Koichi Okumura (1904 ~ 1974)
Panoramic View of Mt. Higashi. (Higashi Tenbo)
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.75 x 10.75 inches.
Date: 1948. Later edition.
Publisher: Unsodo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Seated in meditation with open and compassionate heart, this bodhisattva is on a spiritual journey, postponing his own salvation in order to remain on earth to help others achieve enlightenment. In contrast to some images of the Japanese Bodhisattva (Bosatsu), often depicted as austere and inward looking, here, Kimura depicts the Bodhisattva as playful, carefree, and decidedly ornate. The inverted image of white contrast dye on black silk also makes for a striking composition.

A mas...

Yuzo Kondo 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 porcelain), he did not settle on this style until well into his potting career that lasted over seven decades. The piece shown here then would be from an earlier period and is evidence of his competency with varied styles and glazes—not just the one he is most well-known for. As any experienced potter will tell you, tenmoku ...

Ito Nisaburo
Osaka Dotonbori
Date: 1960s
Size: 17.75 x 12 inches. Full margins shown in additional photo.
Publisher: Uchida Woodblock Printing Co., Ltd.
Artist's seal and publisher's seal at lower right.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Toned back. Slight fading. Tape residue at top margin.
- Interesting signage and fashions. This is a rarely seen design by Ito. There is an example at The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.

Toshi Yoshida
Okaramon
Date: 1940. Hand signed and titled.
Size: Chuban. Approximately 10.5 x 8.0 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Jun (Jun'ichiro) Sekino
Postscript Thoughts on "The Book of the Ghost". This very rare booklet with woodblock-printed covers is Sekino's reflections on having produced and self-published the 1950 woodblock-printed work, "The Book of the Ghost". The cover page reads, "Please Read this Little Booklet as a Personal Letter from Me."
Publisher: The artist's Sosaku Shuppan company.
The book is a single sheet folded into eight pages and has a wonderful T. Kato ex-libris inside.
Siz...

Midcentury Modern sterling silver bowl. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Conical with wide mouth and curved bottom on fleur-de-lys mounted hoof supports. Monteith-style rim with alternating trefoils and shaped dips. Fully marked including postwar pattern no. 24077. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 4 3/8 x D 7 1/8 in. Weight: 16.5 troy ounces. #BT200

Over 400 years ago the first Takatori potter known as “Hachizan” was brought to Japan by the powerful Kuroda clan and was tasked with establishing a kiln in the town of Fukuoka. Since that time, the Takatori lineage has produced many fine works and gained a reputation across Japan for their skill at producing porcelains of thin construction, using many layers of glaze, and with a variety of unique colorations.

Born in 1907, the 11th generation Takatori potter (Seizan), along wit...

The artist who produced this piece, Wataru Motomura, prides himself in living a traditional life in the eastern hills of Kyoto—long known for its rich clay and idyllic pastoral lands. Though the form of this vessel appears innovative and modern, the techniques and materials used to produce it have been around for many hundreds of years. Taking inspiration from the varied pottery traditions of his native Hyogo, Motomura is also known to use clay and methods from the Shigaraki region and many of...

Classical sterling silver trophy cup. Traditional amphora urn with high-looping side handles and stepped and raised foot. Cover domed with engraved bands and acorn finial. A nice cup with lots of room for engraving. Marked “Sterling / By / Fina”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 12 x W 8 x D 5 1/8 in. Weight: 28.5 troy ounces #BT261

Katsuhara Shinya (Tatsuhara Inuki) (1951-2015)
A woman with mirror in art deco style
Size: 16.25 x 7.25 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Date ca.: Late 20th century, pre-1995.
Edition: 72/200 numbered in pencil on back.
Signed "Shinya" in the image and sealed.
Enlargement 2 shows the upper part of the print in which the black background features a checkerboard pattern that only becomes visible in side light.
Condition: Excellent.

