Here we have a beautiful scroll with a mounted letter penned by famed Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) who is known as one of the 4 great haiku poets of Japan along with the likes of Bashō, Buson, and Shiki. As one might expect, Kobayashi’s life was one of turbulence punctuated by several tragedies including the death of his mother at an early age and a lengthy legal battle with his step-mother over the family inheritance after the death of his father. Through it all Kobay...

Antique ukiyo-e woodblock print of a woman with a look of frustration on her face, wearing a black kimono, decorated with light pink and blue sakura blossoms, and a salmon pink under robe. Behind her are several cottages with trees and mountains, and stylized signatures in the top right corner and middle left side. Ukiyo-e is a genre of woodblock print that was popular during the 17-19th centuries in Japan. The print is set behind glass in a large frame, and the back of the frame lists artist: ...

Japanese Meiji Art Nouveau silver tea tray, ca 1890. Retailed by Arthur & Bond in Yokohama. Lobed oval. Well stippled and engraved with shaded interlaced monogram. Upturned c-scroll end handles. Blossoming prunus branches, iris flowers, and bamboo applied to handles and tapering shoulder. Exotic ornament and Western form. Marked “Arthur & Bond / Sterling / Yokohama”. Very good condition. One handle back has dent (not visible from front).

Overall dimensions: H 2 7/8 x W 28 1/2 x D 18 1/2 in...

Federal Classical coin silver flagon. Made by Nicholas James Bogert in New York, ca 1820. Upward tapering cylinder on spread and stepped base. S-scroll handle with ribbed thumb rest and heart terminal. Hinged and domed cover with bud finial. Curved spout with ogee opening. Bold and spare by a historic regional maker. Maker’s stamp. Very good condition with nice patina. A few areas of firescale.

Dimensions: H 13 x W 9 1/4 x D 6 1/4 in. Weight: 33 troy ounces. #BX039

With pottery shards from excavated kilns dating back to the 5th Century, Mino-ware is one of the oldest and most revered pottery traditions in all of Japan. Though the piece featured here does not fit neatly into any of the typical categories of Mino pottery such as Kiseto, Setoguro, Oribe, or Shino; the shape and overall feel of this piece unmistakably places it within this pottery tradition.

Exceptionally well-proportioned and utterly unique, this tea bowl displays a ...

Restauration Classical silver gilt box. Made by Jean-Baptiste Claude Odiot in Paris, ca 1820. Rectangular with straight sides and leaf-and-dart base rim. Cover flat and hinged with same as well as leaf-and-flower border. Cover top has central heart engraved with single script letter monogram set in flower wreath; leaf and flower border. Sumptuous Return-of-the-Bourbons luxe. Fully marked including maker’s stamp and the fineness (950) stamp instituted in 1819. Very good condition with nice ton...

Restauration Classical silver gilt box. Made by Jean-Baptiste Claude Odiot in Paris, ca 1820. Rectangular with straight sides and leaf-and-dart base rim. Cover flat and hinged with same as well as leaf-and-flower border. Cover top has central heart engraved with single script letter monogram set in flower wreath; leaf and flower border. Sumptuous Return-of-the-Bourbons luxe from the Ancien Regime do-over years. Fully marked including maker’s stamp and the fineness (950) stamp instituted in 18...

Equestrian-themed silver tankard with German imperial association, ca 1875. Straight and paneled sides with low-relief frieze depicting galloping riders, racing through the countryside, trees and buildings in the background; branch borders. Split-mounted s-scroll handle with thumb rest. At bottom applied branch and leaf border and open supports. Cover hinged and bellied with imbricated leaf rim; on top is cast finial in form of mounted jockey and engraved phrase citing Kaiser Wilhelm I in an all...

Not to be confused with the Olympic medalist, this Tomita Hiroyuki (b. 1977) is a talented potter pushing the bounds of an otherwise conservative field where many ceramic forms are carried forward for centuries and sometimes millennia. Beginning his artistic endeavors in the field of metal casting, he soon met and became a student to Ijuin Mariko who introduced him to the world of ceramics. In 2007 he opened his own workshop and since that time he has been actively creating and exhib...

Katsuhira Tokushi (1904-1971)
Five Kinds of Sleigh - Akita Prefecture
Date: 1932.
Image size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.75 inches.
Prints are tipped along top edge to 9.5 x 7.0 card.
Folder included.
1. Hako Sori (Box Sleigh), 2. Naga Sori (Long Sleigh), 3. Uma Sori (Horse Sleigh), 4. Kazu Sori (Kazu Sleigh), 5. Ba Sori (Commuting Sleigh).
The artist has signed the Box Sleigh panel in pen "Katsuhira Tokushi May 17, 1951".
Note: Katsuhira Tokushi was a true fol...

