Catalog (424)

Baby's ceremonial kimono made of machine woven cotton with hand-painting with motif of noble people. It has se-mamori (charm) with silk thread. The diagonal stitches to the left means it is boy's kimono ( to the right is girl's ). In old days, it is believed that evils come from back and a baby is vulnerable without seam in the back, so se-mamori is put. In good condition but a bit dusty from aging. Dry cleaning only. Late 19th to early 20th century. 62cm x 76cm

Design book of Japanese traditional patterns which are originally designed by Katsushika Hokusai (1760?~1849), a notable and prominent Ukiyo-e-shi. The title is "Shin-gata Kommon-cho", a new komon design book. It has a pair of two designs, which are woodblock print, black line in one page and colored in the other and each has a name. 74 patterns in a ciecle. In excellent condition. Published in Taisho 14 (1925) by Okamoto Ihei in Kyoto. 22cm x 17cm x 2cm

Furoshiki (wrapping cloth) with bold and nice family crest design which are katazome (stencil-resist-dye). It is made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dyed. In good condition but has two mending patches and a few breaks. 19th century. 130cm x 126cm

Vest made of tiny bamboo beads and all hand-strung with cotton threads. It was worn till early 20th century (Quin Dynasty) as an underwear of silk garments, especially in the southern China or neighboring countries. It made a wearer keep cool and avoid the outer garment wetting by sweat. Generally in good condition but almost 30 beads are missing. 19th to early 20th century. 48cm x 52cm

A set of 5 chataku (saucer for tea cup) made of brass and black checker pateern looks painted with urushi. In good condition but some parts where black urushi came off and hair lines. It has engraved mark, "Shobido" in the back. 20th century. Glass tea cup is not included. 11cm x 11cm x 1.2cm

Mashiko-yaki plate with modern pattern in green and brown glaze. Made by Okamoto Yoshihisa, a craftsman in Mashiko in Tochigi prefecture, north of Kanto district. In excellent condition. Contemporary. 25.5cm x 22cm x 1.5cm

Cotton Kurume kasuri futonji with bold kasuri with asagi (light blue). Kurume in Fukuoka Pref. in Kyushu has been one of the main product places of indigo dyed cotton kasuri since late Edo period (early 19th century). It is made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dyed. Late 19th to early 20th century. In excellent condition. 134cm x 150cm

Urushi bowl made by Kizaki Tsukiho (1984~) who is an emerging urushi craftsman in Shiga Pref. He makes a wood bowl himself and paints urushi too, generally it is done by each craftsman. Texture is rather rough comparing with common urushi bowl but stronger. Contemporary. In excellent condition. Diameter:11.5cm H:8.3cm

A pair of "Ashimoto andon (foot lantern) made of cedar board, bamboo and washi (Japanese hand-made paper). The paper is replaced from shoji-gami (white paper for paper screen) to recycled washi which was a record book of a merchant in late Edo period. Washi is made from paper mulberry bark and very strong. With a carton box for a pair. 20th century. In excellent condition. 18cm x 18cm x 47cm (with a handle).

Asa (hemp) unlined kimono with katazome (stencil-resist-dye) fan motif. In good condition but has a few brownish spots. Mid 20th century. 126cm x 152cm

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

Man's han-gappa which was worn over kimono when he went out and made of hand-spun cotton, both outside and the lining. It is in very dark green, dyed with natural indigo and vegetable yellow. It has beautiful two kinds of katazome (stencil-resist dye) for lining which is natural indigo dyed. The collar is made of imported wool. The fasteners made of spiral cord show it was made in Tenpo in late Edo period (1831~1845) according to the "Kinsei Fuzoku-shi" written by Kitagawa Morisada beginning fro...

Asa (hemp) baby's kimono with hand-painted pine tree motif whose wefts as well as warps are hand-plied. It has se-mamori in the back which is a charm with silk threads and this one is boy's kimono as they are in the left as well as in the center (girl's one is in the right). Evils are believed to come from back in old days and it protects a baby from diseases. The second half of the 19th century. In good condition but some stains in front and holes in two belts made of thin raw silk. 76cm x 90cm...

Book titled "Pattern Weaves" authored by a prominent researcher of weaving techniques and also a textile artist, Keiko Kobayashi(1947~). It has abundant examples of weaving and patterns all over the world with images and her own drawings. 465 pages including 24 color pages. Published in 2017. B5 size. $40 with tax.

Kake-futon (comforter, top cover) made of hand-spun cotton with beautiful katazome (stencil-resist-dye). The pattern looks imitating shibori (tie-dye). It is natural indigo dyed. It has beautiful green cotton lining and can be used as it is, for example, for a cover or throw. In excellent condition except for a few stains and a mending patch. Late 19th to mid 20th century. 154cm x 175cm

Trunk box made of wicker, bamboo and leather. It has washi (Japanese handmade paper) lining with kanji letters. It has black leather for reinforcement. In good condition but has some wear in the leather. It is tight when the lid is put on the box, so better to use separately. The first half of the 20th century. 44cm x 31cm x 24cm

Miyako-jofu woman's kimono with fine kasuri which is hand-woven of choma (ramie) and dyed with Ryukyu-ai. Wefts and warps are hand plied. Miyako-jofu has been woven in Miyako Island in Okinawa since 14th century. It was called "Satsuma-jofu" in Edo period as the island belonged to Satsuma feudal domain. It was imposed as tax. It is time-consuming process of thread making, thread plying, weaving as matching wefts and warps kasuri pattern. It is pounded with mallet to make it shiny after the clo...

