Catalog: Archives: Regional Art: Asian (611)

A very rare 19th century elaborate head dress (Kanmuri or crown) of gilded parts inset with glass surmounted by a phoenix flanked by two dragons for use in the Japanese Noh Theater. A golden phoenix takes flight from the peak, surrounded by sun, moon and flaming jewel from which are suspended extravagant chains of glass and coral beads and gilded ornaments. Made of brass, paper, wood and thin wire, the entire is covered in gold with the sun and moon in enamel and burning jewels in glass. On the stand it is roughly 2 feet (58 cm) tall. Overall it is in very nice condition, enclosed in a beautiful 19th century wood box with brass hardware titled Tenkan (heavenly crown). This is the Tenkan which inspires the drama “Hagoromo” or The Feather Mantle.

Here is a fine hand formed tea pot of dark clay by Otagaki Rengetsu engraved with a poem and enclosed in the original signed and age darkened wooden box. It reads:
Oyamada no Hita no kakenawa, Uchi Haete, Keburi Nigiou, Miyo no aki Kana
In the hillside Paddies, Clappers with ropes as long as the smoke trails, the peaceful abundance of an Imperial Reign in Autumn…
It is 6 cm (2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Much has been written about the life and work of poet/artist Otagaki Rengetsu. Born into a samurai family, she was adopted into the Otagaki family soon after birth, and served as a lady in waiting in Kameoka Castle in her formative years, where she received an education worthy of a Lady of means. Reputed to be incredibly beautiful, she was married and bore three children; however her husband and all children died before she was twenty. Remarried she bore another daughter, however that child too perished and her husband died while she was just 32. Inconsolable, she cut off her hair to join the nunnery at Chion-in Temple, where she renounced the world and received the name Rengetsu (Lotus Moon). However this was not the end, but only the beginning of a career as artist and poet which would propel her to the top of the 19th century Japan literati art world.

A koro incense burner by Teishitsu Gigei-In Suwa Sozan I decorated by his friend the famous scholar artist Tomioka Tessai and enclosed in a signed double wood box. The silver lid is by Nakagawa Joeki. It is 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) tall (plus the lid), 5 inches (12 cm) diameter and in excellent condition. The box is titled Daibutsu Sozan zo Juhana Koro Tessai Dai and signed Sozan Yakisei.
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…
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.
Nakagawa Joeki X (Junsaburo, 1880-1940) was the 10th generation head of the Nakagawa family of metal workers, one of the Jusoku-Kei families supplying tea ware to the various tea schools, responsible for bronze ware, and is said to have peaked with the 9th and 10th generations. He headed the line from1911-1940, covering the reign of 3 emperors; he was greatly favored by tea masters at the time.

A Teapot by Teishitsu Gigei-In Suwa Sozan I decorated by his friend the famous scholar artist Tomioka Tessai and enclosed in a signed double wood box. A custom pad between the pot and lid protect it during storage from chipping, and it has a silk bag in which it is wrapped. . It is 4-1/2 x 7-1/2 x 6 inches (11 x 19 x 15 cm) and in excellent condition. The box is titled Daibutsu Sozan – Chossen – Suichu and signed Hachiju Okina Kyuso Tessai Dai, Sozan Yakisei.
A strikingly similar work was featured in the 1928 Kyoto Bijutsu Club Catalog Beloved Works Remaining of Tomioka Tessai Okina (Tessai Okina Iaihin).
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…
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.

An unprecedented musuem quality seventeen piece Sencha Tea Set, each piece decorated by Zen Preist Hashimoto Dokuzan, each piece of pottery made by ceramic master Miura Chikusen I, the others made by masters in their felds, all enclosed in their original signed wooden boxes. The set consists of a Ryoro brazier, Ryoro dai tile for under the brazier, Kogo for incense, Fukin Tsutsu for a towel, Kensui for spent tea or water, two bisque fired teapots, a porcelain tea pot, a set of 5 tea cups, a set 5 of turned wood saucers, a woven fan for the coals, a Hawk feather wand, a wooden tea scoop, a wood plate for the tea pot, a silk fukin napkin, an exquisite pair of tea caddies and a red lacquered storage box with an inlaid Chinese jade handle; the door decorated with bamboo by Chikusen. An unprecedented set by these very important artists. The Ryoro is 10 inches (25 cm) tall. The tea pot is 7 x 5 x 5 inches (18 x 13 x 13 cm). All parts are in excllent condition.
Hashimoto Dokuzan (Gengi, 1869-1938) was born in Niigata, and was sent to Kyoto at the age of 16 to study painting and philosophy under Tomioka Tessai. At the age of 20 he entered Tenryuji under Gazan. He received Inka from Ryuen. In 1910 he moved to Shokokuji, and then was assigned the foundation of Nanonji Temple in Tottori Prefecture. He served as abbot of Tenryuji Temple and Shokokuji, both important Zen temples in Kyoto.
Miura Chikusen I (1854-1915) made a name for himself as a strict adherent to and supplier of Sencha tea wares in Kyoto; one of the most important artists in the country for that genre. He studied under Takahashi Dohachi from the age of 13, before establishing his own studio in 1883. He was a feature in the literati community of Kyoto and was well known also as a painter, poet and calligraphist. His porcelains were considered of the highest grade throughout the Meiji era, and are still highly collectable today. The kiln continues, currently under the management of the fifth generation.

Texture has been applied to joined silk panels intimating waves and frothing sea salt which has then been gilded with genuine silver by Imai Toshimitsu signed and dated 2000. Each panel is 67 x 183 cm (31 x 72 inches) and the screen is in excellent condition.
Toshimitsu Imai was born in Kyoto in 1928. After finishing school in 1948, he trained at the Tokyo State Art Academy. Throughout Imai's career his work was distinguished by an acute sensitivity to color. In 1951 Imai was awarded the Kansai-Shinseisaku Prize and in 1952 the prize for the best new artist at the 15th Shinseisaku Exhibition. After his first solo show in Japan, Imai moved to Paris in 1952. There he attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Sorbonne, where he completed a degree course in medieval history and philosophy. Imai showed paintings in 1953 and 1954 at the Salon de l'Art Sacré. Under the sway of new impressions and influenced by the critic Michel Tapié, Imai switched from representational to abstract art in March 1955. Imai was the first Japanese artist to join Informel, and would be central to the dissemination of its activities abroad. By organizing a group show in Japan in 1956 and visiting his native country accompanied by Sam Francis and George Mathieu (1957), Toshimitsu Imai played a paramount role in introducing European Abstract art to Japan. From 1956 Imai's own work was sold by Leo Castelli in New York and, from 1957, Galerie Stadler in Paris. The success Imai had with his work at the 1953 São Paulo Biennale and the 1960 Venice Biennale brought him international acclaim, followed by recognition at home in 1962: Toshimitsu Imai was awarded a prize at the 5th Exhibition of Japanese Contemporary Art in Tokyo and the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo holds several of his paintings in their permanent collection. After 1970 - Imai was commuting regularly between Paris and Japan. In 1984 Imai was a co-founder of the Japanese Contemporary Artists' Association (JCAA).
Imai was awarded numerous distinctions in France and elsewhere in Europe: in 1991 he was made an honorary citizen of Madrid, in 1992 of Lyon. In 1996 he was made a chevalier de la Légion d'honneur and in 1997 an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Imai’s art is governed by fluidity and a rejection of fixed shape and image, where technicality and composition have both been renounced on the canvas.
Similar work sold for 16,173 dollars in Christies Hong Kong, on May 29 2016. Top price paid for this artist was 152,672 USD on 28 May 2016. Another work achieved the price of 47,100 Euro in Paris, 5 June 2013

