Catalog: Archives: Regional Art: Asian (611)

An Kamakura period Enso-ga in cream-colored patterned brocade with maple brown extensions and featuring rosewood rollers signed Renshabo. Renshabo was a high ranking samurai named Jiro Naozane and confidant of 13th century General Minamoto no Yoritomo. After losing a son at the battle of Ichinotani, and killing the great Heike warrior Atsumori, he became saddened by Bushido (the way of the warrior) and became a disciple of the priest Honen Jonin in Kurodani, Kyoto, whereupon he was given the name Renshabo. The scroll measures 21-3/4 by 48 inches (55.5 x 122 cm). The ink work was already ancient when mounted in this cloth in the Edo period as evidenced by wormholes and damage in the painting repaired from the back.

A stunning painting of Mt Fuji viewed from a misty sea by Yukansai (Kano Arinobu, 1605-1677) painted in 1672 at the age of 67 on silk. The image of Fuji, broken by clouds, dominates the scene, with rolling hills and sailing vessels visible in the foreground. It is mounted in a field of copper brocade extended above and below in beige silk and measures 26 by 49 inches.

A fabulous baluster form vase by the first generation Kato Keizan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Gaoji Ryumimi Chokoku Kabin(Ivory Porcelain Dragon Ear Carved Vase). Low on the flaring neck two dragons form handles, and the body of the vessel as carved with archaic symbols reflecting continental taste popular from the Meiji through Taisho to early Showa period. It is 33 cm (13 inches) tall 19.5 cm (7-3/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. Attached to the base is a collection seal from the Kono Family Collection.
Kato Keizan I (1886-1963) was born in Tajimi city, Gifu, a pottery center in its own right, however came to Kyoto to apprentice under Kiyomizu Rokubei IV (1848-1920). He established himself in 1912 in the same neighborhood in Kyoto, where he became well known for celadon and Chinese based porcelain forms. He was especially rememberd for Tenryuji seiji (Chinese Longquan celadon porcelain). Works by this artist are held in the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto among others.

A sprawl of chrysanthemum are delicately painted growing beneath the elegant curves of a Kanshi poem on this fine silk scroll by Kamisaka Sekka enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Pigment and ink on silk with silk border and black lacquered rollers. The scroll measures 11-1/2 x 73-1/2 inches (30 x 186 cm) and in fine condition. For more on this artist see the current exhibition at the Clark Center. For a very similar painting see Kindai no Rimpa, Kamizaka Sekka by Yanagihara (1981) plate 69 and for images of the seal and signature p. 306 fig 21 and page 311.
Sekka (1866-1942) is the godfather of 20th century Japanese design and the Rimpa revival. He was born in Kyoto in 1866, one of six siblings. From 1882 he began his artistic career, however did not take-off until visiting the Paris Expo in 1901, where he was exposed to Art Nuevo and Western industrial design concepts. He was adept as a painter and designer in an assortment of other media, working with various artisans to bring to life his ideas. He was employed as a teacher at the Kyoto Municipal School of Art, and was widely exhibited and prized throughout his career, which ended in retirement in 1938.

The Heron Maiden coquettishly covers her face, the intimation of snow in the vacant background with large occasional flakes falling in the fore on this large work by important 20th century artist Kitano Tsunetomi. Pigment on silk in the original silk border with solid ivory rollers (these will be changed if exporting). It comes in a later collector’s double wood box. The scroll is 46 x 206 cm (18 x 81 inches) and in overall fine, original condition. There are faint scattered foxing marks typical of the era.
In the Japanese folk- tale of The Heron Maiden (Sagi Musume), a young man comes across a wounded heron, and he takes it in and nurses it back to health. When the heron has regained the use of its wings, he releases it, and the heron flies away. Time passes and the young man meets a beautiful young woman with whom he falls in love. They get married and begin living happily together. The young wife weaves a particular kind of silk brocade in which the designs appear in relief. The young man sells the fabric, and the two are able to support themselves in this way. But the young woman places a constraint upon the man: He must never observe her while she is weaving her fabric. Of course the young man cannot resist the temptation to look, and when he does he sees a heron at the loom. Before his eyes the heron is transformed into a beautiful woman. Now that the secret has been exposed, the heron Maiden’s happy life with the young man must come to an end. She bids her husband a sad goodbye, and flies off to her heron companions.
According to the Nakanoshima Museum in Osaka: Kitano Tsunetomi (1880–1947) was born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1880. His real name was Kitano Tomitaro. He subsequently moved to Osaka, where he studied under Inano Toshitsune, before working for the Osaka Shimpo newspaper illustrating novels serialized in the paper. In 1910, Sudaku-mushi (Chirping Insects) became his first work to be selected to appear in the 4th Bunten National Exhibition, and he gained a reputation as one of Osaka’s foremost bijinga artists. In 1912, he formed the Taisho Bijutsu-kai (Taisho Art Association.) In 1914, he set up the painting school Hakuyosha, and successfully submitted his work Negai-o-ito (Thread of Hope) to the 1st Inten Exhibition. After the 9th Bunten he became active in the Nihon Bijutsuin, an artistic association dedicated to promoting painting and sculpture in Japan, particularly nihonga, and became a judge of the Inten Exhibition. He played a key role in the Osaka art world, participating in the creation of the Osaka Art Exhibition in 1915 and the formation of the Osaka Sawakai in 1918. … He passed away in 1947 at the age of 67..

