird nest dating from the 20th century. It can be used flat on a table or even better suspended on the wall or pillar. It is 43 cm (17 inches) long and in excellent original condition.

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
Rain at Omiya
Date: 1930
Size: Oban. 16.75 x 12 inches.
Date: 1930. This edition later.
Publisher: Shobisha (Acquired original blocks from Kawaguchi and Sakai).
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Reference: Hotei #215.
Condition: Crease at top center margin (photo). Light toning. Top back margin has tape. Framer's pencil note in back bottom margin.

Exceptional signed Suzuki Kenji Kiyomizu pottery vase. He was born ca.1935. He studied under the famed master Kiyomizu Rokubei VI from 1959. He won many prizes including the prestigious Nitten Prize in in Showa 42. 23cm tall x 17cm wide x 12cm deep. Ask for shipping quote.

Tsuchiya Koitsu
Nikko
Date: 1937
Size: 5.75 x 3.75 inches.
Publisher: Doi Hangaten (seal lower left).
Koitsu seal and title at lower right.
Reference: Koitsu catalogue TK-DH-122.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Some fading. Paper residue at top back corners. Fox spot at top margin.
Note: We know this example to be early as it was acquired along with a heretofore unknown Koitsu design.

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
Moon at Magome
Date: 1930.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.25 x 10.25 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Printed during the artist's lifetime with Watanabe 6mm (used 1946-57) at lower right.
Reference: Hotei #165.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Two pieces of tape at top back margin.
"The scene conveys the rustic 'poetic' charm of Magome, the area where Hasui lived." - Narazaki
Magome was the co...

Kawase Hasui
Rain in Maekawa, Soshu
Series: Selection of Views of the Tokaido
Date: 1932.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.125 x 10.25 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. This design often has in either lower corner a black 6mm Watanabe publisher's seal nearly invisibly on a black background, which would indicate a lifetime edition. We could not locate one, though the paper appears adequately old.
Artist's signature and seal at lower left.
Reference: Hotei #223....

Andrew Kay Womrath (1869-1939)
In collaboration with Yoshijiro Urushibara (1888-1953)
Venice at Night
Size: Chuban. Approximately 11.625 x 8 inches.
Edition: 3/50 OR 33/50. Numbered in pencil at lower left.
Date: ca 1920s.
Signed "A Kay Womrath" in pencil.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Foxing nearly entirely in margin. Margin blank at lower left.
Note: An example of this night scene is paired with its daytime version in the Smithsonian ...

Kawase Hasui
Title: Kawaguchi
Date: 1950s ~ 1960s.
Size: 5.75 x 3.75 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo
Hasui seal lower left.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print tipped along its top edge to original blank card.
Condition: Excellent.

Attributed to Kawase Hasui (We're not certain)
Mt. Fuji From Hara (Hara no Fuji)
Date: 1930s.This edition early postwar.
Size: 5.75 x 3.75 inches.
A woodblock print tipped along its top edge to an original card.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Bashofu kimono hand-woven of ito-basho, which is a family of banana tree, for both wefts and warps. The brown stripe yarn and warp kasuri yarn are dyed with Sharinbai, a family of the rose tree. The small weft kasri yarn is dyed with Ryukyu ai, vegetable indigo in Okinawa. Bashofu has been woven in many islands in Okinawa from old days, for everyday kimono or work wear. The first half of the 20th century. W:114cm, L:132cm

Japanese shin hanga woodblock print titled "Temple in the Wood" depicting deer at a shrine deep in the woods around Nara by Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) dated Showa 15 (1940). Posthumous memorial edition as marked in the upper left margin. The artist's black ink stamped signature and red seal is at the lower left. The print is block titled and signed in the lower margin. Illustrated in "The Complete Woodblock Prints of Yoshida Hiroshi," Abe Publications, color plate #237. Paper measures nearly 1...

A pair of boro tabi (socks) with sashiko, which is made of cotton and indigo dyed and has four metal straps. The lining is cotton flannel. The first half of the 20th century. W:9cm, L:21cm.

Rain at Shinobazu Pond
Sealed "S". Artist unidentified.
Date: ca. 1940s.
Print size: 3.75 x 2.75 inches.
Publisher: Unsodo. From a group included in an Unsodo client sample book.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along top edge only to original holiday card.
Condition: Tiny dot in sky.