An exquisite sake cup from the Asakiri kiln of Akashi decorated with a verse and spray of bamboo enclosed in a period wooden box signed by Yamada Takeshi (descendant of Yamada Kikutaro, Edo period founder of the kiln). It is 5 cm (2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, likely dating from the Meiji period.

An exquisite minimalist set of Ten Porcelain tea cups with lacquered wooden covers and saucers made by the Zohiko studio of Kyoto and enclosed in the original compartmentalized signed wooden box. The cups are of simplistic form small round white orvs between the brush textured lacquer lids and saucers. The cups are 3 inches (7 cm) diameter, the saucers 5 inches (12 cm) diameter. Overall in excellent condition with no chips or cracks.

A large futamono (covered dish) in the shape of a Tai-fish by Ninnami Dohachi enclosed in a triple wood box signed and annotated by renowned potter Miura Chikuken (Chikken). The Tai fish (Red Snapper) is a popular motif and commonly served in celebratory occasions because its name (Tai) is a homophone for Medetai (celebration). The stomach section is removable to reveal a compartment where fish might be served. It is 36.5 x 23 x 20 cm and is in excellent condition. The piece comes wrapped in padded yellow pillows, inside an ancient wooden box to which is affixed a paper reading Ninnami Doachi Sei O-Tai Futamono (Covered Dish of Large Red Snapper by Ninnami Dohachi) ad is annotated by Chikuken. The Secondary box is also annotated by Chikuken, dated 1949. The third box is a black lacquered cover to protect the first two.
The Dohachi Kiln was established in Awataguchi by a retainer of Kameyama fief, Takahashi Dohachi I around 1760, and the name Dohachi was brought to the forefront of porcelain and ceramic production by the second generation head of the family who attained an imperial following, and grew to be one of the most famous potters of the Later Edo period to come from Kyoto. Ninnami Dohachi (1783-1855) was born the second son of Takahashi Dohachi I. Following the early death of his older brother he succeeded the family name, opening a kiln in the Gojo-zaka area of Kyoto (at the foot of Kiyomizu temple) in 1814. Well known for research into and perfection of ancient Chinese and Korean forms long held in high esteem in Japan, and at the same time working to expand the family reputation within tea circles. Along with contemporaries Aoki Mokubei and Eiraku Hozen became well known as a master of porcelain as well as Kenzan and Ninsei ware. Over the following decades he would be called to Takamatsu, Satsuma, Kishu and other areas to consult and establish kilns for the Daimyo and Tokugawa families as well as Nishi-Honganji Temple. An exhibition was held at the Suntory Museum in 2014 centering on this artist, and he is also held in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Kyoto National Museum among many, many others.

A mellon shaped red-Raku Kogo incense case enclosed in the original signed wooden box by Raku Ryonyu (1756–1834), 9th generation head of the Raku family. It is roughly 2 inches (5 cm) tall and in excellent condition.

A Tokkuri decorated with an Otsu-e image of a sword bearer and a poem by Otagaki Rengetsu enclosed in a wooden box annotated by the head of Jinkoin Temple and titled Rengetsu-ni saku, Otsu-e Tokkuri, The poem reads:
Furi tate shi As if raising and lowering
mameshi gokoro no his true heart like a standard
hitosuji ni in one line
koyuru ka imo ni will he pass through to meet his love
Osaka no seki. beyond Osaka Gate?
This may be an especially poignant piece for a woman who lost so much love in her lifetime. It is 4-/12 inches (11.7 cm) tall. There is a tiny lacquer repair to the rim.
Much has been written about the life and work of poet/artist Otagaki Rengetsu. Born into a samurai family, she was adopted into the Otagaki family soon after birth, and served as a lady in waiting in Kameoka Castle in her formative years, where she received an education worthy of a Lady of means. Reputed to be incredibly beautiful, she was married and bore three children; however her husband and all children died before she was twenty. Remarried she bore another daughter, however that child too perished and her husband died while she was just 32. Inconsolable, she cut off her hair to join the nunnery at Chion-in Temple, where she renounced the world and received the name Rengetsu (Lotus Moon). However this was not the end, but only the beginning of a career as artist and poet which would propel her to the top of the 19th century Japan literati art world.

Copper green and dark iron decorate the pale glazed sides of this exquisite box dating from the early Edo period (17th century) wrapped in a silk lined sarasa bag and enclosed in a black lacquered wood box. It is 1-3/4 inches (4.5 cm) square, roughly 3 inches (7 cm) tall and in overall fine condition.

A very unusual incense burner in the form of two servants holding up Hotei as he looks joyously toward the night sky. It is performed in crackled white glaze over pale clay with simple iron decoration. It comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box bearing the Teishitsu Gigei-in seal titled Ga-korai Hotei Koro indicating it was based on Korean decoration techniques. It is 18.5 x 10 x 14 cm (7-1/2 x 4 x 6 inches) and is in fine condition. He may have originally held a gumbai-fan, which is no longer present.
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.

Delicate fish scale patterns in gold on bronze lacquer highlight old chips on the rim of this large Yamachawan Tea bowl dating from the Kamakura to early Muromachi periods (12th -15th centuries). Blue glaze twinkles on the heavily eroded surface, where Shizen-yu ash pooled and crystallized. There is a large slash in the glaze where another bowl had been stacked inside, and there are much losses to the surface glazing typical of excavated works. It is this very sense of loss which defines the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-sabi, so important to the Japanese Tea Ceremony. It comes enclosed in a kiri-wood box.

A lightning shaped Narumi-Oribe Mukozuke dish decorated with geometrics and drying persimmons enclosed in a fine custom kiri-wood box titled “E-Oribe Mukozuke” and annotated “Mino Ko-gama” by Living National Treasure Kato Takuo, who was well known for his research into old kilns and firing techniques. One of the best preserved pieces I have seen in a long time dating from the Momoyama to early Edo period.; it originally had three looping feet which have been lost. The dish is 5 x 4-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches (13 x 11 x 4 cm) and is in overall very good condition.
Kato Takuo, I am sure, requires no introduction. He was trained in ceramics by both his father, Kato Kobei, and at the Kyoto School of ceramics. He was soon accepted and consistently displayed at any number of National and International Exhibitions, and was named an Intangible Cultural Asset (Living National Treasure) in 1995.

