Catalog (280)

Flower vase with angular shoulder and angular hip, slightly curving in on the sides and standing on a bamboo node foot. Heavy but fine gray stoneware that turned reddish brown upon firing, covered with a celadon green glaze with curved striations made by tracing with his finger. The places where the glaze is scraped back to the stoneware, the clay turned red-brown during firing. Neck covered in cream-colored glaze, inside brown speckled glaze, all typical for Mashiko.

Mingei

Mashiko ware, Japan, late Showa or Heisei era

Vase unsigned

H 8 x diam ca. 4.25 in.

Mint condition

Comes with the original tomobako storage box. Cover inscribed on inside: Flower vase with design of finger-drawing in 2 colors and signed Kazuo with red seal Aki (in mirror image). Cover somewhat damaged.

Akiyama Kazuo (b. 1933) is an artist who started as a painter and changed to ceramic arts in 1960. Worked in the Mashiko tradition and has/had his own kiln.

Kogo, box to keep incense, in the shape of a reclining boar, head and nose turned up. Red-brown stoneware with gray and pink glazes, typical for Hagi ware. Inside bottom and cover covered in gray glaze over pink.

Seal impressed in bottom: Tobei.

Japan, Hagi ware, ca. 1981

H 2 x L 3.25 x D 1.1 in.p> Perfect condition.

Comes with the original wrapping cloth with seal of the artist and with original tomobako inscribed Hagi inoshishi (boar) kogo, and signed Tobei XII with round seal of the artist.

Tahara Tobei 12th (1925-1992) worked in the town of Nagato in Yamaguchi Prefecture, not far away from the town of Hagi. He learned ceramics from his father and brother. Began ceramics in earnest after the war, and after the death of his brother (Tobei XI) inherited the Tobe name. In addition to the traditional Tahara family techniques and style, he studied Goryeo and Korean pottery, as well as Urasenke style tea ceremony, and devoted himself to making tea ware. He was declared an Important Intangible Cultural Asset by the Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1981.
Tobei XII made a series of kogo in the shape of the 12 signs of the animal zodiac.

Sculpture of a long-nosed tanuki, walking with a hat on its back and a flask in its left paw. The piece is built around a large piece of root wood that comprises the torso, legs, the enlarged scrotum and tail. The head is a separate piece of root wood, the ears inserted. The sake flask is a small piece of root wood, and the hat is carved from a slab of a different wood species.

Hat and sake bottle are attached to the tanuki with braided silk cords.

Mingei.

Root wood with black staining.

Japan, Meiji-Taisho era early 20th century

H 15.5 in.

Thin cracks around the neck, where the head is attached to the body. Black stain is flaking. Other small chips and thin cracks commensurate with age and materials used. All in all, still in very good condition.

More images available upon request

Mask made of kiri (Paulownia) wood, showing the wide-laughing and dimpled face of god of good fortune (shichifukujin), Daikoku. The base of his hat just sitting on the top of his head.

The broad grain of the wood was used to accentuate the round cheeks, nose and nostrils. The wood was formerly stained with a reddish-brown color, now almost completely worn off. Around the eyes there are remnants of a light-colored pigment.

There are two small holes in the top of the ears in which the attachment cords would have been fastened.

The mask was made perhaps for Kyogen, the comic interludes of a noh performance. Since it has folky characteristics, it may have been used in rural theaters, on village stages or by itinerant street performers.

Japan, 19th century

H 8.25 x W 7.5 in.

The mask comes with a black lacquered metal stand. H with stand 13 in.

Chips in the pigments on the front, unimportant chips in the wood on the edges on the back. All in all very good condition.

Round chawan, bowl used in the tea ceremony, with straight sides and a foot with three incisions. The very fine clay has an incised décor of standing and flying cranes and three minogame, covered in a celadon green, translucent glaze with fine crackle.

Impressed seal next to foot: Akahadayama.

Akahada ware, Japan, prob. Meiji era, 1870s

H 2.8 x Diam. 4.25 in.

Two chips on the lip that were restored with silver over red lacquer which is now worn (one partially underglaze), one very small underglaze chip, several short vertical glaze cracks along the lip commensurate with age and usage.

The three incisions in the foot are typical for Akahadayama ware.

More images available upon request

Chawan, or tea bowl, for use in the the tea ceremony. Fine gray stoneware turned out rather thin of almost round shape, with a ‘soul’ in the bottom, standing on a bamboo shaped foot, a swirl inside the foot. Opaque yellow glaze with fine crackle covers the ceramic. Over the yellow a white slip hakeme brush stroke on the outside and on the inside.

