Catalog (77)

Original hoe for hand-plowing the earth. Wooden handle and body and a forged iron, heavy duty blade with sharp edge at the bottom. Copper wire winding around neck where the wooden stem shows the first signs of a split, due to usage. Old repair. Blade signed: Numamoto. Japan, Taisho era. Mingei.

Total height 44 inches; blade 14.25 x 6.5 inches

Some corrosion of the iron blade, wood with very good patina, excellent condition

Crosspiece for a kettle hook in the shape of a swimming carp. Very naturalistically carved in keyaki (zelkova) wood, with three balls in its mouth. Beautiful thin find and tail fin. Signed on belly: ..da saku. Japan, early 20th century, 1910s. Mingei.

L 15-1/4 inches, H ca. 5 inches

Few chips around the hole in the tail, very light black staining from sooth, all in all fine condition.

By repute from the Collection of Jay Gates, former Director of The Phillips Collection, Washington,DC

Daruma standing tall, wrapped tightly in his garment, the tips of his feet just peeping out. One tip of his garment floating, as if in the wind. The face deeply cut and expressive. Keyaki (zelkova) wood carved in ittobori style. Japan, Meiji era, 19th century. Mingei (folk art).

H ca. 13-1/2 inches

Natural stress crack, typical for keyaki wood, few very old chips in the back that were probably already there at the time of the carving, all in all very good condition.

Midsize storage jar. Brown smooth earthenware, decorated with a shoulder imitating thick dripping glaze, going over a slip band with an impressed, slightly raised decoration of chrysanthemums, spirals and blossoms. Bottom left unglazed and with impressed gourd shape seal of the unidentified maker. Mingei. Japan, late 19th, early 20th century.

H ca. 7 inches.

Few abrasions and unimportant chips consistent with usage and age.

Wooden sculpture of Daikoku sitting on a rice bale, spilling countless jewels (tama) from his treasure bag. Keyaki (Paulownia) wood, carved in a style reminiscent of ittobori. Japan, unsigned. Mingei. 19th century.

H ca. 11 x W 10 ½ in.

Tension cracks (consistent with material and age), several scuff marks, painters tape on bottom.

Sake bottle of brownish gray stoneware, covered in a beautifully crackled cream-colored glaze, typical for Mino ware. Bottom inscribed with black ink, illegible. Some glaze irregularities and beautiful discoloring of the glaze due to extensive handling. Japan, Seto region, Edo period, 18th century.

H 8 ½ inches

Few old chips, one hairline crack, all consistent with age and use. All in all fine condition.

Provenance: Yamanaka & Co., New York (label)

Small bulbous flask of sturdy stoneware with transparent glaze and some white slip on top of which in iron brown glaze is written the name of a soba brand or soba restaurant. Probably used for either sake or soy sauce. Impressed mark in bottom. Seto ware or perhaps Karatsu. Japan, Showa period, 1970s.

H 3 ¾ inches.

Some discoloration at lip, all in all fine condition

Wooden mask imaging the old hag Datsueba with an emaciated face, high cheekbones, long eyebrows and a sagging mouth in which teeth are missing. Beautiful caricature, very rare subject matter. The mask has light traces ofo usage on the inside and was probably used in a country side theater situation. Japan, probably Meiji era.

H 9 ½ x W 7 ¼ inches.

Good patina with traces of touching / rubbing on the nose, cheeks and chin. Few small chips, almost invisible due to patina of time, small repair on back in the mouth corner.

Western style tea pot with high handle, made for Chinese or black tea or black. Made of stoneware and decorated in cream colored and green glazes, white slip and iron brown with flower motifs and geometric designs on the outside. Mino ware, Oribe style, Japan, early 20th century.

H 10 ¾ in.

Beautiful fine crackle in the cream glaze, several damages: crack in handle, haircrack in cover, spout broken and restuck, chip on spout. Nevertheless beautiful piece.