Plique à jour enamel and gilt 930 silver bowl. Made by Marius Hammer in Norway, ca 1910. Round with curved sides. Well green guilloche enamel. Horse bust side handles. Bands of stylized plant and geometric ornament. Fine craftsmanship and rich colors. In form of Viking kjenge (ale bowl). A beautiful piece by Hammer, who contributed to the revival of Norwegian art and history. Fully marked. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 4 1/4 x W 6 1/8 x D 4 in. #BY196

Sometime around the year 1600 the first Takatori kiln was constructed at the foot of Mt Takatori in Fukuoka. This tradition was based on styles created by Korean potters brought to the shores of Japan during its colonial expansionism of the late 16th century. A favorite of the Kuroda lords of the time, its production and use was closely guarded until later in the 19th century when the domain system was abolished, freeing it up to be more widely used. Though Takatori-ware has been admired by many...

A Zohiko covered rice bowl. Colorful leaf decoration sparsely applied on black ground with almost iridescent effect with gold and silver maki-e and red details. Zohiko mark in gold lacquer inside the bowl's foot rim. 20th century. Bowl diameter 5 1/16 inches (12.86 cm). The bowl has two small losses to the lacquer along the foot and one small loss to the rim. The cover is in good condition. The lacquer otherwise being in good condition with no distress or wear of note. Combine with other pieces ...

Art Deco bronze urn: $44,000, reduced to $38,000 This Art Deco bronze figurative planter (jardiniere), circa 1920, measures 55" in height, 36" across (elbow to elbow), 18" deep.  caste bronze, 150-250 lb. This work was the combined effort of two French sculptors; Pierre Lenoir and Marcel Guillard (1896 - 1932). It is believed two castes of this sculpted urn were made.  Pierre Lenoir (1879 - 1953) was a French sculptor and medallist and was one of the Breton sculptors born in the 1880s ...

Here is a rare complete set of nine lithograph/prints including one of Senator McGovern during his presidential run that year as well as eight others signifying campaign issues.The content page lists the artists with a small box picture of their work/issues. It is noted that the prints are issued in offset lithography in a numbered edition of 375, and signed in print by each artist with the EXCEPTION of the McGovern print.Each Measures 16" x 19.5" They include: 1)McGovern by Paul Giovanopolis, ...

When the founder of the Urasenke style of tea ceremony, Senso Soshitsu (1622 -1697) was invited to Kanazawa as the lord of the tea ceremony for the powerful Kaga lords in 1666, the first Chozaemon came with him and established Ohi-yaki ware in Kanazawa. Chozaemon had been the chief apprentice for the Raku family in Kyoto and took with him many of the principles and ideas associated with Raku-ware. Since those auspicious beginnings, Ohi-ware has held a high place in the world of tea ceremony desp...

This scroll contains a sutra written as [寿至蓬莱不老僊], pronounced in Japanese as “Jyu-Ita-Hōrai-Furō-Sen.” Originating from Chinese, the characters “蓬莱” refer to the mythical land of “Penglai,” home to the immortals. According to legend the trees that grow here cure all disease; there are rice bowls and flasks of wine that never go empty; and its great castles are built entirely out of gold and silver.

The brushwork is done by a Rinzai sect m...

Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Typically, black or green glazes are applied to the bodies of these works and light-colored windows are created using feldspar. These high-contrast areas then act as a canvas upon which abstract, minimalistic, and often naturalistic themes are painted.

As can be seen here, this piece is of the green variety and looks to be from the mid-to-early Edo period as can be determined ...

During the Kamakura period in Japan (1185-1333), a remarkable form of Buddhist sculpture known as the votive Buddha emerged. Commonly referred to as kakebotoke (hanging Buddhas), pieces like this would have been mounted on spherical plaques made of bronze or copper and hung in a Buddhist temple or possibly even in a Shinto shrine. These small-scale sculptures were created to serve as objects of devotion and were often commissioned by wealthy individuals or temples. The Kurakama perio...