A superb image by Hirai Baisen depicting the fire lit on the mountains surrounding Kyoto on the final day of Obon enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled “Okuribi”. It is performed with washes of ink and gold on silk, bordered in a fine frame of patterned brocade. It is 22 x 79 inches (56 x 200 cm). It features large ivory rollers, which will need to be changed if shipped outside Japan. There is a wrinkle in the scroll (not a hard crease) through the line of housing (see photo)
Hirai Baisen graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Fine Arts and was a regular exhibitor with the Bunten from 1907-1931. Having worked in any number of styles, he was a true Jiyu-gakka who excelled in the early years of his career. However he did slowly withdraw from the competitive world of Japanese art beginning in the war years. His works are held by the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and a plethora of important public and private collections.

A rush of water descends into mist between the rocky crags tinted with autumns color on this superb silk scroll by Ochi Shokan enclosed in the original signed double wooden box (niju bako) titled Shusei (Voice of Autumn). Top quality, it is mounted in striped silk extended with green and has large solid ivory rollers. The scroll measures 55 x 213 cm (21-1/2 inches x 7 feet). It is in fine condition. Ochi Shokan (1882-1958) was born in Ehime prefecture on the island of Shikoku and studied painting at the Tokyo Universtiy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1902. His carrer was interrupted soon after when he was inducted into the army, and was injured in fighting during the Russo Japanese war. He returned to Tokyo to continue painting, and was accepted and awarded at the Bunten National Exhibition in 1913. The following ear he would be accepted into the first newly reorganized Inten. He would exhibit there consistently throughout his lifetime, and again with the Nitten in the post-war era. In 1922 his paintings would be selected for exhibition in the United States. He was selected as an artist to represent Japan, along with Yokoyama Taikan, Matsuoka Eigaku, Hirafuku Hyakusui and Hayami Goshun in Italy in 1930, showing how highly thought of he was at the time. A book titled Sketches in Italy published by Asahi Shinbunsha featured the works of Taikan and Shokan in Italy together. Works by him are held in the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and Tokyo National Museum among others.

A skull lies ethereal, only a soft circle before the ghost-like apparition of a grave-marker rising from the boldly stroked dead grasses of some forgotten field. The epitaph above reads:
“Hana no toki mayouta mo” Wavering they did while in full blossom
“Kono Kareno kana” The neglected fields of winter
Here the artist has made a comment on our lives, we blow with the winds here in there, indecisive in our prim, bobbing joyously in the winds, but all come to the same as the flowers fall and winter approaches. Ink on paper in the original paper border with transparent red lacquered wooden rollers. It is 30.5 x 185.5 cm (12 x 73 inches) and is in overall fine, original condition with some discolorations in the upper border. It comes in an old wooden box.
Takeda Motsugai (Fusen, 1795-1867) was a Zen priest of the later Edo to Meiji period born in Iyo Matsuyama (modern Ehime) on the Island of Shikoku. He used a number of names in his lifetime, Fusen was his official Buddhist name, Motsugai may be that for which he is best known, but another common name was Genkotsu Osho (Priest of the bone fist) and Dobutsuan (Place of the mud Buddha). An unruly child, he was sent at the age of five to Ryutai-Ji temple, and at the age of 12 would go to take official position under Kanko Osho at Denpukuji Temple in Hiroshima. He would become an accomplished practitioner of the martial arts there, mastering many styles and weapons. His fame in this department would spread, along with his first nickname, Shio-kara Kozo (Too-salty Bonze), and he would be asked by the Asano Daimyo of Hiroshima to take a position at Kokutaiji temple where the Asano family studied Buddhism. After causing trouble he would leave Hiroshima for Osaka where he would study Confucianism and undergo mendicant training. At the age of 18 he would become an itinerant priest given to wandering the paths and begging for food. In 1819 he would make his debut in Edo (modern Tokyo) where he would enter Kichijo-Ji temple, and two years later be posted to Ruriko-Ji temple in Yamaguchi, and it was here he woud begin writing, returning to Denpuku=ji and his first teacher Kanko-osho the following year. In 1828 he was given the reins of Zaihoji in Onomichi (Hiroshima) and here his fame as a stern teacher would spread, and many would come to learn under his unique ways known as Fusen-ryu. He became a well known writer adept at both Waka and Haiku forms of poetry. He was also known for his skills in flower arranging, Tea Ceremony, and tactical skill in the game of Go. His reputation as both a learned priest, Confucian scholar and martial prowess saw him much traveled and called upon in the troubled period of the 1860s. In 1865 he would be asked to mediate the first Choshu uprising and his application was presented to the emperor showing here the high regard for which his writing had become known. He died enroute from one of his travels in Osaka in 1867.

A superb Silk landscape by Akamatsu Unrei enclosed in the original signed double wooden box (niju-bako) titled ChikusoYusei-Ga. The title and style of the buildings indicate this is likely the Yusei retirement home of Iwakura Tomomi in Northern Kyoto, designated a National Historic Site in 1932. A narrow path hedged in soft greens leads to the rustic cluster of buildings with their thatched roofs lost in a sea of bamboo, the scene rising to precipitous mountains afar, a waterway in the distance perhaps Takaragaike pond. The scene is performed in a dream-like quality, inviting the viewer in for a moment of serenity. Warm in summer but a cool respite from the stifling city life a few miles to the south. Everything about this scroll speaks of quality, from the intensity of the painting itself, the silk canvas used, the border cloth, solid ivory rollers, and the kiri-wood box with hinged brass handle allowing it to be pulled easily from the red lacquered wooden outer case. It is 50 x 216 cm (19-1/2 x 85 inches) and is in overall fine condition, with some faint foxing.
Akamatsu Unrei (1893-1958) was born in Osaka, and apprenticed under Koyama Unsen and later the famous Nanga-ka Himejima Chikugai. At a relatively young age he exceeded the talents of his forbearers, finding a new way of looking at Nanga all his own. His paintings were often submitted at the Bunten/Teiten national exhibitions and he was a member of the Nihon Nanga-in. Held in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo among others

