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

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...

Early red glass silver overlay perfume. Made by Gorham in Providence, ca 1886. Globular with short neck and flat everted rim. Ball stopper. Dense and engraved overlay with scrolls and flowers. A concentrated design with small reveals of the glass. Scrolled cartouche engraved with scrolled monogram. Fully marked including maker’s stamp, patent year 1886, and no. S684. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 6 1/4 x D 3 1/2 in. #BT177

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...

German 800 silver wine trolly nef, ca 1920. A 3-mast galleon with billowing sales and complicated rigging. Gun ports open and cannons ready to fire. Lots of deck action, too with fighting swordsman and fallen sailors. Holds a special cargo because wood-style hull is a wine trolly. Figurehead spigot with threaded plug, and dolphin side mounts with rotating wheels for cruising across the table. Gives new meaning to the expression “getting sloshed”. Memorable dinner party guaranteed.

Hana...

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...

Turn-of-the-century American Craftsman sterling silver porringer. Bellied bowl on inset foot ring. Finely faceted hand hammering with "disco ball" shimmer. Plain open tree handle. Fully marked including retailer’s stamp for A. Stowell & Co., who were active in Boston from ca 1865 to 1904. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 2 1/4 x W 7 1/2 x D 5 1/4 in. Weight: 8 troy ounces. #BT004

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...

Pretty Edwardian inkwell. Made by Foster & Bailey in Providence, ca 1910. Rectangular clear glass base with chamfered corners, wraparound acid-etched garland, and star cut to underside. Ovalish well with short neck in sterling silver collar with hinged and domed cover. Cover top has enameled flower basket and garland on white wavy and chevron ground with ornamental blue lunettes. Fully marked. Very good condition with strong color.

Dimensions: H 4 x W 3 1/8 x 3 1/8 in. #BS636

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.