Pair of Modern Georgian sterling silver candlesticks. Made by Blackinton in North Attleboro, Mass., ca 1940. Knopped baluster shaft on domed foot. Reeding. A voluptuous interpretation of a traditional form. Fully marked and numbered A100. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 12 x D 5 1/4 in. Weighted. #BT087

A truly unique work of Shino pottery developed among the company of some of Japan’s most respected and influential potters of the last century. Defying conventions of form and genre, this exceptional mizusashi looks like it could have emerged from the ground fully formed, the result of geological processes lasting millennia. The creator of this fine work is none other than Tsuboshima Dohei, a true master of the ceramic arts.

Born in 1929, at the age of 17 Tsuboshima took an appre...

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...

Chrysanthemum sterling silver dinner set. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1890.

This set comprises 145 pieces (dimensions in inches): Forks: 24 dinner forks (7 1/2), 12 salad/terrapin forks (6 3/8), 12 seafood forks (6), and 12 ice cream forks (5 5/8); Spoons: 10 teaspoons (5 5/8), 12 round gumbo spoons (7 3/4), 12 bouillon spoons (5 1/2), 10 grapefruit spoons (5 3/4), and 6 tablespoons (8 1/4); Knives: 12 dinner knives (10 1/8), 12 lunch knives (8 7/8), and 11 butter spreaders (5 3/4).

Jumbo big game-era safari flask. Made by George Unite in Birmingham in 1888. Glass body. Upper part encased in leather with cut-away vertical windows. At bottom detachable sterling silver cup engraved with armorial. Sterling silver collar with hinged and cork-lined ball cover engraved with same. The alpha model. Holds enough booze for everyone around the campfire. Fully marked. Very good condition with some handling wear from all those big sweaty hands.

Dimensions: H 11 x W 5 x D 2 1/2 in. #B...

Ito Sozan
Peahen
Date: Pre-1923. Pre-earthquake.
Size: Tanzaku. 11.75 x 5.25 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Artist's double red square seal at lower right.
Reference: Attribution by Mauro Novelli as T-48 at itosozan.com.
Medium: Crepe (chirimen) Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Lightly foxed.

The distinctive and easily recognizable style of Bizen pieces, such as the one featured here, originated in Okayama (south-western Japan) and has a long history that is closely intertwined with that of tea culture. Bizen-ware is known for employing a natural-ash glazing technique that is unique to this type of pottery and which requires extremely long firing times (7-14 days) at very high temperatures. This means that constant attention is required to ensure good results. The tea bowl shown here...

Tsuchiya Koitsu
Asakusa Kinryusan, 1938
Size: Oban. Approximately 16.75 x 11.25 inches.
Publisher: Doi Hangaten. Doi watermark.
Carver: Harada. Printer: Yokoi.
This seal combination indicates an early post-war edition.
Reference: Koitsu catalog TK-DH-51.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Left margin has two tears that do not impinge on image.

Decidedly masculine in character with straight sculpted edges, a rich palette of color, and a calm steadiness in the hand; this tea bowl was crafted by one of Japan’s great masters, a Mashiko potter by the name of Takauchi Shugo.

A native of Tokyo, Takauchi (b. 1937) took the well-established path of working for a company after graduating from university and it was not until a number of years later—upon visiting the town of Mashiko and being inspired by the works of artists such...

Kawase Hasui
The Torii at Miyajima at Night
Date: 1930s.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Size: Koban. Approximately 6.25 x 4.25 inches.
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Reference: Hotei Hp-52.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Simple yet classic styling—this tea bowl is perfect for anyone looking for the quintessential Ido-shaped chawan crafted by one of Japan’s master Hagi potters.

Born in the famed pottery town of Karatsu in 1942, Zenzo Hatano spent a number of years learning the various styles particular to his region before taking up an apprenticeship under well-known Hagi potter Yoshiga Taibi. Winner of a number of awards including the Japan Crafts Exhibition Award in 1977, Hatano’s greatest d...

Ramp up your allure with a turn-of-the-century parasol handle. Silver and amber cylinder mounted to cone with enameled stylized vertical leafing branches on green guilloche basket-weave ground. Silver rim with seed-pearl border and cabochon-cut pink hardstone top. For a flirty, twirling come-hither. In a leather-bound case with fitted velvet and silk lining with Parisian retailer’s gilt stamp (Dupuy). Worn marks appear to be those of Georg Adam Scheid; also, French import marks. Very good cond...

