Catalog (420)

Yuki boshi (snow hat), or yuki kabuto (snow helmet) made of Obana, or Yamagaya (Japanese pampas) and cotton yarn for decoration. It has belts made of indigo dye and hand spun cotton inside. In good condition except for some wear in the decorative yarn. The first half of the 20th century. W:48cm, L:48cm

Tsuto made of rice straw which is used for containing ceramic plates. It has a small wooden tag "12 plates". In old age, there was no plastic cushioning material so that rice straw was used much for it and for other crafts. In good condition and very few scraps which is usual for old crafts made of rice straw. The first half of the 20th century. Diameter:24cm, H:26cm

A case for hemp seed made of hechima, sponge gourd, one kind of squash. It has writing "hemp seed" and the year "Showa 9", 1934. It has beautiful color of urushi and kakishibu by aging. L:83cm, Diameter:12cm

Wood tray with urushi painted whose technique is free and irregular. It might be made not for sale, however, it is unique and interesting. The first half of the 20th century. In good condition except for a few minor chips on the rim. Diameter:30cm, H:4cm

Juban (under kimono) made of hand-spun cotton with shibori design, dyed with vegetable indigo. The shibori technique of the top part is Te-Kumo Shibori (Hand-bound Spiderweb) and the lower part is Kanoko shibori (Bound Dots) and Boshi shibori (Capped Motifs) with mum design, which is dyed in Akita prefecture. Cotton cloth inside is also hand-spun and vegetable indigo dye. In good condition except for mending in the back (the last image). The first half of the 20th century. 121cm x 130cm

Sakiori sodenashi (vest) handwoven of strips recycled from old cotton cloth for wefts, and hemp yarn for warps. Sakiori hanten and sodenashi were made mainly in districts along the Japan Sea of the mainland, where they have much snow and cold climate in winter. Piping cloth is indigo dye cotton. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. W:49cm, L:86cm

A fisherman's work wear hand-woven of hemp for the weft and cotton yarn for the warp. Stripes are vegetable indigo dye and also natural color cotton yarn. It is from Tsushima in Nagasaki prefecture, an island located between Korean Peninsula and north Kyushu, and the textile is called Tsushima-asa. It had been woven till 1930s, but not woven since then, so it is precious, especially in this excellent condition one. Cotton was expensive, so richer people had more cotton yarn which made the texti...

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

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. Two to four sheets of paper made from kozo (paper mulberry) tree are pasted together with paste mixed with kaki-shibu...

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

A wood plate used by a lacquer ware maker. It has layers of red and black urushi. It is used by a craftsperson of Aizu-nuri, from Aizu in Fukushima in Tohoku district. The first half of the 20th century. Diameter:16.4cm, H:4cm

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

Silk Meisen unlined kimono with geometric pattern. Double kasuri (wefts and warps) is dyed with stencil-resist-dye (Heiyo-kasuri). Mid 20th century. In excellent condition. 126cm x 148cm

Wood bowl (shikarinpah) with bird motif, made by Ainu craftsman in Hokkaido. All hand-carved and in excellent condition. 20th century. L:24cm W:10.5cm H:5cm

Basket for backpack made of strips of mountain cherry bark. It has cotton print and check lining (upper part only) and silk belt. Outer side is in good condition but the other side has breaks and loose parts. The first half of the 20th century. W:36cm, L:32cm, H:7cm

Basket handmade of Yama-budo, wild grapevine which grows deep in the mountains. It is used by a mountain worker as a backpack. Generally in good condition but has a few minor breaks. The first half of the 20th century. W:43cm x 28cm x 15cm.

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)

A bag for backpack made of Miyama Kansuge, "hiroro" by dialect which is a group of carex. It is made in Aizu region in Fukushima prefecture. It has purple and dark indigo cotton cloth interknitted in the cord. 20th century. In excellent condition. 40cm x 39cm.