A striking abstract work in red on silver over textured washi paper embedded with strands of tatami mat by revolutionary artist Hori Kosai signed ‘91 Hori. It is 13 x 23 cm (5 x 9 inches) mounted floating in a modern frame, pigments on hand-made Washi paper. Here is an opportunity to acquire an important abstract Japanese artist as yet entirely unexplored in the west.
Hori Kosai (b. 1947) is a contemporary artist and Lithographer from Toyama prefecture living in Tokyo. He entered the Tama University of Art in 1967, and in the same year with the assistance of his peers he staged the performance piece "Self-Burial Ceremony", with which his career as an artist was founded. In 1969 his work was accepted into the 9th National Modern Art Exhibition, and his career, unaffiliated with main-line art organizations, took off from there. He was very active in the Japanese student demonstrations of the late 1960s, from within which he became one of the founders, and subsequently leader, of a movement known as Bijutsuka Kyoto Kaigi (Artists Joint-Struggle Council) or "Bikyoto", which sought to interrogate the institutionalized nature of art fomenting activism and exchange between artists. He was expelled from the School before graduation as the leader of the group of radicals. The works of his early career tended to overlap with the activities of that movement, created as pieces questioning the foundations of art itself with the aim of breaking through the boundaries of modernist painting. He was chosen to represent Japan internationally twice, in Paris in 1977 and in Venice in 1984. His importance is expressed in his inclusion in the 1989 book “Print Works by 12 Artists” whch also featured Tabuchi Yasukazu, Kusama Yayoi, Lee U-Fan and Takamatsu Jiro among others. Works by him were featured in a retrospective exhibition on Japanese art from the 70s in Bologna Italy in 1992, and a traveling exhibition featuring his work (Japanese Art Today, USA, Denmark) in 1995. Since then he has been exhibited throughout Europe, Asia and America. An interesting note, he would become a professor at the school whch expelled him in 2002, and has since proven incredibly influential on a new generation of artists. His work is held in the collections of Tokyo Musuem of Modern Art, Ohara Museum, International Art Museum Osaka, Meguro Museum, Museum of Modern Art in Hiroshima, Museum of Modern Art in Kumamoto, as well as the Prefectural Museums of Tochigi, Toyama, Hyogo, Wakayama, Aichi, Kochi and Municipal Museums of Takamatsu, Takaoka, Iwaki, Chiba, Kurobe and Niigata among many others. For more see “Prospects of Contemporary Art: A Celebration of Painting (1989), “Art, Anti-art, Non-art: Experimentations in the Public Sphere in Postwar Japan, 1950-1970” (Merewether/Hiro, 2007) or “Horobi to saisei no niwa : Bijutsuka hori kosai no zenshiko” (Garden of Fall and Re-birth, 2014).

“I am here” she whispers as the bespectacled gentleman pours the last drops from his bottle and says “I am going home”…a lithograph by Kei Hiraga numbered 50/120 and signed Key Hiraga ’88 with the artist’s seal in red. The paper sheet, matted and framed, measures 50.5 x 42 cm (20 x 16-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition. This is an superb example of his work, showing both his eros and playful nature in the abstracted figuration for which he is most remembered. Included is a newspaper featuring an article on his life from December 2000.
Hiraga Kei (Key, 1936-2000) was born in Tokyo and aspired to art from a young age during the tumultuous post-war era when art was not high in the Japanese conscious. He Graduated from the Department of Economics, Rikkyo University in Tokyo, but could not curb the itch, and in 1963 won 3rd Prize at Shell Art Exhibition. The following year he was awarded the New Artist Prize at the 38th National Exhibition and Grand Prix with a grant for study in Paris at the 3rd National Young Artists Exhibition. In 1965 he moved to Paris, where he remained until 1977. The same year (1965) he was exhibited at Seize Jeune Peintres Japonais exhibition at Galerie Lambert in Paris and participated in a group exhibition of nine artists at Galerie Argos, Nantes in Belgium. Over the next decade he would be exhibited in Paris, Prague, Lyon, Edinburgh, Haarlem, Tokyo and Milan as well as participating in group exhibitions in France, Brazil, Italy and Japan. In 1972 Hiraga’s works were shown at Salon des Beaux Arts exhibition and Salon de la Realite Nouvelle at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris and then at the “Japanese Artists from Europe” exhibition at National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. He would also be included in the “turning point of contemporary art in the 1960’s” at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and Kyoto. In 1989 Art Exciting ’89 at The Museum of Modern Art in Saitama Prefecture which travelled to the Queensland Art Gallery in Australia. In 1991 he was featured in “Japanese Anti Art Now and Then” at The National Museum of Art, Osaka. An exhibition of Hiraga’s work Hiratsuka Museum of Art, Hiratsuka in Kanagawa Prefecture and Bokushin Gallery in Tokyo was held the year of his death in 2000. His home in Hakone has been turned into a Museum. Work by him is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art New York. A pair of paintings by this artist sold at Christies Hong Kong in 2014 for over 300,000 dollars. For more see “The Elegant Life of Key Hiraga: a Japanese Artist in Europe 1965-1974” (2008)

A Boro cover textile of sewn together bits of worn out Asa (Hemp) fabrics resist died with various patterns. 146 X 163 cm (57-1/2 x 64 inches).

A Boro Futon cover textile of sewn together bits of worn out indigo dyed fabric 160 x 204 cm (63 x 80 inches ). Go-haba (five widths)

An Annan pottery tea bowl for use in the Japanese tea ceremony from the kilns of 15th-16th century Vietnam enclosed in an age-blackened kiri-wood box. The crackled pale glaze is decorated with a band of blue frets about the rim inside, a decidedly modern design of droplets descending in beads down the outside typical of early Vietnamese decoration. The remnants of a kinran gold infused cloth bag remain for wrapping the piece, the outside layer is in tatters, but the inside brocade is still supple. Named “Full Moon” (man-getsu) the inside of the box lid is endorsed by a tea master. It is 5 inches (13.5 cm) diameter. There are three kin-tsugi gold repairs about the rim. The 14th/15th century Ming ban on export of Chinese ceramics provided the opportunity for the Thai, Khmer and Vietnamese to capture a substantial portion of the Asian consumer market for pottery, and trade flourished between the Kingdoms of Vietnam and Japan. In fact according to research by Guy Faure and Laurent Schwab of the 10 officially licensed ports of trade during the time of Hideyoshi (late 1500s) seven were in present day Vietnam. This would lead to the establishment of vast trading towns and large numbers of Japanese in South East Asia until the Sakoku era when Japan closed itself to outside contact. Those Japanese still outside the country at the time were never able to return, and eventually blended with the native populations of their adopted countries. This piece has likely been preserved and prized as a Chawan, handed down from generation to generation for four centuries.

Antique Japanese Mingei Flat Pounding Board An exquisite patina covers this heavy pounding board from Northern Japan used for working rice into dough. It is 53.5 x 31 x 9 cm (21 x 12 x 3-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.