This small vessel, similar in a shape to a tokkuri, is a fine example of Oni Shino (carbon trap and natural ash glazing) that Tsukigata is so well-known for. Coining the term in the mid-50’s after countless failed experiments—which ultimately culminated in the discovery of this unique style of pottery—“Oni” translates roughly to demon or ogre. Fired at extreme temperatures for days in an anagama, the iron in the clay and in the glaze fuse, drip, and coalesce—while at the same time bl...

This pretty brooch with stones mounted in silver-topped 18k gold has been designed in the shape of a flower. The petals have been formed from 5 incised citrines in a warm smokey yellow-brown color which surround a cut diamond in the center. The stem of the flower and the petals' border are all highlighted by inlaid old European and rose-cut diamonds. The back has been marked with a French guarantee stamp. The brooch measures approximately 1 3/4" X 1 1/4" and was made Circa:1880. It is a lov...

Enryakuji Temple, Hiyeizan (Hieizan), Kyoto.
Artist not identified.
Dated August 21st, 1937.
Size: 7.5 x 5375 inches (19 x 13.6 cm).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print as the cover of a dinner menu of the Nippon Yusen Line passenger ship, Chichibu Maru.
Publisher: Likely Nippon Mokuhan Co. Tokio (Japan Woodblock Co. Tokyo), who produced another of our ship menu woodblock prints.
Medium: Japanese shin-hanga woodblock print made from a carved wood block. Mechanization w...

Sabra Field (American, born 1935)
Going Home
Date: ca 1980 (as noted on separate board)
Paper size: 13 x 8.5 inches.
Image size: 9.5 x 5 inches.
Medium: Woodcut print.
Condition: Light scuff on mountain.

Shoda Koho
Ueno Park
From the Hasegawa Night Scenes shin-hanga series.
Size: Chuban. Approximately 10.25 x 7.75 inches.
Date: 1910-38. A rare, early edition on card-like paper.
Publisher: Hasegawa. #1248 in Hasegawa catalog.
"Made in Japan" stamp and #427 tag on verso.
Not sealed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Hans Frank, Austrian (1884-1948)
Venice II, 1925 (Venedig II, 1925)
Date: 1925.
Paper size: 17.5 X 13.25 inches (44.5 x 33.9 cm).
Window size: 16 x 12 inches (40.5 x 30.5 cm).
Signed and dated at lower right.
Medium: Color woodcut on laid Japanese paper.
Condition: Small crease at upper right corner. The odd small mark in image.
Attached with archival tape to top of a 24 x 20-inch matte).

Beautiful Art Nouveau Classical glass perfume with silver overlay, ca 1900. Globular bottle with short neck and ball stopper. Classical flowering and leafing rinceaux overlay with round frame (vacant). Glass is red. Silver has maker’s stamp (Gorham) and no. D941. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 5 3/8 x D 3 1/4 in. #BZ501

Hiroshige Ando
Fuchu, Nichomachi (Titled in image)
Size: Approximately 8.5 x 3.5 inches.
Date: ca 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. No. 40 publisher's tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Bend lower right corner. Chip upper left corner.

Ohara Koson
Bullfinch on the branch of a blossoming plum tree
Date: Saturday, April 27th, 1940.
Size: 7.5 x 5.375 inches (19 x 13.6 centimeters).
Note: Cover of a dinner menu for the passenger liner Nitta Maru of the Trans-Pacific Line.
Publisher: Likely Nippon Mokuhan Co. Tokio (Japan Woodblock Co. Tokyo), who produced another of our ship menu woodblock prints.
Medium: Japanese shin-hanga woodblock print made from a carved wood block. Mechanization was added to t...

Aoki Seiko
Waxwings (Red Berries and Birds)
Date: Friday, July 5th, 1929.
Accordion format. Opened out size: 10.375 x 7.625 inches (23.4 x 19.2 cm).
Note: Dinner menu for the Kashima Maru on the N.Y.K. Line
Medium: Japanese shin-hanga woodblock print made from a carved wood block. Mechanization was added to the printing process.
Condition: Toning, marks, and scuff on map page.

Kawase Hasui
Morning at Niju Bridge (Nijubashi no Asa)
Date: Monday, August 17, 1936.
Size: 7.5 x 5.375 inches (19 x 13.6 centimeters).
Note: This rare print was the cover of a dinner menu for the Yasukuni Maru, a cruise ship on the N.Y.K. Line (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha). It is identified as a Hasui in the Japanese publication, "The Nippon From Japan - Menu Design of the Cruise Ship Era (2017)(日本が運んだニッポンー客船時代のメニューデザイン).