Stoneware flask of bulbous shape with tall, thin neck, used for sake or other liquids, with beautiful black glaze with oily sheen and with slight hare fur detail at the neck, leaving the foot partially uncovered. Most likely Satsuma ware. Japan, Edo period, 19th century. Mingei.

H circa 10 ¾ inches.

Beautiful fine crackle, superficial scratches on the body consistent with use, chip on the foot. All in all very good condition.

A similar piece with a slightly rounder body is in the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/29420/Medium-sized_Bottle
Formerly described as Satsuma, currently described as Seto or Tanba.

Sculpture of Daruma, sitting wrapped in his garment, slightly bent forward. Typical meditation posture. Kiri (Paulownia) wood. Unusual. Japan, Edo period, 19th century.

H 10 ½ inches; W 6 inches (ca. 26.6 x 15 cm).

Beautiful patina, very good condition.

Beautiful wooden jizai, or pothook hanger. This rather straight type is called Ebisu, after the shape of Ebisu’s hat. The hanger was suspended with a rope from a heavy beam, over the open hearth. From the hanger an adjustable hook was hung that held the kettle. Zelkova wood. 19th century.

H 11 x D 8 x W 5 3/8 inches.

Beautiful patina, some age cracks and slight traces of usage. Fine condition. Comes with iron base.

Snake carved out of a natural piece of twisted keyaki (paulownia) wood, stained dark brown. Japan, Showa era, perhaps a bit earlier.

H ca. 24 in.

Excellent condition.

Stoneware oil plate or aburazara. Plate used to catch the oil dripping from a lantern. Design in underglaze blue of a deer in a landscape. Thick, fine crackled white glaze in the style of Shino ware, Seto area. The outside of the plate with brown glaze. Six spur marks on the outer bottom, six spur marks on the inner bottom. Several glaze imperfections. Japan, Seto, early 19th century.

Diameter 10 7/8 in. (27.5 cm), height 1 ¼ in. (3.2 cm).

Usual abrasions and damages . Nice and unusual piece, despite damage.

Comes with kiribako storage box.

Set for carrying lunch. Bamboo and rattan basketry box lined with green brocade, the outside with an intricate diamond pattern woven in two colors, the corners fortified with leather. Dangling from one of the brass handles is a natural gourd with silver stopper and a lacquer sake cup, imitating Tamba stoneware. Japan, Meiji era, early 20th century.

Basket: H 3; L 6; D 4 ¼ inches (7,5 x 15,2 x 10,6 cm). Gourd: L 7 ½ inches (18,5 cm). Sake cup: diam. 2 inches (5,2 cm).

Traces of usage at basket, all in all good condition.

Mid-size stoneware jar to store tea or other. Brown stoneware with white inclusions and a green splash of ash glaze. Slightly widening from bottom to shoulder, with a short more or less straight neck with everting lip. Japan, Momoyama – Edo period, 16/17th century.

Height 12 ½ inches.

Excellent condition.

Single block carving (ichiboku) of a sambaso dancer with the typical high hat with a round circle on each side. In his left hand he holds suzu bells; his right hand, on his back, holds a fan. Keyaki wood (paulownia), carved in a faceted way, resembling ittobori, and stained. Japan, 1910s-1920s.
H ca. 18 inches.
One repaired crack from the bottom into his left shoulder, some scuffing and chipping at edges, tension crack in hat. All in all very good and stable condition.

Large storage jug of typical Shigaraki stoneware with small white inclusions, made in three sections, decorated in multicolor enamel and gold with a cat making a mouse train come to an abrupt halt. A cat, high back, hissing at the mouse going at the head of a train, makes the train come to a dead stop and the following mice tumble, roll, spill in a ripple effect. Funny details: tumbling palanquin, spilling fish, flying papers. Either folk art or export. Japan, 20th century.
Height: ca. 18.5 inches.
Unsigned work from a studio that decorates household ceramics with funny or fantastic images in overglaze enamels that can be fired at low temperatures.