Catalog: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian (155)

Vintage Japanese lacquer kogai style kanzashi - a hair pin - with black and gold lacquer decoration. Kogai type kanzashi consists of two sticks featuring a design on each end, which tend to be wider than the centre. Kogai resemble sheathed swords, with one end being removable in order for it to be placed in the hairstyle. Wonderful elegant lacquer work, some chipping to the edge of one stick at the center of the piece. Signed with one character in gold lacquer, appears to read JI...

Vintage Japanese lacquer kogai style kanzashi - a hair pin - with lacquer decoration of flowers in a stream. Kogai type kanzashi consists of two sticks featuring a design on each end, which tend to be wider than the centre. Kogai resemble sheathed swords, with one end being removable in order for it to be placed in the hairstyle. Wonderful lacquer work, in very good vintage condition. Length assembled 4 1/4 inches. Part of East Coast Japanese hair items collection.

Late Meiji period (1890s 1912) Japanese buffalo horn kushi (hair comb) with overlayed decoration of a fan, a mallet and 2 fan tops, design continuing on both sides. Nicely made, good work in Japanese taste, some insect damage as seen on photos. Length 3.7 inches. Part of East Coast collection of Japanese hair items.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with four white petaled flowers with multicolored stamens, leaves and fine tiny silver foil inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.8 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with nine yellow petaled flowers with orange stamens, leaves and 24K gold leaf inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.8 inches.

Vintage Japanese woven bamboo ikebana basket with four woven “feet” forming a square on the bottom, squat round body and long neck, excellent for use in tea ceremony or flower arrangement. Superb piece made in Karamono (Chinese, more formal than Japanese) style with shape and execution of the weave in regular rows. Finely woven smoked narrow bamboo strips, rich warm patina from smoking process and age, black lacquered bamboo insert. The basket is in excellent shape...

Vintage Japanese incense stick container carved out of kurogaki (black persimmon) wood, the body with dense leaf design, and the cover with fine lattice design and an oval reserve containing the the character FUKU (happiness. Excellent sharp work, very pleasant to handle, the cover fits neatly, beautiful patina. Very good object for a scholar’s desk. Length 9.25 inches.

Original woodblock print ONE TREE (GOLD) by Joichi Hoshi (1913-1979) printed in 1978. Excellent crisp print in great condition, superb design, metallic gold highlights to the background, listed as plate 390 in JOICHI HOSHI CATALOGUE OF ALL TREE WOODBLOCK PRINTS published by Kato Gallery in 1988. Black “tree” seal of the artist in lower right corner, titled, signed and dated by the artist in pencil (see detail). A bit of foxing along the margins (see Enlargement 6), the image is not affected...

Unusual early Showa period (1930s) ceramic sake cup made in nerikomi (agateware) technique, its body with vertical grooves all around the perimeter. Nerikomi (translated as “mix and pull up”) is achieved by laminating different colored clays together and throwing them on a wheel to develop a swirling and spiraling effect. Beautifully made, wonderful patterns, glazed on the inside for safe drinking, inscribed by the potter the bottom, very pleasant to hold...

Vintage Tibetan brass and glass pin representing standing Boddhisattva Amitabha. Nice work, glass wonderfully imitating turquoise, in excellent condition. Height 1.6 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with rich multicolored ribbon core and four pink petaled flowers with yellow stamens. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.8 inches.

Japanese glass ojime in a form of tombodama bead with milky white core and a band of multicolored flowers with fine tiny silver foil inclusions. Tombodama can be translated as “dragonfly ball” and the name is thought to come about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly’s eye. Superbly made piece - see the individual stamens and finely textured petals, in perfect condition. Height 0.74 inches.

Vintage Japanese okimono of a sitting dog carved in ittobori (one cut) style typical for the Hida school. Very clever rendition of the animal, much more creative and challenging as a number of intersecting planes versus natural familiar rounded lines. Very clever use of ichii (yew wood), its texture nicely imitating fur of the animal. Wonderful face, in excellent condition, pyrographic (burned) stamp of the maker on the bottom. Height 2 3/4 inches.

Vintage unusually small wooden Japanese okimono of a crouching alert toad. Excellent clever carving capturing the essence of the creature. The material is Yakusugi wood - that of Japanese cedar (sugi, Cryptomeria tree) growing on the island of Yakushima and belonging to the trees aged 1000 years or older. Beautiful layered texture, wonderful depiction of its bumpy skin. Eyes are 2-colored glass, the piece is in excellent condition. Length 1 5/8 inches.

Vintage Japanese okimono of one of the 3 wise monkeys in their habitual "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” attitude - in this case Mizaru covering his eyes. Carved in ittobori (one cut) style typical for the Hida school. Very clever rendition of the animal, much more creative and challenging as a number of intersecting planes versus natural familiar rounded lines. Very clever use of ichii (yew wood), its texture nicely imitating fur of the animal, in excellent condition...

Unusual Japanese WWII metal obidome (sash ornament) with low relief chrysanthemum flower and stylized character on the front, and 2 characters and year 1942 on the back. Beautiful metal work, nicely made back of the piece. Obidome is worn on an obi cord that holds the obi sash together, it is the only type of jewelry worn by Japanese women on formal occasions, and could serve as netsuke as well. Very well made, pleasant patina. Diameter 1.18 inches.

Vintage Japanese glass obidome (sash ornament) with domed top and differently colored concentric circles resembling an eye of a fish. Obidome is worn on an obi cord that holds the obi sash together, it is the only type of jewelry worn by Japanese women on formal occasions, and could serve as netsuke as well. Clever design, excellent quality glasswork, very pleasant to hold. Metal fixture with two loops on the back for an obi cord. Diameter 1.54 inches.

Early Showa (1930s) Japanese lacquer obidome (sash ornament) made out of layered lacquer slab with design cut in at an angle, so numerous multicolor layers can be seen. Obidome is worn on an obi cord that holds the obi sash together, it is the only type of jewelry worn by Japanese women on formal occasions, and could serve as netsuke as well. Clever design, wonderful quality work, very pleasant finish, metal fitting on the back for an obi cord. Length 1,74 inches.