Hiroshige Ando
Suidobashi, Surugadai (Suido Bridge and Surugadai)
Date: Thursday, December 3, 1931.
Size: 7.625 x 5 inches (19.5 x 12.6 cm).
Note: Concert and tea party menu for the passenger ship Chichibu Maru on the N.Y.K. Line.
Publisher: Nippon Mokuhan Co. Tokio (Japan Woodblock Co. Tokyo).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print made from a carved wood block. Mechanization may have been added to the printing process.
Condition: Cover woodblock print very good to...

Josetsu (Jousetsu) 城雪
Cock and Hen with Chickens under a Plum-tree
Size: 7 x 4.75 inches.
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. Cat. #164 tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print from a painting by Tokyo artist Josetsu.
Condition: A few marks. Slight waviness corresponding to location of tag on back.

Artist: Unsigned
Ueno Lotus Pond in Tokyo
Date: ca. 1920s-30s.
Size: Approximately 5.25 x 3.25 inches)
Medium: Japanese shin-hanga woodblock print attached along its top edge only to an used holiday card with correspondence.
Condition: Print is excellent. Tiny dot in sky. Card correspondence has marks.

Arai Yoshimune
Pleasure Boat
Date: ca. 1910s-38.
Size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.625 inches (14 x 9.4 cm)
Not signed (acquired with our artist-sealed Yoshimune053).
Publisher: Hasegawa Takejiro.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along its top edge only to an unused holiday card.
Condition: Print is toned in sky. Card is toned and has bend at right.

Arai Yoshimune
The Imperial Palace, Tokyo (penciled title, "Old Tokyo")
Date: ca. 1910s-38.
Size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.5 inches (14 x 9.1 cm)
Not signed (acquired with our artist-sealed Yoshimune053).
Publisher: Hasegawa Takejiro.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along its top edge only to an unused holiday card.
Condition: Print is excellent. Card is toned.

Arai Yoshimune
The Temples in Shiba Park (penciled title, "Shinto Shrine)
Date: ca. 1910s-38.
Size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.5 inches (14 x 9.2 cm)
Artist's Yoshimune seal at lower left.
Publisher: Hasegawa Takejiro.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along its top edge only to an unused holiday card.
Condition: Print is excellent. Card is toned and has lower left corner bend.

Arai Yoshimune
Sailing Boats at Anchor Under the Moon
Date: ca. 1910.
Size: Approximately 25.8 x 12.5 cm. 10.125 x 5.875 inches.
Artist's Yoshimune seal at lower left.
Publisher: Matsumoto. Catalog No. 385 tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Small white surface marks in sky. Verso has a couple of faint foxing marks near top. Margin mark.
Compare with our Yoshimune036 "Sailing Boats and Moon (1)."

Aoki Seiko (b. 1880)
Quails Under the Moonlight
Size: 9.75 x 4.75 inches. 24.6 x 12 cm.
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. Cat. #366 tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Slight bend at lower left corner.

Ando Hiroshige (after)
"A Fairy Moon and a Lonely Shore"
This scene depicts salt gathering at Suma Beach.
Date: ca 1910.
Size: 7.125 x 4.75 inches (18 x 12 cm).
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. Tag on back (#39).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Mark on island and a couple foxing spots on back.

Uehara Konen (1878-1940)
Pagoda and Moon
Size: 5.0 x 3.25 inches. 12.8 x 8.4 cm.
ca. 1910.
Published by Kobayashi Bunshichi. The publisher's shop and many works did not survive the 1923 earthquake.
Artist's seal lower right.
Publisher's seal right.
Cartouche with number 262 in Japanese at right.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition. Ink dot in tree.

Ohara Koson
An Eagle on a Tree
Size: Approximately 17 cm x 12 cm. 6.625 x 4.75 inches.
Date: ca. 1910.
Koson signature and seal at lower right.
Publisher: Matsumoto (no. 442). Tag at back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
An early and rarely seen design not listed in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland). The design is similar to K13.3 (Eagle on leafless tree) in the above catalog.

Ohara Koson
Wild Geese Over the Sea
Size: Approximately 17 cm x 12 cm. 6.625 x 4.625 inches.
Date: ca. 1910.
Koson signature and seal at lower right.
Publisher: Matsumoto (no. 441). Tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Two dashes in left sky.
An early and rarely seen design similar to K11.21 "Two white-fronted geese flying above water" in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland).