Ohara Koson
Two goldfish and lotus plants
Size: O-tanzaku. Approximately 14.75 x 7.5 inches.
Date: Early 20th century.
Reference: AK.21 in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland).
Publisher: Daikokuya.
Signed and sealed by the artist.
"Made in Japan" stamped on back.
Condition: Excellent. Marks in top margin. Slight edge indentation as shown.

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.

This piece is quite unique for its brown color which may have been produced using a copper glaze under very specific conditions. Typical o...

Exquisitely painted cherry blossoms (sakura) and willow branches (yanagi) on a background of jet-black traditional lacquer.

The craftsman, Wakashima Takao (b. 1935) was born in the north of Japan in the picturesque town of Wajima. The lacquer technique particular to this region (Wajima-nuri) is rather unique in its use of an undercoating incorporating special compounds that make it exceptionally durable over time. Wakashima perfected this demanding technique and, over the course of...

Eijiro Kobayashi
Pagoda by Moonlight
Approximately 10.25 x 7.5 inches.
Date: 1938-1960.
Red "Eijiro" seal at lower right.
Publisher: Nishinomiya Yosaku. From the "Hasegawa Night Scenes" series. Hasegawa catalogue No. 1243.
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Utagawa Fusatane
An evening scene from the Snow, Moon, Flower series
Date: ca. 1850s-60s.
Size: 11.75 x 9.5 inches.
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Two punch holes from original folio. Thinned area from wormhole at upper left.

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)
Cold Winter Wind.
Size: Mitsugiri-ban. Approximately 15.0 x 6.5 inches.
Date: pre-1936 (Mid-1920s).
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. No. 204 in 1936 Watanabe catalog. M-4 in Shotei catalog.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. On the back, there is clear tape along the top edge.

Kaoru Kawano
Two Girls
Date: 1950s-60s
Size: Approximately 16.5 x 11.5 inches.
Sealed by the artist at lower right and on verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. We've removed this print from its original folder.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)
In the Moonlight Under the Trees a Beautiful Woman Comes (Getsumei Rinka Bijin Majiru)
No. 59 from the series "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon"
Date: 1888
Size: Oban. Approximately 14.5 x 10 inches.
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon.
Carver: Yamamoto.
Condition: Some spots and creasing.
"The elegantly dressed Chinese woman represents the spirit of the plum ...

German sterling silver place card holders. This set comprises 8 holders in 3 designs. One holder features an elegant courtly couple executing a cozy minuet. Three holders feature spirited country jiggers. Four holders feature entwined Bacchic babes, and are gilt. Marked “Sterling” and “Germany”. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 3/4 x W 1 1/2 x D 1 in. Total weight: 2.7 troy ounces. #BQ399

Greek Revival sterling silver footed bowl. Made by Grosjean & Woodward for Tiffany & Co. at 550 Broadway in New York. Bowl wide and shallow with flat fretwork rim. Ornament applied to exterior: Medallions inset with male youth heads surrounded by leaf-and-berry branches. Bowl underside center has petal lobing to which are mounted two side handles with stylized leaf-caps on split volute scroll terminals. Cylindrical support flowing into domed foot with chased leaf-and-berry bunches alternating wi...

Hiratsuka Un-ichi (1895 ~ 1997)
Selected Woodcuts By Un-ichi Hiratsuka
Date: 1954
Publisher: Nippon Geijyutsu Hangasha
This rare book contains 30 lithographic plates (23 black-and-white, 7 color) by the renowned sosaku hanga artist. English and Japanese text.
Size: 14.25 x 10.5 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Very good. Light toning and foxing.

Okuyama Gijin (Yoshito) (b. 1934)
Ginkakuji
Date: ca 1950s.
Size: 19 x 9.75 inches.
Self-published by the artist.
Signed in pencil and sealed.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Slight margin creasing and wave.

