Ito Shinsui (aka. Shikuntei)(1898-1972)
Preparing Tea
Date: 1950s.
Size: Chuban. Approximately 9.75 x 7.375 inches (25 x 19 cm).
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. Publisher's seal on verso
Signed Shikuntei Shinsuiga. Sealed Shinsui.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent color. Slight creasing and toning.

Koizumi Kishio
Lingering Snow at Five-storied Pagoda
No. 7 from the series, Views of Nikko National Park
Date: 1936.
Size: Chuban. Approximately 10 x 7.75 inches (25.6 x 19.6 cm).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Possibly faintly signed at lower right.
Condition: Excellent.

Ide Gakusui
Chrysanthemums
Size: Approximately 5.5 x 3.5 inches.
Date: 1950s-60s.
Gakusui signature and seal lower right.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo
Woodblock print is tipped along the top edge to original 7 x 4.5-inch blank card.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Currently in its 5th generation, the Miura Chikusen line of potters has continued to produce high-quality Kiyomizu-yaki and Kyo-yaki porcelains used in sencha for well over 150 years. The piece seen here is by the third generation potter and has the rare distinction of being endorsed by Sokuchusai, a former Head Tea Master of Omotesenke in Kyoto. Simple and elegant, a section of bamboo stands out in contrast to the white crackled porcelain glaze. If you are looking for a representative work by o...

Shoda Koho
A boy playing a flute while riding an ox
Date: 1930s.
Size: Tanzaku 13.25 x 3.125 inches.
Publisher: Hasegawa/Nishinomiya Yosaku (stamp on verso)
Artist's seal at lower right.
Reference: No. 1570
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Kawase Hasui
Postal Life Insurance Office
Date: ca. 1930s/1940s.
Size: 5.5 x 3.5 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Hasui seal at lower right.
Rare genuine woodblock-printed postcard.
Condition: Front is excellent. Verso has residue at top corners.

First born son to Living National Treasure Isezaki Jun, Koichiro (b. 1974) has quickly made a name for himself as an independent artist. Not content to rely solely on family reputation, he has set off on his own path, making innovations in clay and also in the ideas and principles surrounding his craft.

With its well-proportioned ridged design, natural ash glaze, and coarse grade of Bizen clay still containing visible stones; the vessel seen here would be a good choice for someone ...

Turn-of-the-century Chinese silver mustard pot. Round and bellied bowl with plain concave neck, thin scroll handle, and spread foot. Modish floral ornament in form of chased and applied water lilies and pads heightened with engraving on stippled ground. Chinese marks. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 2 3/8 x W 3 1/4 x D 2 3/8 in. Weight: 2 troy ounces. #BV330

Richly colored plique a jour beaker, ca 1910. Straight and gently tapering sides. Ornament includes stylized flower heads in rondels and beaded and guilloche borders. Colors red and blue. Silver gilt wire frames and cabled rim. Unmarked. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 2 x D 1 3/4 in. #BV278

Victorian Classical sugar caster. Made by William Gibson & John Langman in London in 1893. Girdled body on stepped foot. Twisted fluting with scalloped borders. Cover has ornamental piercing and finial. Initials EAW engraved on underside. Elegant and substantial in Britannia (that is, 958) silver. Fully marked. Excellent condition.

Dimensions: H 8 1/2 x D 3 1/2 in. Weight: 11.5 troy ounces. #BV187

Bertha Boynton Lum (1869-1954)
Kites
Date: 1912
Size: 14.375 x 8 inches.
Pencil signed and copyrighted 1913 by the artist.
Edition: "197" noted at lower right.
Reference: Gravalos/Pulin No. 29.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Wrinkle in lower margin. Paper at a back margin.
"..the wind fills them up till they look like fish" - Bertha Lum: American Printmakers, (Smithsonian)

Kiyoshi Saito
Daitoku-Ji Kyoto (C) 1959
Edition: 99/100
Size: 23.5 by 18 inches. Matte size: 26.125 x 21.75 inches.
Date: 1959.
Self-carved and printed by the artist. (See tag).
Signed and sealed in the image.
Titled, numbered, and dated in pencil.
Condition: Margins heavily foxed. Front image area has minimal foxing. Two bits of tape residue at top back margin.
The temple dates to 1326. This print features a brilliant band of dark plum purple behin...

A student of Itaya Hazan, one of the most sought after potters in the world of Japanese art, the ceramicist who crafted this fine vase displays here a high degree of mastery, both in form and glazing technique. For the collector who has always wanted a Hazan but has never been lucky enough to chance upon one, this may be a worthy acquisition. Although much of Inoue’s work is quite different in style to that of Hazan’s, you can find a number of pieces where the influence is unmistakeable—th...

An often overlooked implement in tea ceremony, here we have the humble kogo (incense box) with an image of a sleek and flowing dragon. Commonly thought to represent strength, freedom, good luck, and magic, dragons are a popular theme in the artwork across Eastern cultures. Interesting to note, the dragon here is portrayed in the Korean style with four claws, with dragons in China typically having five claws and dragons in Japan typically having three. Fashioned by one of the few great female Jap...

Kawase Hasui
Mount Fuji, Narusawa
Date: 1936.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo. Black 6mm Watanabe seal in lower left corner, indicating a lifetime edition printed between 1946-1957. We've marked in red the location of the lightly applied black seal.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.5 x 10.5 inches.
Reference: Hotei #395.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Pristine. Removed from original folder. Two original drying pinholes at top margin.

First born son to Living National Treasure Isezaki Jun, Koichiro (b. 1974) has quickly made a name for himself as an independent artist. Not content to rely solely on family reputation, he has set off on his own path, making innovations in clay and also in the ideas and principles surrounding his craft. With its well-proportioned ridged design, natural ash glaze, and coarse grade of Bizen clay still containing visible stones; the vessel seen here would be a good choice for someone looking for a ...

Over the years we have taken a special interest in Raku-ware and especially in works produced by the Tamamizu kiln, such as the 300+ year old ceremonial tea bowl seen here. The first in this line of potters was Yahē (1662 - 1722), an illegitimate son of Kichizaemon Ichinyu (1615 - 1768) who studied under his father and then left to open his own kiln in the village of Tamamizu (known today as Ide-cho). Though he is the first potter of this branch, he is sometimes referred to as Tamam...

The style of this vase, known in Japanese as karakane (“kara” meaning Chinese and “kane” meaning copper), has been carried on by Japanese craftsmen since its theorized introduction during China’s Tang Dynasty. Falling in and out of fashion over the centuries as Japan alternated between preferences for Chinese style tea-ware and more homegrown versions, today it remains a common fixture in many tea rooms. With beautiful red accents on a dark background, this is surely one of this artist...