Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese (133)

A Japanese stoneware sake bottle, tokkuri, probably from the Inuyama kiln in Maruyama, Owari Province.

The kiln is noted for overglaze enameling introduced by Dohei in 1835 and the gourd-shaped bottles decorated with maple leaves are perhaps the best known of all. This example is decorated with coloured branches and Ming dragons set within a frame of red lattice. The body is stoneware covered in a finely crackled clear glaze...

A Japanese water dropper in the form of a karashishi. It has a fine patina with the surface smooth from handling and darkened in places from accumulated grime. Inscribed signature on the base, unread. Probably 19th century.

Approximately 7.5cm long., 6.5 cm high. Perfect condition...

A large and very attractive vase by Taizan, delicately painted in coloured enamels and gilding with two continuous fields of decoration, the neck with irises above a cloud band of floral trellis pattern, a swathe of scrolling foliage between formal borders. The base signed Dai Nihon Taizan sei and impressed Taizan.

Approximately 30.7 cm high...

This little chap is looking remarkably relaxed considering he has lost the tips of his fingers on one hand. And the tip of an ear also. Still, he is quite a rarity and makes a fine desk companion.

Approximately 6.5 cm high.7.5 cm maximum width...

The bowl and cover with moulded panels of shi-shi and botan, peony flowers. All against an underglaze blue karakusa ground. The cover is surmounted by a seated shi-shi.

Unusually, the coloured decoration appears to have been applied in Europe, not as ‘clobbering’ but in reserves left blank for just such painting...

Oliver Impey illustrates a coffee pot of the same form and design in ‘Japanese Export Porcelain, the catalogue of the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.’

Made for the European market during the last quarter of the 17th century and probably copied from a Dutch metal version. These coffee pots have a purpose-made opening in the lower body but taps seem to have been fitted upon arrival in Europe...

A set of five Japanese porcelain bowls of tapering square form, the corners with shallow concave chamfers, decorated with alternating panels of flowers and Ho-0 birds.

Each base has a ‘Fuki Choshun’ four-character mark in underglaze blue.

Two similar bowls are illustrated in the Catalogue of the Shibata Collection, #2673 and #2674. Dated to 1690~1730.

Approximately 9.5 cm square at the mouth and 6.8 cm high...

The decoration of flowers on this khendi has been reduced to the absolute minimum possibly denoting its destination as South East Asia where early exports from Arita were made.

Approximately 20cm high. Weight: 1.30 kg...

The dish is shaped in the form of a folded paper letter. Unusually it is decorated with a stenciled design of what appears to be a formal pattern of lightning behind an arrangement of stylised flowers. The back is simply decorated with pine needles.

Two dishes of very similar shape are illustrated in the Catalogue of the Shibata Collection, items 2604 and 2635, dated to 1690 ~ 1730.

Approximately 13.8cm wide. In fine condition...

The dish is shaped in the form of a folded paper letter. Unusually it is decorated with a stenciled design of what appears to be a formal pattern of lightning behind an arrangement of stylised flowers. The back is simply decorated with pine needles.

Two dishes of very similar shape are illustrated in the Catalogue of the Shibata Collection, items 2604 and 2635, dated to 1690 ~ 1730.

Approximately 14cm wide. In fine condition...

Decorated with a carp diving in waterweed executed in typically thick and strongly hued enamels. The back similarly decorated with oysters and weed, the centre with a large Kutani mark.

The Yoshidaya kiln was a short-lived venture, situated in Yamashiro, intended to revive earlier Kutani-style wares. The founding investor was Toyota Denuemon IV (aka Sekio, lived 1751-1827), a businessman who used the professional name Yoshidaya...

A Japanese Porcelain food bowl and cover, 19th century.

The delicate porcelain bowl decorated with breaking waves, autumnal maple leaves and chrysanthemum flowers. Within the foot-rim is a coloured ‘clove’ mark. The lid, of similar design, sports a splendid flowerhead knop.

Approximately 15.2 cm diameter. Generally in good state but with some stained crazing. The rim of the bowl has small flakes filled with white. The lid has a little roughness on one part of the ...

An unusual Arita wall-vase, kakehana, circa 1750. The seed-shaped hollow body is moulded with trailing vines supporting a dragonfly. The painter has used two different greens, aubergine, yellow and black. The unglazed back is pierced for suspension. It is probable that this kakehana was made for the home market.

In 52 years of business I have found only two of these unusual vases, this one I kept for my collection.

Approximately 16.7cm long. Perfect condition with only a little w...

An unusual Arita porcelain tea pot styled after a cast-iron example. The textured surface is described as “nail head” when it appears on an iron tetsubin. Late 18th ~ early 19th century.

The Shibata Museum compendium has a pot of similar shape and cartouche, no nail head texture or iron dressing  but with additional cobalt decoration, item#3782.  1780~1820.

This example is approximately 17.5 cm high. The handle has a very obvious stress crack but no other problem. Fine ...

A Kutani “Yoshidaya Revival” dish, early 19th century.

The Yoshidaya kiln was a short-lived venture, situated in Yamashiro, intended to revive earlier Kutani-style wares. The founding investor was Toyota Denuemon IV (aka Sekio, lived 1751-1827), a businessman who used the professional name Yoshidaya. He chose not to situate his kiln in Kutani because of the site's remote location, but his wares emulate the earlier Kutani wares in a variety of ways.

Approximately 15...

A pair of Japanese Export porcelain models of Karashishi, the fabled Buddhist lion-dogs of Japan. Arita, early 18th century. White porcelain with iron-red enamel decoration.

Each is approximately 6.5cm high, 6cm long. The first is in fine condition with some firing lines as issued. The second has a largish chip to the tail and leans slightly.

Please study the photographs.

Within the UK payment by bank to bank transfer is preferred.

Customers ...

An Arita porcelain whistle in the form of a reclining Chinese boy. Decorated in Kakiemon-type underglaze blue, green and iron-red enamels. Circa 1680 ~ 1700.

A similar whistle is illustrated in Christiaan J. A. Jorg’s ‘Fine & Curious, Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections.’

Approximately 7.4 cm long. Perfect condition.

Please study the photographs.

Within the UK payment by bank to bank transfer is preferred.

Customers resident in China...

A rare Japanese Sometsuke Mukozuke dish, the design of a partially folded fan taken directly from Chinese porcelain made especially for export to Japan during the late Ming Dynasty, Tianqi Period, 1621-1627.

Modeled in the form of a partially unfolded fan and decorated with a figure on a riverbank, the river and a solitary boat before him. The naturalistically modeled back is plain and has three thickly potted circular feet. Mukozuke were used to serve the kaiseki meal, part of the for...