Koma Inu Shrine guardians decorate this unusually vivid Ako carpet dating from the early 20th century. The color combination is quite striking, especially when held up to the more standard subdued works typical of Ako. It is 95 x 195 cm (37-1/2 x 77 inches) and is in stunning condition. We found this wrapped in paper in the attic of a Kyoto home which had been sealed off during renovations in the 1950s. With a relatively small quantity produced within the rather short history of Japanese carpet making, this is a great collector piece as well as functional antique carpet with very soft texture and attractive design.
Called ‘dantsu’ in Japanese, hand knotted rugs are works of art requiring several months to complete. Inspired in her travels by Chinese benrekisen rugs, Naka Kojima spent years developing the looms and began weaving carpets in Ako in 1874 using high quality cotton, traditional designs and her own innovative weaving techniques. It became a cottage industry in Ako, handed down for decades among the local women while men worked the salt fields. At the peak of its popularity, they adorned the Imperial House of Japan and other governmental buildings and were exported to Australia, the UK, and the US. However, challenges in the world market during the great depression the prohibition of cotton trade leading up to World War II forced not simply a decline, but a near closure of the industry. Some resumed weaving after the war, but found it difficult to compete with machine-manufacturing. In 1991, with the support of Ako City, weaving classes for younger women taught by Kirie Sakaguchi,the only Ako Dantsu weaver left in the city, were begun and since there has been some revival albeit on a very small scale.

An iron vase intentional rust and damascened silver of a Flat-fish on one side, the other au-natural by Sano Hiroshi exhibited at the 48th Kofukai Tenrankai Exhibition in 1962 and enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Karai (flat-fish). It is 53.5 cm (21 inches) wide, 37 cm (14-1/2 inches) tall and in fine condition.
Sano Hiroshi was born in Jūshiyama, Aichi prefecture in 1930, and graduated the Nagoya Municipal School of Crafts in 1950. That year he joined the Ando Shippo Cloisonné studio. Three years later he would begin expanding his knowledge of metal craft under Sekiya Shiro while remaining employed by Ando, where he would remain until 1967. He became a member of the Kofukai in 1961 and would consistently exhibit there and be recipient of many awards. Shortly thereafter he began also to exhibit with the Nitten National Exhibition, garnering several awards and mentions there. In 1967 he established a center for the study of crafts and his art became ever more eccentric, delving deeply into form over purpose. A master in both metal craft and cloisonné, he would also be awarded at the Nihon Shinkogeiten (New Crafts Exhibition). He has been the subject of several documentaries in Japan (1978, 1983, 1988). For his contribution to the art world he was granted the Order of Cultural Merit from Aichi prefecture in 1982 with the note: While learning the techniques of metal engraving and forging, while observing the sense of modeling, he won the special prize of the metalwork department for the first time in this region at the 10th Nitten. He also served as a guide for the younger generation, sending young artists to the world. He has contributed to the promotion and improvement of the arts and culture of this prefecture by establishing traditional metalworking techniques in this region, and is expected to continue to play an active role in the future.

Two fox representing Inari, one of the principal kami (gods) of Shinto, are depicted on this Edo period talisman made at a shrine and traditionally hung in the home for protection. The two creatures hold in their mouths a buddhist jewel, symbol of knowledge, and a key to the kura, a storehouse for treasures. Between them is written Inari Daimyou Jin. Inari is the Japanese god of fertility, agriculture and of general prosperity and worldly success. In Edo Japan, Inari was also the patron of swordsmiths and Warriors. This is a wood-block printed talisman purchased at a shrine and preserved for more hundreds of years. It has been recently mounted in blue patterned cloth extended with beige and features black lacquered wooden rollers. It comes in a fine kiri-wood storage box with a paper sleeve. The scroll is 46 x 116 cm (18 x 45-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.

A large and elegant Wa-gumi basket by Yufu Shohaku signed on the base made up of alternating strips of finely braided bamboo rope and bands of raw bamboo. This is a dramatic work measuring 22 x 20 x 14 inches (56 x 50 x 35 cm).
Yufu Shohaku (b. 1941) is a second-generation bamboo artist from Beppu, the son of Yufu Chikuryu, putting him in the lineage of Sato Chikuyusai. Shohaku began making bamboo baskets in elementary school and achieved mastery by middle school. With his father, he created many styles of flower baskets that made Beppu famous. Today he is known for traditional Beppu rough-plaited baskets that blend plant roots and bamboo chunks. An independent artist, he is the leader of the local bamboo art association and the recipient of numerous prizes including Chairman’s Prize at All Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 1985 and has been named a holder of intangible cultural skill (Dento Kogeishi). His works have been exhibited many times in the United States and England and he is held in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Museum.

A lovely hollowed out root forming a basket; an anonymous 20th century work of Mingei art. It is roughly 18 x 13 x 10 inches (45 x 33 x 25 cm) and in fine condition.

A breathtaking cup made from an egg cut and lacquered inside, then gilded with genuine gold, enclosed in the original signed age darkened kiri-wood box. It is 2-1/4 inches (5.5 cm) diameter and in perfect condition, dating from the Meiji period.

An amazing pattern of gold and silver maki-e decorates this lidded Tea Cup and stand dating from the later Edo period decorated with a samurai clan crest in gold. Assembled it is 7 inches (17.5 cm) tall, 6 inches (15.5 cm) diameter and in excellent condition, enclosed in a custom- fitted Kiri-wood box.

A fine wakizashi in saya of crushed aogai shell in lacquer with engraved silver fittings adorned with a family crest wrapped with matching Kozuka. Kyoto license number 59007 Heisei 9.
blade length: 38.9 cm
sori:0.7 cm
motohaba:2.4 cm
motokasane: 0.6 cm It is in excellent condition.

A rare 17th century Japanese Lacquer table performed in the Nanban style exhibited in 1972 at the Kyoto National Museum (including paperwork from the museum). Overall it is in excellent condition, enclosed in an older wooden storage box. It is 12 x 17 x 14 inches (31 x 43 x 36 cm).
According to the Met: The Portuguese and Spanish who visited Japan during the Momoyama period were fascinated by the beauty and exotic appearance of luxurious gold-decorated lacquerwares associated with the taste of warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598). As a result, lacquers commissioned for the European market typically adopted this flamboyant style (Kōdaiji maki-e). Such pieces—among the earliest trade goods exported from Japan—are known collectively as “Nanban,” or “Southern Barbarian,” the Japanese appellation for foreigners who arrived “from the south.” Highly prized by the great families of Europe as luxurious exotica, they helped to define a “Japan aesthetic” for the Continent for more than three centuries. The decorative patterns depict Japanese subjects, among others, including maple, mandarin orange, and cherry trees, camellia flowers, wisteria branches, and birds. The decorative bands of the borders are embellished with geometric designs. One of the characteristic features of the Nanban lacquers is the rich application of mother-of-pearl inlays.

A pair of large mixed metal birds on a custom black lacquered table by Iwase Seifu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled So-Hato Okimono. Excellent detail, the birds are life sized, the strutting male figure signed on the posterior is roughly 9 inches long, 8 inches tall. Both are in good condition, with some wear to the silvering.