Arai Yoshimune
Carp in a Pond
Date: ca. 1910.
Size: Approximately 8.75 x 6.125 inches.
Artist's signature and seal at upper right.
Publisher: Matsumoto (No. 387). Tag on back.
Condition: Bottom margin discolored. A couple of very faint foxing marks in image.
Note: Very rare. We could find no other example of this design.

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.

Koga Iijima (1829-1900)
Leaping Trout
Date: Late nineteenth century.
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi / Daikokuya.
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Size: Shikishiban. Approximately 9.25 x 9 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Back toned. Front very good with a few faint marks in sky an left edge toning.
Note: The fish in this wonderful design is highlighted with mica.

Watanabe Seitei (1851-1918)
Winter Landscape
Date: Early twentieth century.
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi / Daikokuya.
Sealed by the artist.
Size: Shikishiban. Approximately 9.25 x 9 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
The print has backing paper attached at the left and right edges only.
Condition: Very good with left edge vertical crease corresponding to the location where backing paper is attached.

Shodo Kawarazaki (1889-1973)
Iris
Date: 1950s. Later edition.
Size: Oban. 15.75 x 10.75 inches.
Artist's seal lower left.
Publisher: Unsodo. Publisher, carver, and printer seals at left margin.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Shodo Kawarazaki (1889-1973)
Wisteria
Date: 1950s. Later edition.
Size: Oban. 15.5 x 10.75 inches.
Artist's seal lower right.
Publisher: Unsodo. Publisher, carver, and printer seals at left margin.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Shodo Kawarazaki (1889-1973)
Fukayama Tsuji
Date: 1950s. Later edition.
Size: Oban. 16 x 10.75 inches.
Artist's seal upper left.
Publisher: Unsodo. Publisher, carver, and printer seals at left margin.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Shodo Kawarazaki (1889-1973)
Bamboo
Date: 1950s. Later edition.
Size: Oban. 15.75 x 10.75 inches.
Artist's seal lower left.
Publisher: Unsodo. Publisher, carver, and printer seals at left margin.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Woman in Snow with Umbrella and Lantern
Artist: Unsigned.
Date: 1930s or earlier.
Size: 5.5 x 3.5 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Small raised bump at lower left.

Tsuchiya Koitsu
Asakusa Temple (Sensoji) Main Gate
Publisher: Takemura Hideo. Round Takemura seal lower right.
Date: 1930s.
Size: 5.5 x 3.625 inches.
Title and Koitsu's Kiyoshi seal at left.
Koitsu catalog no.: TK-TM-136.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Ide Gakusui
Plum Tree
Size: Approximately 5.75 x 3.825 inches.
Date: 1950s-60s.
Gakusui signature and seal lower left.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo
Woodblock print is tipped along its top edge only to original 7 x 4.5-inch blank card.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Takahashi Shotei
Night Scene of Mabashi, near Tokyo
(This smaller unsealed print is clearly based on the above Shotei chuban design.)
Date: 1950s-60s.
Size: 5.75 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.

German Rococo 800 silver casket, ca 1900. Rectangular with straight sides and sharp corners. Cover hinged with curved top. Chased scenes of frolicking cherubs in nature. Hanau marks. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 5/8 x W 2 1/2 x D 1 3/8 in. Weight: 1.8 troy ounces. #BZ624

German 800 silver figural bird bowl, ca 1910. A big beautiful swan with graceful downturned neck terminating in closed and tapering bill. Fan-shaped tail and hinged wings ready to spread for taking flight if the party chat gets too dull. Finely chased and engraved feathering from dense and imbricated to fluffy and plumy, and tucked-up taloned and webbed feet. Capacious hollow body for holding treats or flowers. Marks include maker’s (Friedrich Reusswig) and Munich retailer’s stamp (Rosenau) ...

After Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795)
Carp and Pine
Date: ca 1910s-30s.
Size: 5.375 x 3.5 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Top margin thinning.

Ito Nisaburo
The Inns at Arima Hot Spring
Date: 1950s
Size: 18 x 11.5 inches. Full margins (shown in additional photos).
Publisher: Uchida Woodblock Printing Co., Ltd.
Artist's seal and publisher's seal at lower left.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Removed from original folder.

Artist's gourd-shaped seal unread.
Lighthouse
Size: 16.2 x 11.8 cm. 6.5 x 4.875 inches.
Date: ca 1900s.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Mark in right sky. Paper residue at top back corners.
Note: We could find no other example of this design.

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.