Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese (899)

Early 19th century Japanese sword knife (kozuka) handle made of sentoku (alloy consisting of copper, zinc and tin) with inlaid scene of two birds on the riverbank by rocks, grasses and a woven rattan container with stones - such bundles were used for shoring riverbanks during floods. Excellent quality mixed metals inlays, wonderful crisp work. Some indents to the narrow sides from usage, otherwise in very good condition. Length 3 13/16 inches.

19th century Japanese kozuka (sword knife) handle with raised and incised decoration of a morning glory plant with flowers and leaves. Elegant design, excellent crisp work, wonderful warm brown patina, beautiful gilding, in very good condition. Length 3 3/4 inches.

19th century netsuke carved as a group of 12 animals of the Oriental zodiac: dragon, horse, tiger, rat, rooster, dog, monkey, snake, goat, pig, buffalo and rabbit. Clever design, excellent carving to the last detail, deep undercutting, beautiful wear and patina. Eye of the rabbit is inlaid with salmon pink coral, all the rest are inlaid with dark horn. Very beautiful wear, honey colored patina...

19th century boxwood netsuke of Jurojin (one of the 7 Gods of Good Luck, usually associated with longevity) leaning on a long gnarled staff and accompanied by one of his familiars - a crane (symbol of longevity). Essentially, the netsuke is a wish for a long life. Wonderful carving, great smiling benevolent face, excellent patina. Height 2 inches.

Late Meiji - early Taisho (1910s) netsuke of Daikoku seated next to his mallet, and a rat climbing onto his shoulder. Daikoku is one of the 7 Gods of Good Fortune - that of abundance and of rice - and the rats are associated with him - where there is a lot of rice, there are rats. Very nicely carved, great smiling face, black ink highlights, beautifully depicted textile patterns, pleasant patina...

19th century wooden netsuke of a sitting boy wearing a shishi mask that is too big for him and hitting a drum in front of him with a striker. These mask are usually used in shishimai dance, and the face of the boy can be seen inside the mask (see Enlargement 2, difficult to photograph). Nice dense shitan wood (Southeast Asian rosewood), beautifully carved, eyes of the mask are inlaid with copper. Superb wear and patina, large and deep himotoshi...

18th century kokutan (ebony) netsuke of a shishi (Buddhist lion) crouching by rockery. Strong early carving, nicely captured playful attitude of the beast, unusual raised umbrella-like bushy tail. Large deep himotoshi, great patina with characteristic ebony sheen. Length 1 7/16 inches.

19th century wooden netsuke of a Buddhist monk arm wrestling with an oni on a huge lotus leaf. Wonderful subject, excellent carving with superb faces and great detailing of their limbs and fingers. Himotoshi is formed by the lotus stem on the bottom, beautiful patina. Signed RAKUSHI on the bottom - judging by the subject and the first character of the signature, the artist belonged to the Rakumin School and was obviously a master carver. Length 1 1/2 inches.

18th century Japanese sword iron tsuba with raised and inlaid decoration of a seated tiger scratching its ear by a thick stem of bamboo with leaves. Delightful design, good work, wonderful depiction of the creature, gilded and silvered leaves, very pleasant feel of age. Height 2 15/16 inches.

Early 19th century ebony netsuke of a shishi (Buddhist lion) sitting foursquare on a base, its head turned to the right. Like any dark object does not photograph well. Wonderful netsuke carved with confidence and great detail - see its alert face, bushy tail, well defined ribs and paws. Wonderful sense of volume, beautiful lustre unique to ebony. Height 1 5/16 inches.

19th century coral ojime (slide bead for tightening the cord going from netsuke to inro) of simple barrel shape. True coral of beautiful deep red natural color (not stained), nice patina on the surface. Height 3/8 inches.

Early 19th century wooden netsuke carved as standing Hotei (one of the 7 Gods of Good Luck, also considered to be the incarnation of Maitreya - the Buddha of the future) with his hand on his large belly. Wood is lacquered in Negoro style - red lacquer over black, so as it wears the black and then wood starts showing. Great quality carving - see his face with a crooked smile and finely textured stubble, fingers with well defined fingernails, flow of the robe folds...

18th century good size wooden netsuke of a monstrously tall South Seas islander wearing a leaf skirt and holding a fish in one hand, with a man in Chinese robe hardly reaching a knee level of the giant and raising his hand in amazement. Unusual subject, very strong early carving with obvious and expected wear, wonderful face with wide open mouth, superb patina with beautiful warm sheen, deep himotoshi in accordance with the habit of the time. Perfectly balanced - stands on its own...

Late 18th to early 19th century iron Japanese sword tsuba depicting a scholar peacefully fishing by a stream under a rock with vines and pine growing on it, design continues on the back showing clumps of bamboo grass. Nicely designed quiet piece with perfectly captured mood, wonderful quality work with silver and gold inlays, in great condition. Height 3 5/16 inches.

19th century shakudo Japanese sword tsuba for tanto with raised and inlaid decoration of a dragon flying along its rim among wispy clouds, all on finely textured ground called nanako, which means “fish-eggs” as it resembles fine rows of caviar. Shakudo (an alloy typically consisting of 96% copper and 4% gold) body, superb clever design, extraordinary crisp work, in excellent condition. Height 2 3/16 inches.

19th century shakudo Japanese sword tsuba with inlaid decoration of autumn grasses on both sides, all on finely textured ground. Shakudo (an alloy typically consisting of 96% copper and 4% gold) body, superb design perfectly capturing the mood of autumnal melancholy. Crisp work, black shakudo stems and gold seedheads, in excellent condition. Height 2 3/4 inches.

Late 18th to early 19th century iron Japanese sword tsuba with multimetal inlays depicting sennin Bukan Zenshi standing under a rock and waving for his faithful tiger to approach, which the beast seems to be very happy to do, the back showing mountains with pines and a waterfall. Bukan Zenshi (Pu Hsien in Chinese) was a 7th century priest and is usually shown with a tiger as his attendant...

Late 18th to early 19th century iron Japanese sword tsuba with design a Japanese court hat with cords (appears to be a variation of kanmuri hat) next to multimetal inlays of a water lily and maple branches with leaves, and a riding crop with tassels on the back. Wonderful quality detailed work - see leaf veining and crop textures. Beautiful patina on the plate, very nice feel of age. Height 2 3/8 inches.