Kaji-banten worn by a fireman (fire-fighter) with all hand-stitched sashiko. It has katazome (stencil-resist-dye) "gissha", wheels of a cow carriage motif. It has rather rare green lining. In excellent condition except for some wear and rips in the lower front. 19th century. 126cm x 122cm

Sakiori sodenashi (vest) whose wefts are cotton strips recycled from old cloth. Warps are asa (hemp) and it has hand-stitched sashiko in the upper back. The indigo cotton cloth in both sides are replaced and machine-sewn. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. 44cm (top) x 74cm

Chogappo made of fragments of choma (ramie) whose wefts and warps are hand-plied. "Pojagi" is the general name for the wrapping cloth and "chogappo" is one kind of pojagi which is patch-worked with asa (mainly choma, ramie) fragments.(reference source: "Korean Embroidery and Wrapping Cloths from the Choson Dynasty" published by Japan Art & Culture Association in 1995) It has white and light beige natural color choma fragments. Late 19th to early 20th century. In good condition and all hand-sewn ...

Katana-bukuro made of hand-spun cotton with komon, tiny pattern which is katazome (stencil-resist-dyeing). It has tsuta-mon (ivy) family crest. All hand-sewn. In good condition but has much color faded parts. 19th century. 16cm x 86cm

Thick shima-cho, a sample book of cortton shima (stripes) with about 870 fragments. The age is written on the cover "Meiji 3 (1870), however the age of the fragments range from very late Edo (mid 19th century) to Taisho (1920s). The first 770 fragments are late Edo and Meiji (the second half of the 19th century) and the second 101 fragments are woven in Taisho period (1912~1925). In excellent condition. 16cm x 21cm x 5cm

A small bag made of deer skin with shibori (tie-dye) pattern. The brown color is dyed with the technique called "fusube-gawa". The deer skin is smoked with burning rice straws and gets brown color. Fusube-gawa is used for armors or wallets in Edo period. It has silk cords and lining. In excellent condition. Late 19th to early 20th century. 15cm x 18cm

Boro asa noragi (field wear) made of hand-plied asa (hemp). It has indigo dyed cotton cloth in the buttom and some mending patches. The first half of the 20th century. 63cm x 90cm

Asa kasuri kimono called "Akaso kasuri" which was woven in Omi region (in Shiga Perf.) till Meiji period. The wefts kasuri is dyed with itajime (board-clamp-dye). In eccellent condition but has a hole in the upper lining. Late 19th early 20th century. 120cm x 139cm

Cotton cloth with shibori (tie-dye) seigaiha (waves) pattern and dyed with akane (madder). In excellent condition but akane color is faded and one mending patch and a few tiny holes. The first half of the 20th century. 35cm x 136cm

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

A pair of wood candle stand painted with colorful urushi. The plate for candle on the top is made of metal. In excellent condition except for some tiny chips on the rim of the top plate and urushi came off in the bottom of one candle. 20th century. H:37cm Diameter of the bottom:10cm

Kokeshi made by Takahashi Akinori at Takahashi Hashime Studio in Sendai in Miyagi Pref. The body has beautiful urushi design. In excellent condition. 20century. H:37cm Diameter of the bottom:7.5cm

Silk crepe cloth with beautiful embroidery of wisteria motif which is one of the long sleeves (furisode). The ground cloth is white silk crepe (chirimen) and the embroidery threads are vegetable dye. It has kata-kanoko (stencil-dye pattern) imitating small shibori pattern named kanoko shibori. In excellent condition except for a light brownish line in the center. The first half of the 19th century (late Edo period). 35cm x 190cm

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

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...

Beni-itajime-zome (board-clamped dyeing with safflower) han-juban (short under kimono). The body part is hand-spun cotton and the sleeves are figured silk and the wrist parts are wool muslin. In good condition but the dirty line in the neck, rips in the front sleeve and some moth holes in the wrists. Late 19th to early 20th century. 125cm x 66cm

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

Futonji made of hand-spun cotton with tsutsugaki orizuru (origami crane) motif and dyed with natural indigo. It has green color lining which is also hand-spun cotton and dyed with natural indigo and yellow color. In excellent condition except for a hole near hem in the indigo cover, indigo faded parts and some holes in the green lining. Late 19th to early 20th century. 158cm x 188cm

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

Ikkan-bari basket made of bamboo and paper. Ikkan-bari is a Japanese traditional craft which is: many layers of washi (Japanese handmade paper) are pasted on the bamboo or wood frame, or wood or clay mold. And then coated with urushi or kaki-shibu (persimmon juice) when it becomes dry and hard. It has paper(not Japanese paper) pasted on the bamboo basket and coated with kaki-shibu. Cloth hand-painted daruma and Benkei are collaged on both sides. In excellent condition. Contemporary. Diameter: 33...