Sample book of "100 hundred ancient sarasa". made of 26 silk fragments with katazome (stencil-resist dye), from No. 101 to No.126. It is made by Shiundo in Seto in Aichi prefecture. In good condition. Early 20th century. W:22cm, H:17.5cm

A pair of boro tabi (socks) made of indigo dye cotton and thick cotton cloth for soles. It has fine sashiko for reinforcement on insteps. Metal claps are lost in one of the pair. The first half of the 20th century. W:10cm, L:21.5cm

Ohara Koson
Bird and Flowers (given title)
Image size: 5.5 x 3.625 inches.
Matte window size: 6.25 x 4.25 inches.
Etching paper size: 8.0 x 5.875 inches.
Paper frame size: 8.5 x 7.375 inches.
Date: ca Early twentieth century.
Very small Koson signature and seal at lower right.
Features gofun embossing on bird and flowers.
Medium: Etching.
Condition: Toned and soiled paper. Margin corner chip. Attached at margin to paper frame.
Note: We could...

3 robed figures appear decidedly relaxed on the edge of a rock-strewn river lost in dark mountains. Above a poem reads:
Furusato ha Arukiteyukeru Tokoro ni-te, Yama ari, Mizu ari, kataru yuujin ari (Walking through my home(town) I find mountains, water and friends for conversation).
Ink on paper bordered in patterned silk with bone rollers. It is 59 x 129 cm (23 x 51 inches) and is in overall fine condition, with some toning due to age. Shimizu Hian (1883-1975) was a popular poet...

A very rare Mashiko platter by Living National Treasure Hamada Shoji decorated with a poem cradled in an offset ring forming the mika-tsuki or third day moon by poet Shimizu Hian. The poem reads: Akaki Mi no Omoto no Hotori Dainaru Maruki kono yo no ishi okitari, and is signed by the 76 year old man Hian meaning it was made either in 1958 or 59 (depending upon whether Hian was going by the Western or Japanese manner of counting age). It is 35.5 cm (14 inches) diameter and is in excellent condi...

Ito Yuhan
Kiyomizu Temple (Temple Corner)
Date: 1930s.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.75 x 10.5 inches.
Publisher: Nishinomiya Yosaku. Seal at the left margin. Back stamp: "All Rights Reserved. Y. Nishinomiya, Kami-Negishi, Tokyo."
Sealed "Yuhan" in Japanese within the image.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Foxing spots and toning. Tape remnants at top back.
Note: This print has the above condition issues as shown but is a pleasing early exampl...

Sakiori obi (sash) for a casual kimono whose wefts are strips from old cotton textiles, and warps are indigo dye cotton yarn. Generally, in good condition except for a little dirt in one of the ends (6th image). 20th century W:15.5cm, L:2m54cm

Kawase Hasui
The Great Buddha, Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)
Date: 1930.
Pre-war edition.
Size: Oban. Margins trimmed. Approximately 14.375 x 9.5 inches.
Reference: Hotei #204a.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Margins trimmed. Fading.

Shoda Koho
Moonlit Sea with Clouds - Sepia version
From the Hasegawa Night Scenes series.
Size: Chuban. Approximately 9.875 x 7.125 inches.
Date: 1910-1938.
Koho seal at lower left.
Publisher: Hasegawa Takejiro/Nishinomiya Yosaku
An early marginless edition as originally issued.
"Made in Japan" stamped on bottom left verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Back has adhesive residue. A few spots in upper sky.
Note: Examples of thi...

Ohara Shoson (Koson)
Egret on Snow-covered Branch
Size: Tanzaku. Approximately 14.875 x 6.75 inches.
Date: 1930s.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Shoson signature and seal lower right.
Print features gauffrage embossing on bird (third photo).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Reference: S14.2 (cat. #156) in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland).
Condition: Two pieces of tape at top back. Light toning of image a...

First edition Japanese shin hanga woodblock print by Toshi Yoshida (1911-1995) titled in kanji and English "Cherry Blossoms by the Gate" and dated in the left margin 1951. The artist's red seal is at the lower right with the pencil-signature below. Paper: 15 3/8" x 10 1/4" (image: 14 1/2" x 9 1/2"). Very good overall condition with slight waviness to the paper.

Japanese shin hanga woodblock print depicting two beauties walking with umbrellas down a rainy evening street lined with storefronts titled "Evening at Ushigome Kagurazaka" from the series "Sketches of Famous Places in Japan" by Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949) dated in the right margin "8th month of Showa 14" (1939). A prominent lantern holding the name of the publisher Doi hangs at the left. The title is above the date in the right margin. The black ink signature and red seal of the artist are at...

Lifetime edition Japanese shin hanga woodblock print titled "Yumoto Spa, Nikko" by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) dated in the left margin Showa 12 (1937). The artist's black ink signature and red seal are at the right edge of the image. Post-WWII edition bearing the round 6mm Watanabe publisher's seal at the lower right corner. Paper: 15 1/8" x 10 5/16" (image: 14 1/4" x 9 1/2"). Good overall condition. There is a fade line evident across the top of the image. The back is clean, but the front marg...

