1920s Japanese ceramic tokkuri - sake bottle - with conical body and narrow mouth. The piece was made at Shigaraki kilns - one of the six ancient kilns of Japan - and displays typical coarse body with large sand particles, freely applied gray glaze with some areas that fired brick red. Excellent piece in Japanese taste, beautiful spiral line on the bottom. Some compressed dust, overall in excellent condition. Height 5 3/8 inches.

Stoneware receptacle, probably used as a kensui, or waste-water jug, in the tea ceremony. Relatively high, straight sides with a constriction under the edge, decorated with the typical green glaze patches and geometrical patterns and plant motives in iron brown on white slip. Bottom inside left unglazed. Impressed seal in bottom, in the shape of a flying plover. Seto ware, Oribe style, Japan, Taisho period or early Showa, 1920s-1930s.

H 4 ¼ inches, diam...

Vintage Mashiko-yaki Oozara (large plates) for serving or for dinner plates. Diameter: 10.875" (25.5cm) x Height: 1.5" (3.75cm.) Five different hand-brush-drawn designs on seven plates featuring, flowers, fish, bamboo, and trees (see all enlargements.) The designs were quite modern interpretations of traditional designs when they were contemporary. They are very sturdy in form and design...

A Bizen type kogo in form of a primitively rendered reclining sage or monk. Signed on bottom. 20th century. Good condition. Length: 5 inches (12.7 cm)

A very unusual modern Japanese pottery vase. Exaggerated chatter decoration spiraling from the foot to the shoulder, the tacky clay lifted to a very coarse texture before firing. The neck to rim, also spiraling up the vase, finished smoothly. Apparently in the tradition of the stoneware tile work kilns of Bizen and Tokoname. Studio artist marks in impressed cartouches on the foot. Excellent condition. Height, 8 inches.

Small Japanese Kyotoyaki (Kyoto ware) ceramic teapot with cover. The body is painted with enamels on 2 sides with various grasses and flowers. No chips, cracks or repairs. Excellent quality decoration in Japanese taste, lower part and cover fired beautiful pink color, superb finely crackled glaze. Stamped with a potter’s mark by the foot and signed and stamped on the original wooden box by the potter WAZEN KITAMURA, blue wrapping cloth...

A slip inlaid olive drab celadon stoneware pottery pear form bottle vase. Decoration of fish in black inlaid slip over a ground of white slip inlaid punched flowerheads. Possibly Japanese (see Korean legacy wares from provinces in Kyushu [Hizen, Higo, Satsuma] illustrated in Morse) and possibly Korean Joseon era punchong ware. Signed on bottom. Excellent condition...

Large storage jug of typical Shigaraki stoneware with small white inclusions, made in three sections, decorated in multicolor enamel and gold with a cat making a mouse train come to an abrupt halt. A cat, high back, hissing at the mouse going at the head of a train, makes the train come to a dead stop and the following mice tumble, roll, spill in a ripple effect. Funny details: tumbling palanquin, spilling fish, flying papers. Either folk art or export. Japan, 20th century.
Height: ca...

A round studio ware vase done on a black base glaze with white covering areas of the vase with a bit swirled with black. The vase contains a signature that appears to read: Kotaro. Age: Late 20th century. Size: height 6.5" diameter 7"

A mid 20th century Tokoname vase with dragon decoration. This example is a red ware production from the historic tile kilns. A dragon is depicted in low relief among stippled clouds. Extensive gilding remains on the dragon's scales and other places. Bamboo form handles. Key borders outside the foot and mouth rims and floral border under the mouth rim. Good condition. Anonymous. Height about 8 1/2 inches (21.59 cm)

Solidly potted Japanese Mashiko stoneware rounded square form vase with wide shoulders tapering to the base decorated with abstract brown drips over a whitened kaki brown background. The flat foot rim is unglazed. The base holds an unidentified “Y” form impressed potter’s seal. Mid-20th century. About 9” high by 7 1/2” diameter; weighs about 4 lbs. Very good overall condition with no chips, cracks, or repairs...

Solidly potted Japanese Mashiko stoneware teardrop form vase covered overall in a green drip glaze over a brown ground that ends at the unglazed base. The base holds an unidentified impressed potter’s seal. Mid-20th century. 7 3/8” high by about 7” diameter; weighs about 3 lbs. Very good overall condition with no chips, cracks, or repairs. This vase is from the collection of a Green Valley, Arizona couple who were expatriates to Japan in the 1960s and 1970s...

Japanese pottery tsubo vase. An earthy, drab gray-green glaze on porcelaneous body with thin iron wash and with bold, rich red iron oxide glaze painted floral decoration on opposing sides of the tsubo form with thickly potted shoulder rising to a broad, everted rim. Two character impressed artist's mark inside the foot appears to read Kazan ('Ka' being the 10 stroke character also read as "hana".) A pleasant, substantial feel when held. Excellent condition. Height, 9 3/4 inches (24.76 cm)

An interesting modern, abstract koro. The compressed sphere with elliptical, off centered opening. A warm, brown temmoku glaze with darker brown glaze dripping from the top and stopping in controlled fashion above a well - continuing to form the unglazed foot in ogee fashion...

Japanese 20th century NEZUMI SHINO ware KASHI BACHI shallow bowl or dish. Signed by artist, KOSABURO, in back. The container has the simple design of a few bamboo leaves. The container measures 6 5/8" long by 6 1/2" wide by 2 1/8" tall.

Large stoneware jar with multi-color dripping glaze over a creamy white crackled glaze. The green is the traditional green of earlier Shigaraki ware, the blue as well, but a variety of brown, red, pink and black have been added to the palette. Inside and bottom covered in brown glaze with yellow spots. Japan, early Showa, 1920-1930s.
Height 17 inches (43.2 cm), diameter at shoulder ca. 17 inches (43.2 cm).
Mint condition.

Mashiko ware vase with long neck coated in black glaze, and overglaze painting of camelia flowers on body, ca. 1960's. H.48cm(19") x Dia.23cm(9"). A fine example of vintage Mashiko ware that might have graced the tokonoma of a local Mashiko family home, this vase conveys an elegant shape while retaining its simple rustic background. Mashiko wares became popular through the work of National Living Treasure Hamada Shoji, who settled in this agricultural pottery town in the 1920's. Prior to Hamada'...

Serving plate. Over a grayish brown stoneware a geometrical design in blue, brown and green glazes, partly with fine crackle. Unsigned, but clay, color and design remind one of Mashiko ware. Diameter 10 ¼ inches, height 2 inches. Japan, 2nd half 20th century. Slight traces of usage (tiny scratches and water stains), otherwise very good condition.