Seto region, Japan, 19th century

H 3 x W 5.25 x D 5 in.

Two unprofessionally, but lovingly repaired chips at the lip. One on the inside, one on the outside. One ‘almost’-chip on the lip with frittings. Small glaze losses on the inside and outside and more so in the hakeme. Nevertheless good piece in stable condition.

More photos available upon request

Very rare carving of the Three Wise Monkeys, sanzaru in Japanese, sitting on two logs. The one who hears no evil (kikazaru) and the one who speaks no evil (iwazaru) are sitting together. A little separated from them sits the one that sees no evil (mizaru). Carved in facet-cut (abstracted style) in soft cedar wood (sugi).

Signature in the bottom: Masahide.

Japan, first half of to mid-20th century.

H 3.25 x W 8.75 x D 2.1 in.

Short splinter on the base, otherwise very good condition

The monkeys are macaques, which are indigenous to Japan. The Three Wise Monkeys were probably introduced in Japan through Tendai-Buddhism, which came from China in the 8th century. They were popularized by the carving over a door of the Toshogu shrine in Nikko, constructed in the 17th century.

The name Masahide is connected to wood carving. Several carvers by that name have been identified. However, the signature cannot be assigned to anyone in particular.

Blue silk tsumugi informal kimono with a repeating motif of diamonds in blue and green, with red, yellow and white accents. Kasuri weave. The design is pre-dyed onto the warp threads. The weft threads are pre-dyed as making the design stronger in places, or toning it down a little. Looking closely, there are many colors in this kimono. Looking from afar, it gives a blue impression.

On the inside soft white silk lining in top half. The bottom half is lined with a soft dark-blue silk.

Japan, Showa era, 1960s-1990s.

H (shoulder seam to bottom) 63 x W (side seam to side seam) 22 in.

This kimono has been worn. It was shortened about 2 inches in the area that is covered by the obi. The collar can be shortened (half height) by use of snap fasteners. Generally in very good condition.

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami, former mistress of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

Tsumugi is a silk fabric woven from floss silk yarn, which comes from irregular-shaped or from round cocoons. These cocoons produce thicker and uneven silk which make stronger fabric. Kimono made of tsumugi are casual, for daily wear.

Brown silk homongi formal kimono with dots in jacquard and with gold threads interwoven, so that the fabric sparkles when the light hits it. The upper part is undecorated, except for three crests of the Sakagami family on the back.
On the section that is underneath the obi, there are hand-painted crossing strips, decorated in bright colors blue, purple, red, orange, green, yellow, silver and gold sprinkle with geometric, auspicious motifs: Waves, shippo, diamonds, kikko hanabishi (hexagons with flowers). Each strip is bordered by a double stitched line of gold thread.

On the inside white silk lining in top half. The bottom half, the inside of the lower part of the lapels and along the inside edges of the sleeves, has been lined the same fabric as the outside.

Japan, Showa era, 1960s-1990s.

H (shoulder seam to bottom) 62 x W (side seam to side seam) 22 in.

This kimono has been worn, but rarely. It was shortened about 3 inches in the area that is covered by the obi. The collar can be shortened (half height) by use of snap fasteners. On the seam that thus forms, the fabric is discolored (red line). Generally in very good condition.

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami, former mistress of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

Homongi kimono with family crests are worn at formal occasions.

Chirimen (crepe) silk kimono imprinted with Okinawa bingata design of irregular bands of flowers and plants of the seasons, in roundels, on waves, on vines etc. The outlines and basic forms are in brown, ochre and brown-red, while the flowers and leaves are colored in the red, yellow, green, and purple. Along the bottom is a band of stylized waves in red and brown.

On the inside white silk or rayon lining in top half. The bottom half, the inside of the lower part of the lapels and along the inside edges of the sleeves, has been lined with reddish brown silk with a pattern of manji in jacquard weave, and sprinkled with small yellow dots.

Japan, Showa era, 1960s-1970s

H (shoulder seam to bottom) 63 x W (side seam to side seam) 23 in.

This kimono has been worn. It has been shortened about 2 inches at the level where it is covered by the obi; the collar can be shortened by use of snap fasteners. Generally in very good condition.

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami, former mistress of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

This type of kimono would be worn at an informal occasion or outing.

A silk fukuro obi sash. On a background of solid black silk, a design of slightly irregular hexagons (or cut off pentagons) is woven into silk (jacquard) in red, orange, green, gold and silver. The color on the threads has been shiny, as if the threads have been lacquered before weaving. The ends have not been sewn together, probably because it was cleaned (cleaners tag still on).

