Catalog: Archives: Regional Art: Asian (599)

Golden eyes gaze at the full moon rising over dried autumn grass and wilted flowers on this fine scroll signed Shuso (Hotta Shuso). Pigment and light color on silk in a patterned silk mounting with bone rollers. The scroll measures 19 x 78 inches (47.5 x 192.5 cm) and is in overall fine condition.
Hotta Shuso (1894-1954) was born in Nagano prefecture and studied under Ikegami Shuho, settling in Tokyo. One of his best students, Shuso later became leader of Shuho's Denshindo atelier. He was displayed at the Teiten/Nitten National Exhibtions beginning in 1924. A specialist in images of animals and flowers, see item number 1111841 for another fox by Shuso.

A large Kiji porcelain vase with florals (stylized millet?) in raised relief by Miyanaga Tozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The architecture and infinite care shown in the carving on the surface proves this to be a superb piece deserving of the name of one of Kyotos top porcelain artists. The vase is 10-1/2 inches (27 cm) tall, 11-1/2 inches (30 cm) diameter and in excellent condition. Miyanaga Tozan I (1868-1941) is one of the most important names in Kyoto ceramics. He was born in Ishikawa prefecture, and graduated from the (now) Tokyo University of Art. While a government employee, he represented Japan at Arts Expositions, and studied art in Europe before returning to Japan in 1902 to devote himself to the production of ceramics, with great emphasis on celadon, one of the most difficult of all ceramic wares. He was direct teacher or mentor to a number of prominent artists including Kitaoji Rosanjin and Arakawa Toyozo. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter who brought a refreshing variation of color and delicate touch to the porcelains they produced. The kiln is now in the third generation, run by his grandson.

A superbly rendered image of a golden-eyed monkey with prehensile tail curling upward in a fine mounting of golden striped brocade by Ota Issai. The scroll is 34 x 59 inches (86 x 150 cm) and is in excellent condition, completely remounted using quality materials without overpainting. Ota Issai (1892-1979) was born in Nishio city, Aichi prefecture near modern day Nagoya. He graduated the Kyoto E-ga Senmon Gakko (future Kyoto U of A) where he studied under Kawai Gyokudo, specializing in animal imagery.

Nita A ring of skulls playfully sojourn on the front of this rather unusual deep Edo Karatsu Chawan. On back another pair tumble helplessly over the thick speckled glaze. The base is bare earth, dark and shiny with age and handling. The skulls are not just resist painted on, but are actually incised, the eyes and nostrils set deep into the southern clay. The bowl is 3-1/2 inches (8.5 cm) tall, roughly 4 inches (10.5 cm) diameter and is in excellent condition, enclosed in a wooden box.

A lacquered and iron bound round lidded box called a kubi-oke made to carry the head of a man taken in battle or that of a man after committing ritual suicide for offering to the lord. It is 13 inches (33 cm) diameter, 11-1/2 inches (29 cm) tall with large handles from which it could be carried on a pole. There is mouse damage on one part of the bottom, but has not eaten through to the inside.

A beautiful Meiji period basin of light weight metal gilded with genuine gold leaf with each individual petal rising to form the fluted rim. Much worn from handling, the bowl measures 25 cm (10 inches) diameter and is 12 cm (5 inches) tall.

A delicate image of a Zari-gani fresh water shrimp by Oishi Junkyo enclosed in a period wooden box. The poem reads:
nanigotomo
naseba naratefu
kotono wa wo
Mune ni Kizamite
Ikite Kishiware.
Whatever happens, no matter the hardships and pain, Set it in your heart to live with Spirit! This little fellow looks up to the challenge, a stern look on his face and his dukes up, ready to battle giants. What a fitting image for this artist. Ink on silk in a fine brocade border with pottery rollers. It is 14 x 63 inches (36 x 160 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Junkyo’s life is a triumph over tragedy. Born into a low family, she was sent to a tea house where she became an apprentice Geisha. In a famous incident, the Tea House owner in a drunken rage murdered 5 of the Geisha, and cut off both of Junkyo’s arms. She survived. Becoming then a teller of stories and singer, she one day saw a bird feeding her young, and realized she could paint if she used her mouth to hold the brush. She enrolled into a studio, and became an accomplished painter in the Nihonga tradition. She then married and had two children, but later divorced, raising the two children alone. She became a nun, and opened a counseling/self-help center for the disabled. This was the war years, and the midst of Japans industrial revolution. Both mishaps in the machinations of industry and battle kept her half-way house filled with people in need. After the war she established a temple, and continued her philanthropic work.

