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...

Several years ago we were invited by our very talented kintsugi craftsman to what is known as a “kura-ake” or storehouse opening. Many reading this may be familiar with the traditional storehouses in Japan (kura) with their thick plaster walls used to store valuable items—sometimes for hundreds of years—safe from humid air, insects, and the like. On occession, after the passing of a parent or relative, these storehouses are opened up and the art pieces and valuables inside ar...

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...

Tokoname pottery has a rich history that dates back over a thousand years. Originating in the town of Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, this pottery tradition has flourished due to the region's abundant red clay deposits. The history of Tokoname pottery can be traced to the 12th century when the art form was greatly influenced by Chinese ceramics, specifically, by the Yixing clay pottery tradition. Over the centuries, Tokoname pottery evolved to develop its unique style characteri...

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...

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, ...

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 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).

Hiroshige Ando
Fuchu, Nichomachi (Titled in image)
Size: Approximately 8.625 x 3.625 inches.
Date: Late 19th/Early 20th century.
Publisher: Kobayashi Bunshichi (black seal).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Light toning

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 woodblock print made from a carved wood block. Mechanization was added to the printing...

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 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.

German Rococo 800 silver snuffbox, ca 1910. Oval with hinged cover; on top is chased scene depicting a large bird confronting two cherubs with soft chubby bodies and ethereal wings. Probably an allusion to some or other episode in Classical mythology, but can be enjoyed without esoteric literary knowledge. Hanau maker’s mark (Wolf & Knell). Very good condition with deep patina.

Dimensions: H 7/8 x W 2 3/8 x D 2 in. Weight: 2 troy ounces. #BZ256

Austrian 900 silver tray, ca 1900. Rectangular with molded curvilinear piecrust rim. A hearkening back to Georgian England by a fin-de-siecle Mitteleuropean silversmith. Marked with Dianakopf and maker’s stamp. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 1/2 x L 17 x W 9 in. Weight: 28 troy ounces. #BY863