Catalog: Archives: Regional Art: Asian (611)

Kamikaze, the Divine Wind decimating the Chinese fleet as fearless warriors brave the tempest to drive off the attacking hordes. Uenaka Chokusai, enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Pigment on silk in a pale silk border with ivory rollers. 19-1/2 inches x 7 feet (49 x 214 cm) in fine condition.
Uenaka Chokusai was born in Nara (1885-1977), and was enthralled with the arts from a young age. He apprenticed under Fukada Chokujo, and later Hashimoto Gaho. At the age of 23 he was accepted into the Bunten (modern Nitten). Shortly thereafter he became a disciple of the Nichiren Buddhist Orator Tanaka Chigaku. He would then fall under the tutelage of Yamamoto Shunkyo, combining his varied skills into a genre of historical scenery. Along with Hayashi Bunto, Ikeda Keisen and Ueda Manshu would help t establish the Nihon Jiyu Gakkai, a non-jurried exhibition of Free Painters. Work by him is held in the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo (MOMAT as well as the National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto (MOMAK) among many others.

An oil on canvas by Ono Sue titled “Inaka no Kyokai, Paris” or Rustic Church in Paris set into a double wood frame. The canvas is 15-1/2 x 18 inches (40 x 45 cm), the frame 24 x 27 inches (61 x 69 cm) and all is in excellent condition.
Ono Sue (1910-1985) was born in Niigata prefecture, and after serving as a school teacher for one year, moved to Kyoto in 1934 to pursue a career in oil painting under Yasui Sotaro. He began exhibiting with the Issuikai in 1938, garnering a number of awards there over the next 15 years starting with the Issui-kai Prize in 1943. In 1955 he would go on the first of his travels, returning in 1958, and in 1959 he would help to found the Kokusai Gushoha Kyokai. The next year would find him abroad again for an extended journey. He travelled extensively, documenting his travels in oil and canvas, Egypt, Mexico, Europe, South East Asia, all of these would become subjects for his method. In 1963 he returned to Japan. He was purchased by the Imperial Household Agency that same year. He would be honored with several exhibitions in major Japanese museums, including the Tokyo Central Museum, Umeda Museum of Modern Art, and his home of Niigata with the Niigata Art Museum. In 1982 he would receive the Geijutsu Sensho Award for the arts from the Minister of Cultural Affairs. Work by him is held in the Museum of Modern Art in Niigata, Museum of Modern Art in Toyama, Okawa Museum, Sakuma Municipal Museum of Modern Art and Kita-Kyushu Municipal Museum of Art among others.

A fox sits wrapped up like the Daruma, a humorous image by long time head priest of Kenninji Temple Takeda Mokurai (1854-1930) in light ink on paper. The scroll has been fully remounted in dark forest border extended with beige and features black lacquered wooden rollers. It is 18 by 47-1/2 inches (45.5 x 120.5 cm) and in excellent condition. Mokurai began his training as a priest at the age of 7. Developing under a number of masters, he finally settled under Yuzen. During his younger years he developed a love for poetry and calligraphy, something for which he would later be greatly remembered, and in later days, his scholar script was highly prized. As a scholar priest and head of Kyotos Kenninji, he had great influence on the art of early 20th century Kyoto, as Zen practice was almost seen as a given for painters and ceramic artists of the time. For more information on this important Zen Master, see the art of 20th Century Zen by Stephen Addis and Audrey Yoshiko Seo.

Drinking dancing and shamisen playing, a skeleton crew doing donchan-sawagi on the back of a pale gray jiban crepe-silk kimono. The figures are performed in the painstaking shibori technique where each dot is hand knotted before dying, each laborious knot making up one dot in the matrix of the design. The piece likely dates from the Meiji to early Taisho era, late 19th to early 20th century. This is not one of the modern bleached versions of this theme, but an antique original. Very very rare.

This fine antique lacquer tray features a Gold lacquer rim surrounding a field of jet black dominated by two stylistic butterflies, the underside a sea of Nashiji. It is enclosed in the original signed wooden box inside of which is a paper seal reading Nai-gaikoku Hakurankai, Kyoshinkai, Hinpyokai, Kingindosho (National International exhibitions, Kyoshinkai, Industrial exhibitions, Gold silver bronze prizes) followed by the store name Higashimon shoten, Fujibo, Osaka It is in very good condition, yet does show some signs of use in some very minor abrasions on the black field inside. There are no chips or cracks, no loss to the lacquer. It is 12-3/4 by 18 by 2 inches (32.4 x 45.5 x 5 cm).

A set of five sencha steeped tea tea cups by the first Suwa Sozan decorated with three seasonal or auspidcious fruits and a poem by famed literatus Tomioka Tessai enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Each cup is 2-1/4 x 2 inches (5.7 x 5 cm) and is in fine condition.
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.
Tomioka Tessai (1837-1924) was a scholar artist trained from age seven in the traditional Confucian manner. After the death of his father he was apprenticed to a Shinto shrine, and later was forced to escape the capitol to Kyushu to avoid arrest for anti-governmental actions he had taken on part of the Imperial cause. Here he began serious study of Literati painting and furthered his scholarly research. Upon returning to Kyoto he was befriended by and moved to work under Otagaki Rengetsu, from whom he was heavily influenced. He helped to establish the Nihon Nanga-In and held a number of important positions, culminating in being appointed the official painter of the Emperor and a member of the Imperial Art Academy; the highest honor in Japanese Art circles. He is represented in innumerable important collections. Information on this important person is readily available, for more see Scholar Painters of Japan by Cahill (1972), Roberts Dictionary, or a quick internet search will find plenty of reading. He is held in the Tokyo National Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Kyoto, V&A etc…

A spectacular set of bira-bira-kanzashi hair pins in the form of cranes among blossoming plum and pine formed of silver which come enclosed in a custom made silk-lined wooden box. Two are 13 inches (33 cm) long, the other is 9 inches (23 cm) long and all are in fine condition. According to a label inside the box they are from Akita City in Northern Japan, sold by Takeyaso Hon-ten. The box is 15 x 17 x 5 inches (38 x 43 x 13 cm). I do have more images if someone is interested.

A striking design rises up the pin-holed surface of this set of Tokkuri with genuine gold repairs about the rim dating from the late 18th to 19th century and enclosed in a period wooden box. They are 2 inches (5 cm) diameter, 6-1/2 inches (16.5 cm) tall.

A superb bronze vase with silver plate design enclosed in the original wooden box and stamped on the base by the artsit. The vessel is 11-1/2 inches (30 cm) tall and in excellent condition

Golden mist shrouds the aged pines draped with wisteria growing about the crashing falls on this anonymous early Edo period gold screen. A rare scene to find, rigid lines and the lavish use of gold are typical of the first half of the Edo era. The screen features a colorful brocade border with vermilion lacquer frame and has been fully remounted without re-painting. It measures 68-1/2 x 63-1/2 inches (174 x 162 cm) and is in fine condition, showing some old repairs.

Like an aged boxer, the squat muscular crab takes a stance of readiness, one claw up prepared to defend against a coming attacker. This little fellow is unusual in that it is made of thick bronze, with each joint pinned in a way that allows for some mobility. Legs splayed the creature is 9 inches (23 cm) wide, standing it is 3-1/2 inches 89 cm) tall. There is a repair to the first joint of the 2nd left leg. It dates from the first part of the 20th century.