A very unusual Kutani vase showing strong Art Deco influence, signed on the base and likely dating from the revival of that style seen in the 1950s. The white porcelain ground is decorated with four stylized tree trunks in overglaze enamels of white, black and various browns, with scattered gold flake between. The vase is 10 inches (25 cm) tall, 5 inches (12 cm) diameter and in excellent condition. Truly a rare find!

Flames of red flash form the bird resurrected on the side of this large Cloisonne vase by the Ando company of Nagoya; Japan’s premier cloisonne studio. The color is hard to describe, seeming to be lit from within. A combination of wire and wireless design using gold wire with silver rim. Ando mark on base, the vase measures 37 cm (14-1/2 inches) tall, 32 cm (12-1/2 inches) diameter and is in excellent condition. It comes enclosed in a fine, custom made kiri-wood box.

A double sided accordion album bound in iridescent cloth from the Meiji period containing 57 total pages covered in ancient cloth samples. 18th -19th centuries. The album is 19 x 24 cm (7-1/2 x 10 inches). Generally in good condition but the covers have some wear and damage

Starting with the famous verse by Chinese Scholar YoYu (AD 53-18) ”The written character is a picture of the heart” (Sho kokoro Ga nari) here are written 42 rules of calligraphy spread over 10 narrow panels by the famous calligraphist Ide Gakei dated 1677. The verses appear to have been written in one sitting, the style going from crisp perfect Kaisho characters through Gyosho stylized characters and into the elegantly running Grass script (Sosho). The way the artist allows his hand to flow ever more freely with each line is captivating when taking in the whole, and creates a dynamic not often found. The calligraphy work is mounted on ten gold panels bordered in black lacquer. The screen is 150 x 19-1/2 inches (382 x 49.5 cm).
The rules of writing reflect the scholar ideas which came from Ming China and the humble nature of the Japanese Tea Ceremony (Sado, the way of tea). A great writer must be a small man, the written hand is a window to the soul, The heart must be right or the verse will not flow etc.
Ide Gakei (b. 1644) was a well known and published calligraphist studied under Sasaki Shizuma and Uchida Teshu. He lived his early life serving the powerful Kaga fief, where his calligraphy became known throughout Japan. He later moved to Kyoto where he passed on his unique style to Suzuki Shosui. Gakei was also known as, Shosui and or another Shosui using alternate characters. Several of his original published books, including Zoku Senjimon and Sosho Enkai, are held in the Waseda University Library

An Edo period suit of raw iron with all matching parts, featuring 16 plate helmet with two lame shikoro and large fukigaeshi. The mask is fantastic, a real stunner with dramatic features and a large mustache. It has five plate sode and a go-mai-do cuirass of five iron plates, with kusazuri of leather scales. The sangu are all matching, very nice on dark silk tightly woven iron scales, with a crest in brass on the back of the hands. The original Maedate is in the form of a box and would likely have once held a charm for protection inside, perhaps a copy of the lotus sutra. A fine and unique armo dating from the mid to later Edo. The only damage of note is a general loss of lacquer on the leather kusazuri scales. It comes in the wooden box pictured. Stand and shipping are not included in the list price.

An exquisite Murashi-Do Bronze vase signed Shuho and enclosed in the original wooden box. The baluster form is interrupted by three ribs starting at the shoulder and running partially down the sides. The vase is otherwise entirely undecorated, leaving all impression to shape alone. A fantastic piece, it is 12 inches (30 cm) tall, 7-1/2 inches (19 cm) diameter and in fine condition. It dates circa the first quarter of the 20th century.