A large porcelain vase covered in olive green upon which grows a rush of white bamboo and a brief epitaph by Miura Chikusen I enclosed in the original signed wooden box dating to the late Meiji or early Taisho period. It is 15 inches (37.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition. The box has much darkened with age. Works of this size by Chikusen, who largely specialized in the minute world of Sencha ware are quite rare.
Miura Chikusen I (1854-1915) made a name for himself as a strict adherent to and supplier of Sencha tea wares in Kyoto; one of the most important artists in the country for that genre. He studied under Takahashi Dohachi from the age of 13, before establishing his own studio in 1883. He was a feature in the literati community of Kyoto and was well known also as a painter, poet and calligraphist. His porcelains were considered of the highest grade throughout the Meiji era, and are still highly collectable today. The kiln continues, currently under the management of the fifth generation.

An antique Japanese saddle pad covered with a Korean tapestry of two frolicking lion-dogs in green and white. It features gilded leather piping (which has come loose in some places, see photos), and typical Japanese backing cloth with deer-leather ties. The pad is roughly 116 x 56 cm (46 x 22 inches). Exceptionally rare,

A lovely roku-yu glazed form from the kilns of Korea mounted on a tri-pronged rosewood stand and enclosed in a period kiri-wood box. It is 12 inches (30 cm) tall plus the stand. There are minor chips about the rim. An excellent piece for use in the tea room. Likely 15th to early 17th centuries (Possibly later Goryeo likely early Joseon).

A trumpeting Chinese form by Miyanaga Tozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kiji Kodo Gata Kabin (Yellow Porcelain Vase in the Shape of Ancient bronze) and retaining the original Rosewood base. It is 12-1/2 inches (31 cm) tall plus the base, 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. His kiln is now in the third generation, run by his grandson.

A museum quality work by 19th century great Oda Kaisen featuring vines burgeoning with ripe fruit under the epitaph “Painted on a muggy date (possibly “by moonlight” as the term keigetsu refers) in 1840”. Ink on silk in brass colored Satin patterned with tendrils of mist and featuring white piping in the Mincho style and ivory rollers typical of literati painting of the 19th century. It is 18-3/4 x 72-3/4 inches (47.5 x 184.5 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Oda Kaisen (1785-1862) was born into a family of in the textile industry in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi on the extreme western end of Honshu, the Japanese main island. He went to the cultural capitol of Kyoto in 1806, where he was initially trained in the Shijo style of painting under Matsumura Goshun (1752–1811). After Goshun died, he moved to study nanga literati painting with Rai San'yō (1780–1832) and through extensive study of treasured Chinese paintings in various collections. It is during this period he began using the name on this scroll, O-in. He worked as a compatriot of the great masters Uragami Shinkin and Tanomura Chikuden. Work by this artist is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the British Museum, Ashmolean, and in Japan the Osaka Municipal Art Museum and Chofu museum among others.

A most exciting find, a scroll by five of the greatest scholar-painters of the Meiji period, Tanomura Chokunyu, Suzuki Hyakunen, Tomioka Tessai, Nyoi Sanjin and Yamanaka Shinten-o; all of whom resided in Kyoto during the Meiji period. Ink on paper in a brown cloth border befitting the Daoist figures. It comes in an annotated by by Tessai from 1911. The scroll is 29-1/4 x 75-1/2 inches (74 x 192 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Nyoi Sanjin (Tani Tetsuomi, 1822-1905) was born the son of a Doctor serving the powerful Ii clan of the Hikone fief on the Tokaido road between Kyoto and Tokyo. Trained as a samurai and a doctor (including Western medicine in Nagasaki), he sided with the imperialist cause during the troubled times of the 1850s and 60s while working as a Doctor in Hikone. He served in governmental posts after the restoration of the Emperor in 1867, retiring to Kyoto in the 1880s.
Suzuki Hyakunen (1825-1891) was born in Kyoto and studied under Yokoyama Kakei. He served as a professor at the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting (modern University of Art) and thus mentor to many young artists of his day, including his own son Suzuki Shonen. Works by him are held in the V&A, Ashmolean, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, University of Michigan as well as a host of Domestic institutions.
Tanomura Chokunyu (1814-1907) was born in Oita (the Oka Feif) and studied initially under Okamoto Baisetsu before moving to paint under the famous literatus Tanomura Chikuden (1777-1835), who adopted him as a son and had a very strong influence on the young artist. Upon Chikudens death he also studied briefly under Oshio Chusai (1792-1837) then finally ventured out on his own upon that teachers passing. He moved to Kyoto, where he helped found the Kyoto Municipal School of painting and eventually withdrew from the world, becoming an Obaku Zen Monk in 1902.
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…
Yamanaka Shinten-o (Seittsu 1822-1885) was born near Nagoya in the village of Higashiura, the second son of a wealthy farming family. After studying in Osaka with scholar Shinozaki Shochiku (1781-1851), he moved after to Kyoto where he became a member of the anti-governmental movement supporting restoration f the Emperor. Following the repression of 1858 when many opposition figures were arrested and executed, Shinten’o went to Ise and studied with Saito Setsudo (1791-1865) for three years before returning to Kyoto. He was an active supporter of imperial loyalists, providing food and money to the troops fighting to establish the new regime. In recognition of his support he was appointed to a series of governmental posts. In 1873 he quit the world of politics to begin a quiet life of scholarly pursuits in the Shimogamo area of Kyoto and established a sprawling villa in Arashiyama so well regarded was that the Meiji Emperor stayed there during his 1877 visit to Kyoto.

Honda Tenjo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seven Great Men. Ink on paper in a superlative silk mounting with ivory rollers (they will be changed if exporting). It is 26 x 85-1/2 inches (66.5 x 217 cm) and is in excellent condition. Honda Tenjo (1867-1946), born in Tokyo, initially studied western painting for five years under Kondo Katsumi before moving to Nihonga under Kano Hogai. Along with Okakura Shusui and Oka Fuho was to be called the four pillars of the Hogai Studio. He worked in the circle called the Kangakai established by Fenelossa and Tenshin, and lived for a while at Tenshin’s house. The belief at the time was to imbue oneself in Japonisme and so he also studied swordsmanship under Sakakibara Kenkichi. In 1888 he became one of the first students of the newly established Tokyo School of Art. He was exhibited and awarded at the Nihon E-ga Kyokai from its inception, and later with the Bunten after its establishment.