Woven-in manufacture mark on the left and “Kusaki some” (dyed with plant juices) on the right.

Japan, Showa era, ca. 1960s-1970s

L 167 x W 12 in. (ca. 424 x 30.5 cm)

The obi has been worn and shows wear on the gold and silver threads, otherwise very good condition.

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami, former mistress of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

Fukuro obi are made from one strip of decorated fabric, and are lined with a solid-colored strip. So it is sewn in two parts. It is worn at formal occasions.

A silk fukuro obi sash. In jacquard weave with 2 hues of gold-thread and red, green, yellow and brown silk. Clematis meandering upwards against a yellow-golden background, partially obscured by copper-golden stylized flower shapes.

The back of the obi is plain cream-colored silk, as is about 1.5 meters on the front, which would be invisible when wrapped around the body. The last 16.5 inches of the obi seamlessly fit onto the rest of the design.

Japan, Showa era, ca. 1960s-1990s.

L 164 x W 12 in. (ca. 415.5 x 30.5 cm)

The obi has been worn and shows stains on the plain inside silk

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami-Baum, former owner of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

Fukuro obi are made from one strip of decorated fabric, and are lined with a solid-colored strip. Si it is sewn in two parts. It is worn at formal occasions.

A silk fukuro obi sash. On a background of woven gold-thread and cream-colored silk is a repeating diamond-shaped pattern of stylized flowers and feathers in gold-thread brocade and brightly colored silk (orange, yellow, green, blue, red and white).

Woven-in manufacture mark turned inside and obscured by the seam.

Japan, Showa era, ca. 1960s-1990s

L 169 x W 11.75 in. (ca. 429.5 x 29.5 cm)

The obi has been worn and shows wear on the gold thread background and broken gold and silk threads in the embroidery/brocade.

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami-Baum, former owner of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

Fukuro obi are made from one strip of decorated fabric and are lined with a solid colored strip. It is sewn in two parts. It is worn at formal occasions.

A hanhaba obi sash for wearing with a more informal kimono. Black silk with a woven golden repeating design of stylized and diamond-shaped chrysanthemums.

Japan, Showa era, ca. 1960s-1990s

L 114.75 x W 6.25 in. (290 x 15.5 cm)

The obi has been worn and there are some signs of light wear on the edges.

A hanhaba obi is sash pre-folded in half the formal obi, and sewn. It is worn with a more informal kimono. Since it is not as wide, it is easier to tie.

From the collection/ward robe of Reiko Sakagami-Baum, former owner of the Man O' War horse farm in Lexington, KY.

Round tea bowl of more or less circular shape on a bamboo node foot. Fine cream-colored stoneware with decoration in the form of an abstracted character in slightly raised slip relief on opposite sides of the bowl. The bowl is covered in a light gray glaze on the inside, the outside is covered in a bright copper red glaze, turned brown along the foot.

No potter’s mark, but the bowl has strong resemblances to works by Kawai Kanjiro (1890-1966). The foot, the underglaze slip-trail decoration, the clay and the glazes are all pointing to the master. No storage box.

Japan, first half 20th century

H 3.6 x Diam. 4.25 in.

Mint condition

Chawan, tea bowl to be used in the tea ceremony, of distorted oval shape (kutsu or clog, or shoe-shape). Thick cream-colored stoneware that turned red during firing in the unglazed area, covered with a translucent greenish ash glaze that collected in the bottom and around the rim and is very thin around the sides. The sides are ‘rough’, giving a look into the clay.

Japan, Seto region, very early Edo period.

H 3 x W 5.5 in.

Excellent condition

Comes with a red silk pouch and a fitted storage box of wood, not inscribed.

Excellent size for smaller hands.

More images upon request

Solid wooden folk art carving of a giant penis. Strapped around it are red and white twisted cotton cords (imenawash) with paper strips (gohei). Penises of this size were donated to Shinto shrines dedicated to fertility, in the hopes of getting pregnant. Or they were carried around during fertility festivals.

Cryptomeria (sugi) wood, red and white cotton, paper

Japan, 20th century

H 24.5 inches (62.2 cm)

Excellent condition

Highly unusual sculpture of two natural ruyi mushrooms ‘growing’ from a piece of wood. At the foot of the mushrooms sits a small frog.
Natural piece of (drift) wood, natural mushrooms, frog of stained stag horn.
The mushrooms mounted with wire and resin.

Japan, Meiji era. Unsigned.

Ca. H 7 x W 14 x D 6 inches.

The smaller mushroom was broken off and re-attached unprofessionally.