Paul Jacoulet
Le Phare de Mikimoto, Shimoda Izu (Mikimoto Lighthouse, Shimoda Izu)
Date: February 1954.
Fewer than 80 impressions made. This example is stamped "PRESENT" on the verso.
Size: 17.75 x 13 inches.
Signed and sealed with peony seal. Carver: Maeda. Printer: Onodera
Reference: No. 134 in The Prints of Paul Jacoulet by Richard Miles
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Toning on verso. Please see additional photos showing partially trimmed...

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)
Woman returning in autumn evening
Size: Mitsugiri-ban. Approximately 15 x 6.75 inches.
Date: pre-1936.
Shotei seal at left.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
No. 205 in 1936 Watanabe catalog. M-5 in Shotei catalog.
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Geisha and Lanterns
Date: Early postwar
Print size: Approximately 6.75 x 3 inches.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo. Seal at lower left.
A Japanese woodblock print tipped along its top edge to a filled out holiday card.
Condition: Tiny spotting in the yellow.

Pair of Retro 14K gold pins. Each: Open and shaped triangle with strapwork scroll bisected by stepped arch. Fluid and snazzy. United States, ca 1940. Hallmarked. The original Tiffany stamp was lost during conversion. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1 5/8 x W 1 3/8 x D 1/2 in. Total weight: 15.4 dwt. #896

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)
Itsukushima Moon
No. 21 from the series "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon"
Date: 1886
Size: Oban. Approximately 14.75 x 10.25 inches.
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon.
Carver: Enkatsu.
Condition: Very good. Invisible paper wear can be seen when held to back light.
- "A courtesan from the port town of Muro on the Seto Inland Sea drifts past the base of a hu...

Bertha Boynton Lum (1869-1954)
Junks Wei-Hai-Wei
Date: 1922
Size: 9.5 x 4.5 inches.
Pencil signed and copyrighted 1923 by the artist.
Edition: "44" noted at lower right.
Reference: Gravalos/Pulin No. 63.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Toned paper areas primarily in margin.

Cyrus leRoy Baldridge (1889-1977)
Coal Hill, Peking, 1925
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.25 x 10.5 inches.
Signed and dated by the artist.
Edition: "X49" noted at lower left corner.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent color. Fugitive green and mauve on rooftops are preserved. Tone line in margin. Reinforced margins.

Japonesque sterling silver inkwell. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1882. Drum form with curved shoulder, short neck, and hinged and cork-lined bayonet cover. Leaves and tendrils and butterflies, too, applied to honeycomb hand-hammered ground. Bonus bug (a modish beetle) on cover. Interior glass lined. Fully marked including pattern no. 6771 (first produced in 1882), director’s letter M (1873-91), and phrase “Sterling-Silver”. Excellent condition and patina.

Large dimensions: H 4...

American Colonial sterling silver bowl. Made by Tiffany in New York, ca 1965. Bowl has curved sides and straight circular foot. Spare historic design that works equally well in Modern interiors. Hallmark includes pattern no. 19750 and phrase: Reproduction / Original by / Joseph Conyers / Boston / about 1700. Fine condition.

Dimensions: H 4 x D 9 in. Weight: 22.5 troy ounces. #BQ855

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki)(1871-1945)
Shrine in the woods; blue Sky
Size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.5 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Shotei seal at lower right.
Date: Pre-1936.
Reference: Shotei catalog #S-38.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print in postcard form.
Condition: Mark near upper right edge.

Regency Revival sterling silver tea caddy. Retailed by Tiffany & Co. at 550 Broadway, New York. Rectangular with straight sides and curved corners. Sloping rim and hinged and overlapping double covers with cutout scrolled rims. Stationary bracket handle. Fretwork rims. Handle same with beaded borders. Engraved on sides are floral garlands and oval frames with interlaced monogram. Covers have armorial frames (vacant) and flowers, and stylized floral border. Partitioned interior for holding two ...

Nautical sterling silver and enamel cigarette case. Made by Thomae in Attleboro, Mass., ca 1960. Rectangular and hinged. Signal flags enameled on front. Gilt interior. Hallmarked. Very good condition with intact color.