Brilliantly colored riders charge into rushing water on the gold leaves of this 18th century six panel screen relating the famous charge at the Battle of Uji Bridge. Tatsuna and Kagesue charge forward into the waters riding toward the enemy lined up on the opposite shore of the Uji River; the skeleton of the bridge visible in the back-ground. The screen measures 173 x 377 cm. (68 x 148-1/2 inches) each and retains the original Edo backing paper, with strong hinges and a good brocade border. It does need some surface repairs and restoration, mostly cosmetic as the screen itself is solid. We are offering this screen as is to allow the buyer to choose the level and quality of restoration desired. See The Art of the Japanese Folding Screen (ISBN , 1 85444 103 5) image 2 for a similar composition held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

A set of 12 Kogo incense containers representing the 12 animals of the zodiac by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden stacking-box. Each is roughly between 2 and 4 inches (5-10 cm). The Inoshishi (wild boar) has a small chip, otherwise all are in superb condition. In twenty years I have never seen a set like this and it certainly belongs in a museum.
Sozan I (1852-1922) was born in Kutani country, present day Ishikawa prefecture, where he initially studied before moving to Tokyo in 1875. Over the next 25 years he would gravitate between Tokyo and Kanazawa, working at various kilns and research facilities. He again relocated, this time to Kyoto in 1900 to manage the Kinkozan Studio before establishing his own. His name became synonymous with celadon and refined porcelain and was one of only five potters to be named Teishitsu Gigei-in. The Teishitsu Gigei-in were members of the Imperial Art Academy, Perhaps in modern terms one might call them the predecessors to the Living National Treasures. However unlike the LNT, there were only five Pottery artists ever named Teishitsu Gigei-in, Ito Tozan, Suwa Sozan, Itaya Hazan, Miyagawa Kozan, and Seifu Yohei III. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter upon his death. He is held in the Kyoto National Museum among many others.

A set of two 18th century screens showing through an assortment of amicable characters, the traditional production of silk. Depicted with ink and light color on paper, every aspect of the process is visible in high detail from the sorting of the worms to spinning, dying, weaving, and the selling of thread and bolts of cloth. An exciting screen both from the quality of the art and from the historical narrative contained. Each screen is 67-1/2 inches by 12 feet (171 x 378 cm). It is bordered in a thin band of cream with a wide band of dark blue patterned with check-work boxes containing fortuitous symbols and has a black lacquered wooden frame. It has been remounted at some time in the long distant past, and is in fine condition.

An exquisite large vessel by Seifu Yohei III (1851-1914) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The mirror smooth surface is lightly tinged pink, a delicate touch only Seifu could create. The Fretwork about the center is absolutely perfect. The vase stands just over 12 inches (31 cm) tall, 5-1/2 inches (13 cm) diameter and in excellent condition. It is signed on the base Dai-Nippon Seifu Zo. Seifu, unlike many potters of his time, was low production and tenacious in his approach to perfection. What makes this piece so exceptional is not just the artist associated with it, but that the artist rarely made such large works. For his accomplishments he was honored as a member of the Imperial Art Academy (Teishitsu Gigei-In).

Forty sections of various antique katana scabbards have been set about the circumference of this antique suiban basin for use in Kado and Keido (flower arranging or bonseki sand gardens). Striped, mottled, textured, engraved and polished; covered in sharkskin, snakeskin or lacquered cloth. All lie between belts of tiger striped ebony-like hardwood around a removable copper basin. The handles (on each end) are the actual tie points of the scabbard. One bronze button decorated with shells in silver and brass can be seen on one of the scabbard sections, and another is cut to receive the Kozuka (small knife) used by Samurai. The basin is 22-3/4 x 13 x 3-1/4 inches (57.5 x 33 x 9.5 cm) and is in excellent condition. Very rare!