A radical ink landscape by legendary artist Fukuda Kodojin. Ink on paper in a green silk patterned border set in beige with wood rollers. It is 13 x 70 inches (33 x 178 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Fukuda Kodojin (1865-1944) an eccentric self taught artist, his status as a poet, calligrapher and literati artist has reached legendary status. Born at a time of great change (4 years before the final fall of the Edo Government), he lived through the westernization of Meiji, Taisho Democracy, the rise of Imperialism and final defeat of the Showa eras. He was self taught, part of a small group of artists existing outside conventional circles in pre-war Japan. He moved to a village outside of Kyoto in 1901, where he supported himself and his family by privately tutoring those who wished to learn Chinese-style poetry. Kodojin was simply a scholar. His poetry, painting, and calligraphy all stem from a life-long cultivation of the mind. He was known to have taken the time just before his death to destroy the large portion of his own remaining work, leaving only that which must have met some personal criteria. For more on his life see the book Old Taoist, or Unexplored Avenues of Japanese Painting. Twenty five paintings by the artist formed a private exhibition (from Gitter-Yelen) at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2000, and he is part of the Hakutakuan collection among many others

Veins of green Kai-yu meander over the body of this spectacular example of Edo period Tamba Pottery capping rich red clay rising from an abrupt base. A few bubbles in the clay reveal character about the torso, the lip powerfully rendered over the shoulder, which slumps to one side like some haggard but still proud old soldier. Four looping handles (mimi) would allow the lid to be tied down. Between two a drip from the roof of the kiln has adhered to the clay forming a point of interest. Retaining the character of Momoyama firing techniques, and easily classified as such, I believe this dates from the early Edo period, 17th century. The Tsubo is 18 inches (46 cm) tall, 13 inches (33 cm) diameter, and without cracks or repairs. Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.

A rare okimono from the Kairakuen Kiln of the Tokugawa branch family dating from the early to mid 19th century. The box label attributes these to Eiraku (presumably Hozen, who was tasked with helping to further the ceramic production of the kiln). The rooster is roughly 7 inches tall the same in length (18 cm). Dating from the later Edo period, they come in an old wooden box with a cloth cover and are in excellent condition.
Eiraku Zengoro XI (Nishimura Hozen, 1795–1854) took the name Eiraku Hozen after Lord Tokugawa Naritsune had awarded him the eiraku seal (Eiraku, eternal joy). Hozen was familiar with all porcelain and stoneware techniques. For the most part, he produced tea ceramics: blue-and white porcelain in the style of the Shonzui ware from the Chinese Jingdezhen kilns in the Ming dynasty; blue-andwhite ware with overglaze decoration (gosu aka-e); celadons; stoneware with gohon-de glaze; and Kochiware.
The Kairakuen kiln was the "garden kiln" sponsored by the Kii branch of the Tokugawa house, in modern day Wakayama founded in 1819. It operated irregularly, drawing upon the services of potters from various Kyoto workshops including the 9th and 10th Omotesenkei Heads Ryoryosai (1775-1825) and Kyukosai (1818-1860), 10th Raku Master Raku Tanyu (1795-1854), and Hozen among others . Kairakuen products reflect a marked revival of interest in Chinese ceramics in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This vase, with its restrained shape and overall turquoise enamel glaze, follows Qing [Ch'ing] dynasty ceramic models. The design of the four-character mark, "Made at Kairakuen," imitates enamel four-character seals appearing on Qing [Ch'ing] imperial wares.

A bizarre pottery mass of two tea bowls and a stand fused together after collapsing in the kiln some four hundred years ago. It is 17 x 13 x 11 cm (6-1/2 x 5 x 4-1/2 inches). There is something to be said here about best laid plans. All the potters craft and experience and yet nature intervenes, creating this vitrified sculpture for later generations to contemplate.

A misshapen bowl excavated and assembled from several pieces using the kintsugi gold technique. Originally a kiln flaw, it was likely destroyed after creation, later to be excavated and assembled as was popular in the later Edo period. Misshapen,and with a large kutsuki on one side, it is 4 x 5 x 3 inches (10 x 12.5 x 8 cm) and comes in a wooden box.

The dreamlike quality which gave Taisho period art its unique flavor is readily apparent in this sumptuous composition by Kido Soi featuring long tailed birds along a tumbling stream. Pigment on silk mounted on applied gold flake in a silk border with a red lacquer wooden frame consistent with the era. It is signed in gold, Shunyo, the name used by Kido Soi in his youth, placing the screen easily before 1930. The screen is 67.3 x 56-1/4 inches (171 x 143 cm) and is in fine condition.
Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Kido Soi (1899-1984) was born in Kyoto. He studied painting at the Kyoto Municipal School of Painting and under Yamamoto Shunkyo (1871-1933). His work was consistently accepted into the Teiten and Bunten National art exhibitions.

Birds in white plumage decorate the shadowed raw clay of this vase by Miyagawa Kozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 21.5 cm (8-1/2 inches) tall, 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.　
The name Kozan was granted by Prince Yasui-no-Miya in 1851 in honor of the tea ware produced during the later Edo for the imperial Court by the tenth generation head of the Kyoto pottery family Miyagawa Chozo. The Kozan (Makuzu) kiln as we know it today was established in Yokohama in 1871 by the 11th generation head of the family where he reinvented the family business. He immediately set out on a journey which would propel the Kozan name to International Celebrity status, and send his wares throughout the globe. Pieces produced there were marked Kozan, or Makuzu, the official kiln name, or both. Although he had been running the daily operation since the late 19th century, the first son, Hanzan, succeeded as head of the kiln, in 1912, with the father officially retiring to spend more time on his own research and art. Kozan I dies in 1916. The kiln was run by Hanzan through the early Showa era, he officially taking the name Kozan II in 1917, after one year mourning for his fathers passing. Under Hanzan the kiln was commissioned for works to be presented to the Prince of Wales, the 25th wedding anniversary gift for the Taisho emperor and the Showa Emperors coronation gift. The kiln was completely destroyed in the bombing of Yokohama in 1945. For more on this illustrious family see Bridging East and West, Japanese Ceramics from the Kozan Studio by Kathleen Emerson-Dell.

A pair of Kinsai Tokkuri on red ground by Eiraku Zengoro from his Kutani kiln dating from the late 19th or early 20th centuries enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Complete with lids, they are 5 inches (13 cm) tall each and in excellent condition.

An exquisite 17th-18th c. rendition of Suiten (vedic Varuna) rising over tempestuous waves. Pigment on silk, The scroll is 59.2 x 167.5 cm (23-1/2 x 66 inches). It has been fully remounted, in an antique silk retaining the original brass rollers. One of the oldest gods, Varuna is associated with a Serpent (Makara) as his vehicle and a noose as his weapon. Varuna is god of waters, the source of rains and the one who rules over the Nagas (divine sea serpent), myths important in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Shinto he is associated with the 12th century child emperor Antoku, and is considered a guardian deity for child birth as well as all things associated with water (fishing, sea faring, maritime freight, natural disasters such as floods and torrential rains, and interestingly “Mizushobai” (literally floating world trade), the business of pleasure.

