Catalog: Vintage Arts: Regional Art (209)

This is a beautiful and gorgeous book titled "Textiles: The Soul of India" by Hiroko Iwatate who is a prominent collector and researcher of antique and modern Indian textiles for about 40 years. There was a highly reputed exhibition of her Indian textiles collection at Japan folk Crafts Museum ( Nihon Mingei-kan ) in Tokyo in 2007 as well as in other museums in Japan. It has 207 pages with full color pictures and captions and descriptive texts in Japanese as well as in English...

This is a silk meisen haori ( jacket ). Meisen textile is a kind of pongee silk which is machine woven and has kasuri ( ikat ) pattern. Meisen kimono was very popular among young women as a casual kimono between 1920s and 1950s and many of them have eye-catching bold and contemporary design. Mid Showa period ( ca. 1940s~50s ). In excellent condition. 126cm x 87cm 49.6" x 34.3"

This is a piece of noh drama costume which is called "Choken". Choken is made of silk gauze or weft silk gauze with woven designs with gold and colored threads. It is worn by a dancer or noble man in the noh stage. This choken has woven design of Hagi ( Japanese clover ) and Nadeshiko ( Dianthus ) with gold threads. In excellent condition. 20th century. 40cm x 160cm

This is a silk meisen Haori which is heiyo-gasuri. As for the heiyo-gasuri, warps and wefts are stencil printed separately and then machine-woven. Heiyo-gasuri made it possible to make more vivid, colorful and free design. It has reddish brown flowers with gray and yellow in beige ground. It has silk lining with beautiful stencil-printed flowers pattern and hand-braided cords in front. In excellent condition. Mid 20th century. 128cm x 78cm

This is a meisen kimono with geometric pattern in white, red and black. In good condition except for the blackish part in the back ( not stain but weaving flaw ) and some stains in the front lining. 1950s 128cm x 150cm

This is a pair of bamboo ornaments with carved Chinese-style poetry, however some Chinese characters are not readable, so its meaning is not clear either. In good condition. W:9.5cm, L:94cm

Wooden figure of Tosa-inu (Tosa dog) representing Yokozuna (grand champion of sumo ). Tosa is located in Kochi prefecture in Shikoku district. In good condition except for some dirt in the ropes. 20th century. W:10.3cm x H:10.3cm D:12cm

Boro futonji whose ground cloth and most of the mending patches are hand-spun and natural indigo dyed cotton. It used to be a futon cover so that it still has cotton dust. Late 19th to mid 20th century. 63cm x 144cm

Pilgrim's coat made of asa (hemp) with hand-written Buddhist sutra. It also has stampted Zao Gongen who is a main image of the Kinpusen-ji temple and Ominesan-ji temple. It has many red stamps of holy places where the pilgrim had visited such as Ominesan-ji, Kinpusen-ji, Zaodo etc. which are located between Wakayama and Nara prefecture where "shugen-sha ( holy man )" has been practicing Shugendo. The area was designated as "World Heritage". The first half of the 20th century...

Mingei wooden box with carving. In good condition but has some dents and scratches on the lid. 20th century. 13.5cm x 29cm x 5.5cm

Basket made of yama-budo (crimson glory vine) for body part and akebi (akebia vine) for handles. It is from Tohoku region, North-East of the Honshu. In excellent condition. 20th century. 48cm x 33cm x 16cm (body part)

Urushi small tray with gold makie whose motifs are auspicious noshi and treasures. It has an original wooden box. In excellent condition except for a chip (8mm) in the rim. Late 19th to mid 20th century. W:27cm L:18cm H:12cm

Baby's kimono made of soft cotton with shibori pattern and dyed with akane (madder). It has interesting shirring in both wrists. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. 70cm x 60.5cm

Man's haori (jacket) made of tsumugi (pongee silk) with lining of scenery motif. In excellent condition. It has hand-braided cords in front. 20th century. 132cm x 94cm

Wooden urushi Bento-bako (lunch box) made in Wajima in Ishikawa Pref. Wajima-nuri has been made in the region since mid 17th century. It has removable two pieces for a partition between rice and dishes and one plate. In excellent condition except for some hairline in the bottom. 20th century. 25.5cm x 15.5cm x 6.3cm

Paper stencil for kimono or futonji which are made of wash, Japanese handmade paper. The first paper stencil resist dyeing appeared in the Kamakura and Nanboku-cho period (1185~1392). It was applied for many items later, such as samurai's kamishimo(komon), civilian's kimono, No-drama costume and so on. Mino-gami (handmade paper made in Mino in Gifu Pref.) is used for the stencil...

Wood tray with traditional Ainu pattern made by Ainu people in Hokkaido. Generally in good condition but has some scratches and the reddish color came off. 20th century. 30.5cm x 20.2cm x 1cm

A set of four fans (uchiwa) made of bamboo and washi (Japanese hand-made paper). Each has hand-painted pictures and signs such as three kabuki "kumadori" which is special makeup of the kabuki player and Otahuku. All have the same written seal marks, however the name of the artist is not clear. Two are painted with kakishibu (persimmon tannin) 20th century. In excellent condition. W:30.5cm H:35.5cm