Lifetime edition Japanese shin hanga woodblock print by Shiro Kasamatsu (1898-1991) titled "Evening Sky at Suwa Shrine, Nippori" dated Showa 8 (1932). Post-WWII edition bearing the round red 6mm Watanabe publisher's seal at the lower right corner below the artist's black ink signature and red seal. Paper: 15 1/4" x 10 1/4" (image: 14 3/16" x 9 3/8"). The print does not appear to have been previously printed and is in very good overall condition. There is a small tear in the margin at the bott...

A lovely bowl covered with abstract flower designs by Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hanawan. It is 12 cm (4-3/4 inches) diameter, 11.5 cm tall and in excellent condition. Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishing his own kiln on the Gojo-no-Saka (It remains standing today and is ...

A fabulous ceramic casket by Kawai Kanjiro covered in his famous Gosu blue with abstract colorful patterns enclosed in a wooden box signed by the head of the Kawai Kanjiro Kinenkan Museum. It is 25 x 14 x 14 cm (10 x 5-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishi...

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)
Crows on a Cold Night
Date: Pre-1936.
Size: Approximately 7.125 x 4.875 inches.
Shotei seal lower left.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Reference: S-19. Watanabe #173
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Tiny lower left margin corner bend.

Kawase Hasui
Evening Snow at Terajima Village
Date: 1950-60s.
Size: 5.625 x 3.625 inches.
Woodblock print is attached along its top edge only to original blank card.
Card size: Approximately 7 x 4.5 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Not sealed by the artist. We've had a later sealed example.
Condition: Excellent.

Tomoe (after Hasui)
Rainy Street Scene
(This smaller unsealed print is clearly based on "City in the Rain" by Kawase Hasui).
Date: 1950s-60s.
Size: 5.5 x 3.625 inches
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along its top edge only to original blank card (7 x 4.625 inches).
Condition: Excellent.

Tsuchiya Koitsu
Lake Chuzenji in Nikko
Size: 5.625 x 3.625 inches.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Date: 1930s.
Koitsu's Shinsei seal at lower left.
Koitsu catalog no.: TK-TM-121.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Faint mark in snow near title.

Ojiya chijimi unlined kimono which was produced in Ojiya city area in Niigata prefecture. It has uneven surface like crepe, which is improved from Echigo-jofu, which has been woven of choma (ramie) since more than 1000 years ago in the region. The first half of the 20th century. In good condition except for very light beige spots in both under arms in the back. W:124cm, L:145cm

Fukutaro Tanouchi
Udon
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Size: 5.5 x 3.625 inches.
Date: 1930-40s.
Signed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
A rare and wonderful shin hanga design.

City in the Rain (after Hasui)
(A rare alternative perspective on "City in the Rain" by Kawase Hasui).
Artist: Not known.
Date: 1930s.
Size: 5.5 x 3.625 inches
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent with very slight bend at upper right corner.

Ito Jakuchu
Flying Bird and Flower
Date: 1930s or earlier.
Size: 4.25 x 3 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Margin corner thinning or chips.

Shodo Kawarazaki (1889-1973)
Magnolia (Mokuren)
Date: 1950s. Later edition.
Size: Oban. 16.0 x 11 inches.
Artist's seal lower right.
Publisher: Unsodo. Publisher, carver, and printer seals at left margin.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Kawase Hasui
House by Water at Night
Date: 1951.
Size: Approximately 2.25 x 1.5 inches. Card size: 3.5 x 2.25 inches.
Hasui seal at right.
Woodblock print is attached along its top edge only to original blank card.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Condition: Excellent.
- A rare and truly tiny design.

Uehara Konen (1878-1940)
Dock and sailboat at night
Size: 7.875 x 3.875 inches. 19.8 x 10 cm.
ca. 1910.
Published by Kobayashi Bunshichi. The publisher's shop and many works did not survive the 1923 earthquake.
Artist's seal, publisher's seal lower left.
Cartouche with number 333 in Japanese at lower left.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

A set of four large scrolls depicting seasonal landscapes by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original signed double wood box exhibited at the 1936 Nangain-Ten and published in the book Shirakura Niho (page 127 figures 102-107). Ink & Light color on Paper in fine silk mountings, they have been completely cleaned and restored to original perfect condition retaining the original cloth by Kitaoka Hyboido of Kyoto. Each scroll is 66 x 138.5 cm (26 x 54-1/2 inches). A copy of the museum book and our c...

A pair of wood form for tabi socks. It is written the size "9" which is W:7cm, L:21.7cm, H:4.7cm. In good condition but it has the part of the arch of the left foot cut off. The first half of the 20th century.

Hanten with sashiko and mending patches which is from Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture. It is made of many indigo dye cotton fragments as cotton was precious in regions with cold climate. It has beautiful vegetable indigo faded and worn-out parts. The first half of the 20th century. W:85cm, L:90cm