A plum by Yumei Sosho of Sokokuji temple timidly opens its blossoms under a brief epithet by Taishitsu Sosho of Daitokuji temple. A rare gassaku work by these two priests. Ink on paper in original border, ivory rollers dated 1808. The ivory rollers will be replaced if shipping overseas. The scroll is 12 x 71 inches (31 x 180 cm). Overall it is in fine condition considering the age, however does cup some in the center and there are some marks mostly visible in the upper and lower borders. For copies of Taishitsu Seals see Daitokuji Rekidai Bokuseki Volume 3.
Taishitsu Sosho (1763-1847) served as head priest of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, the city of his birth. He entered the priesthood at the age of six when he studied under Unkei at Daitokuji, and studied calligraphy under Nagata Kansho. He was famous for his knowledge and sensibility in the Way of Tea, incense, I-go and the courtly sport known as Kemari.
Yumei Sosho (1731-1808) was born in Wakasa in Gifu prefecture, and wandered as a youth from temple to temple before settling at Sokokuji in Kyoto. There he studied painting under Ito Jakuchu and other studies under Baiso. Later in life he chose a dilapidated temple to rebuild and spend his waning years, but the same year was appointed the 115th head of Sokokuji. He was well remembered for his paintings of plums and birds.

An unusal tri-legged bronze incense burner with finialed dome pierced top signed on the underside. It is 6 inches (14.5 cm) diameter, 7 inches (18 cm) tall and in fine condition, dating circa 1935. Hori Joshin was a student of Oshima Joun and was active from the early to mid 20th century.

An exquisite lacquer box by Imai Seitaro dating circa 1959 featuring multiple layers of colored lacques carved through with a design of grapes on the vine enclosed in the original signed double wood box (Niju-bako) titled Choshitsu Budo Moyo Shikishi Bako (Carved Lacquer Grape Design Poem Card Box). It is roughly 11 x 12 x 2 inches (27.5 x 30 x 4 cm) and is in fine condition.
Imai Seitaro was born in Kagawa prefecture in 1893, and was first exhibited with the Nitten National Exhibition in 1948, and was often acceptedthere as well as with the Nihon Kogei-kai Ten. He may have been living in Taiwan before that time, as with many records from that time his history has been lost.

A lobed form by Nakajima Yasumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall and in fine condition. The name of Nakajima first came to notice in 1908, when the first generation Yasumi (1877-1950) was awarded at the Senkatsu Kinen Exhibition. He was a consistent exhibitor with the Teiten-Nitten national exhibitions and was also quite active abroad, being prized at the 1931 Belgian Exposition and serving as juror for the Japanese submissions to the Paris Exposition in 1925 where he was subsequently prized. His work is held in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency as well as the V&A and he served as mentor to a generation of young bronze artists. His son, Nakajima Yasumi II (1905-1988) took the family name in 1951. Yasumi II graduated from the National Craft Institute of Sendai and was first exhibited in 1933 at the Export Crafts exhibition organized by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. He exhibited several times abroad including Paris and Buenos Aires. He was also consistently accepted in the Nitten exhibitions, garnering the Hokutosho there in 1952. In 1969 he received an honor as a person of merit in Crafts from Osaka prefecture.

A trumpeting form decorated with bamboo adorned with a single cicada by Matsumoto Sahei (Sabin) enclosed in a wooden box annotated by the current head of the family Matsumoto Sakio. It is 31 cm (12 inches ) tall and in excellent condition.
Matsumoto Sahei (1851－1918)　was born into the family of Matsuya Kikusaburo, a first generation Kutani porcelain artist. He studied under both his father and Tokuda Kansho, mastering Aka-e, Ao-kutani and other decorating styles of the era and realizing his own techniques with Iro-e Kutani. He was also known as Shoundo or Sabin. He was succeeded by Matumoto Sakichi (first and second) then Matsumoto ,Sakio in modern times.

Ame-yu graces the rough textured clay of this large Mingei platter from Aizu in the Northern reaches of Japan on the border between Fukushima and Yamagata. Often mistakenly identified as Tamba due to the similarity in the coloring of this particular glaze, the underlying granular white clay gives it away. About the rim is a ring of fire-colored tendrils trapped in a groove, an interesting added feature. It is 31.5 cm (12-1/2 inches) diameter and dates from the later 19th century. There are some old chips in the rim darkened with age, typical of use for a utilitarian piece like this, otherwise it is in fine condition.
The development of the Aizu Hongo pottery tradition dates back to the Sengoku period (1428-1573), when tiles were locally fired for the roof of Aizuwakamatsu castle. But it was during the Edo period when Lord of the Aizu clan Hoshina Masayuki oversaw the promote and patronize pottery production of what became Aizu Hongo Yaki ware, and it flourished under the supervision of the clan. This subsequently led to the making of everyday pieces of pottery for use by people at large by the closing years of the Shogunete. Fighting during the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and a devastating fire in the Taisho period (1912-1926) caused significant disruptions however; the industry recovered and is still thriving today. It has the distinction of being the oldest area where white porcelain is produced in the whole of northeastern Japan.

Autumn colors by Goto Shiro in thick pigment on silk in a superb patterned-silk frame with solid ivory rollers. It comes in the original signed wooden box with a Futo-maki rolling bar titled Yudonoyama Banshu (Late Autumn at Mt. Yudono). This is representational of Nihonga in the 1950s, a time when artists were seeking a new direction, breaking with the past and expanding the limits of the medium. It is 25-1/2 x 86 inches (65 x 218 cm) and in fine condition. Goto Shiro (1924－1992) was born in rugged Yamagata prefecture and studied under Maeda Seison, settling eventually in the mountainous region of Nagano. A member of the Nihon Bijutsu-in and much lauded at their exhibition, work by the artist is held in the Saku Municipal Museum of Modern Art.

A complex landscape wraps around and climbs up this exquisite porcelain vase by Daimaru Hokuho dating from the early to mid 20th century. It is 13 inches (33 cm) tall and in excellent condition. There is no box.
Hokuho would have been rated in the top 10 porcelain artist of Kyoto, along with Suwa Sozan, Ito Suiko, Ito Tozan, Miyanaga Tozan, Takahashi Dohachi, Seifu Yohei, Kiyomizu Rokubei, Miura Chikusen and Kiyomizu Zoroku, all artists active from the Meiji through the early Showa eras. He is best remembered for his Chinese forms and Sencha thin tea ware. Born in Ishikawa in 1879, he was initially trained in the Kutani tradition before moving to Kyoto in 1899 to study porcelain throwing and decoration there. He also spent several years in China where he became adept at the aforementioned Sencha aesthetic. Daimaru Hokuho II (Tatsuo, b. 1926) studied under both his father and Kiyomizu Rokubei V and VI. He exhibited frequently with the Nitten National Exhibition, where he would serve as a judge.

White wisteria (fuji in Japanese) drape from the gilded rim of this Kutani vase signed from the pre-eminent Kaburaki (Kaburagi) studio dating from the opening of the 20th century. The imagery is exquisitely performed with over-glaze enamels on a pastel gray ground. The vase is large at 13 inches (33.5 cm) tall, 8-1/2 inches (22 cm) diameter and is in excellent condition, with some wear to the gold rim.