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

Wooden Buddhist statue, probably one of the 12 Shinsho who guard Yakushi Nyorai. Both arms and other parts are lost. 18th century or earlier. H:16.7cm W:6cm

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

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)

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

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. In excellent condit...

Asa (hemp) wrapping cloth with hand-drawn tsutsugaki noshi design. Noshi is an auspicious motif which used to be flattened abalone strips and was decorated on a gift. The wefts and warps are both hand-plied. It is colored with pigments. In good condition except for some wear and stains. 19th century. 84cm x 103.5cm

Asa (hemp) cloth with tsutsugaki shrimp which is an auspicious motif. It symbolizes longevity showing that one can live long till having the waist bended. It is made of asa (hemp) and the wefts and warps are hand-plied. It is colored with pigments. 19th century. In good condition but has some wear, stains and indigo color faded parts. 90cm x 65cm

Hagi-isho juban (under kimono) made of silk in many kinds such as silk crepe, figured silk, pongee silk and wild silk. The patterns are: komon (stencil-dyed small pattern), stripes, checks, kasuri (ikat) and solid color. The lining is indigo dyed pongee silk and floss silk in the hem. All the dyes are vegetable such as benibana (safflower), indigo, purple grass root and so on. In excellent condition. Mid 19th to early 20th century. 127cm x 138cm

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

Hinagata (sample book of hanten (short jacket) design which is wood-block print. Hinagata is a sample design book and it was for customers when they make orders. The designs are stencil-dyed in the back of hantens which were worn by workers such as shop clerks, fish market workers, firemen and so on. This book is a remake of the original book as the ground paper had many damages so that the original design hantens were cut out and pasted on Japanese paper and newly bound. It has 62 hantens in di...

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

This is a handwoven silk brocade sash made in late Edo period (baku-matsu), mid 19th century. Generally in good condition but some wefts are loose from aging. 33cm x 4m20cm

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

This is a samurai's hanten ( jacket ) and maetate ( apron ) which are worn in case of fire. It is made of handwoven asa ( hemp ) cloth. In good condition except for some tiny moth holes in the back. Edo period ( 18th or the former half of the 19th century ). 118.5cm x 79cm

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

These are two wooden miniature Fudos ( Cetaka ) who is the incarnate of Dainichi Nyorai, the highest ranking Buddha. It is said that he can change evil minds of demons and make them good. He has an expression of rage, holding a sword in the right hand, the kensaku ( originally a trap for birds or small animals ) in the left hand ( Both are lost of these Fudos ). One is standing on a rock, but this wooden one is not an original. Right-H: 12cm W: 7.5cm Left-H: 10.5cm W: 4.2cm

This is a sodenashi ( sleeveless ) han-juban ( under kimono ) made of hand-spun cotton with katazome ( stencil-dyeing ) and dyed with natural indigo. The jishiro ( white ground ) katazome is left fewer than indigo ground one. The latter half of the 19th century. In good condition except for two small holes in front ( 2cm x 2cm, 8mm x 8mm ), one in the back ( 1cm x 1cm ) and two minor cuts. 40.5cm x 54cm

This is a book of the woodblock prints by Rinpa school painters such as Furuya Korin ( 1875~1910 ), Kamisaka Sekka ( 1806~1942 ), Nakamura Hochu ( ~1819 ) and Taniguchi Kokyo ( 1864~1918 ) published by Unsodo in 2005. This book is consist of the selected works of their original woodblock print books published during Meiji period ( 1868~1912 ). It has 85 pages with more than 120 prints in full color. Written in Japanese only. ISBN 978-4-7538-0198-5 Brand new. 24cm x 24cm

This is a suo kamishimo ( top and bottom which were a formal kimono for samurai in Edo period ). The occasion when this suo kamishimo was worn is not clear ( ceremony or stage ). This suo kamishimo is made by hand-plied and hand-woven asa ( hemp ) cloth with bold tatewaku pattern which is katazome ( stencil-dyeing ). It has round bunches of asa threads for ornaments which are called "kiku-toji" or "kikuji". In excellent condition except for a small moth holes and a rip ( 11th and 12th photos ). ...

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 possibly a card or ticket case made of rare piece of bingata cotton cloth. Bingata is katazome ( stencil-dyeing ) produced in Ryukyu islands ( now Okinawa ). This bingata was produced in 19th century, but this case might have been made later, early 20th century ( sewn by machine ). The lining is silk. In excellent condition. 13cm x 7.7cm

This is a set of woman's tobacco case and pipe case which are made of deer skin and has fine katazome ( stencil-dyeing ) komon pattern. The motif is pine needle. It has beautiful clasp of green bean motif which shows prominent craftsmanship in this age. The set also has a pipe, but it seems that it is not an original one as it is shorter than the case. 19th century. In good condition except for some patina. Tobacco case: 12cm x 6.7cm Pipe case: 2.7cm x 20cm