Dimensions: H 3 1/8 x W 4 3/8 x D 1/4. Weight: 4.8 troy ounces. #BQ946

Rare mixed metal pitcher with lots of bugs. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1880. Globular with drum-form neck, small lip spout, and c-scroll handle. Modish insects—dragon fly, grasshopper, and butterfly—creep and dart among fluid and interlaced grass stalks applied to hand-hammered sterling silver ground heightened with floral engraving and copper inlay. A superb integration of Japonesque and Craftsman. Interlaced script monogram engraved to underside. Fully marked including pattern n...

Ohara Koson
Eight white-fronted geese in flight, a full moon behind
Size: O-tanzaku. Approximately 14.5 x 7.5 inches.
Date: 1920s-30s.
Reference: K11.10 in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland).
Publisher: Daikokuya/Adachi.
Koson signature at lower left.
"Made in Japan" stamped on back.
Condition: Excellent.
Provenance: The estate of Robert O. Muller.

Ohara Koson
Two Common Snipes Near Waterfront
Size: Ko-tanzaku. Approximately 7.75 x 3.75 inches.
Date: ca. 1910.
Koson signature and seal at upper right.
Publisher: Matsumoto (no. 108).
Reference: AK.13 in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Reigle Newland).
Compare with Daikokuya K24.5.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Very faint line mark at left.

Tsutsu-shaped chawan have a unique and especially attractive shape. They are used mainly in the depths of winter to keep in the heat, and prevent the tea from cooling too quickly. Tea disciples of all stripes appreciate this type of bowl for its elegant lines and functional properties.

This tea bowl was fired in the kilns of one of Kyoto’s best known Raku-yaki potters, Sasaki Shoraku III (1944-). The Shoraku line began when the grandfather of the current potter established a kiln...

Okuyama Gijin (b. 1934)
Shorenin Temple Garden
Date: ca 1950s.
Size: 9.5 x 4.75 inches.
Self-published by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Okuyama Gijin (b. 1934)
Heian Shrine
Date: ca 1950s.
Size: 7.75 x 5.5 inches.
Self-published by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Sweet 14k white and yellow gold ring with rose-cut diamond in square mount (0.4 carats). United States, ca 1940s. Very good condition.

Size: 7 1/2. #1141

Delightful 18k gold figural pin. Stylized owl with ribbed crown, rose-diamond eyes set in concave disc sockets, sweet wing flaps, and branch-gripped talons. Breast inset with turquoise stone. A symbol of wisdom in the advanced taste. United states, ca 1930. Stamped “750”. Very good condition with great color.

Dimensions: H 1 5/8 x W 7/8 x D 1/2 in. #873

Beautiful 14k gold flower brooch comprising petals inset with 33 rubies (approx. 3 carats) on white-gold stem encrusted with pave diamonds. The flower is framed by 3 scrolled yellow gold leaves. United States, ca 1940s. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 2 x W 1 3/8 in. #675

Pair of Modern 14k gold clip-on earrings. Each: Strands comprising rope and beads forming semi-abstract scrolled leaf. Snazzy Midcentury style. United States, ca 1960s. Marked. Very good condition with nice finish.

Dimensions: H 1/2 x L 1 1/4 x W 7/8 in. Total weight: 12.8 DWT (20 g). #1145

Cyrus leRoy Baldridge (1889-1977)
Peking, 1925
Edition: 81/200
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.25 x 10.5 inches.
Signed in pencil: "Cyrus Baldridge".
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Margin has matte line, pinhole, and tape at corner. Image has a few faint spots.

Kasamatsu Shiro (1898-1991)
Misty Evening at Shinobazu Pond
Date: 1932.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.5 x 10.25 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
First edition. Watanabe sausage seal (in use 1929-42).
Shiro seal lower left.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Faint matte line near image edge. Pinhole at margin edge. Light toning and fading.

Modern sterling silver bowl. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Tapering sides and flared rim. Short and straight foot. Spare and fluid. Hallmark includes pattern no. 16667F, director’s letter m (1907-47), and wartime star (1943-45). Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 4 1/2 x D 9 1/8 in. Weight: 28 troy ounces. #BQ772