A set of sake decanters in the shape of Split Bamboo Tea Whisks by the third generation Kiyomizu Rokubei enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The artists stamp is clearly impressed into the nunome cloth-textured base. They are 14 cm (5-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition dating from the mid 19th century.
Kiyomizu Rokubei III (1820-1883) was the second son of Rokubei II (1790-1860) and took over the family kiln at the age of 18 after his father retired in 1838. (His father subsequently went to Echigo to open the Oyama-yaki kiln at the bequest of the local Daimyo). Being at the head of the family business in the tumultuous era at the end of the Edo and beginning of the Meiji, he was a driving force behind the revival of the Kyoto industry after the transfer of the capitol to Tokyo in 1868. He produced a great deal of work in various styles, and was known for his painting skills, having studied under the great 19th century Literati Oda Kaisen. While preserving the techniques of his forebears, Rokubei III was also open to new, foreign influences. He accompanied Miyagwa Kozan to Yokohama to investigate newly imported western advancements in pottery and production (Kozan would subsequently move to Yokohama). He was greatly affected by Modernism, and produced western influenced dishes in addition to the staple Japanese fair. In 1879, he was one of the artists commissioned to make a tea service for use during the visit of former US president Ulysses S. Grant. He frequently served on juries and won medals at domestic exhibitions, including the Kyoto Exhibition (1875), the Domestic Industrial Exhibition (1877), and the Nagoya Exhibition (1878). His works also featured in exhibitions in Paris, Sydney and Amsterdam

A full 7 piece Steeped Tea Sencha Tea Set by Kiyomizu Rokubei enclosed in the original age darkened wooden box titled Seika Sansui Chaki. There are five cups, a teapot with lid, and a cooling dish. Each piece is decorated with a unique scene and poem, no two are alike. They show the mastery of brushwork this important potter, originally trained as a painter, possessed. The cups are 8 cm (3-1/4 inches) diameter and all is in excellent condition.
Kiyomizu Rokubei V (Shimizu Kuritaro, 1875-1959) initially studied painting and decorating technique under Kono Bairei, one of the foremost painters in Japan in the Meiji era. After graduating the Kyoto Municipal Special School of Painting, he took a position under his father at the family kiln however. That same year he exhibited his first work at the National Industrial Exposition. He was a co-founder of Yutoen with his father and Asai Chu, and worked ceaselessly to promote the pottery of Kyoto. He helped to establish the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility (Kyoto Tojiki Shikensho) at the turn of the century which would be the proving ground for many young artist of the era. Doctor Maezaki Shinya has noted that Teishitsu-Gigei-in (Imperial Art Academy Member) Seifu Yohei III also fired his acclaimed works in the Rokubei kiln in the Taisho era. Due to his father’s poor health Rokubei V took the reins unofficially in 1902, commanding the helm until assuming the name Rokubei V in 1913. It was in 1928 that Rokubei changed the reading of the family name from Shimizu to Kiyomizu and applied it retroactively to previous generations. He exhibited constantly, and garnered a great many awards. He worked to get crafts added to the National Art Exhibition (Bunten/Teiten) and served as a judge in 1927, the first year crafts were allowed. In 1937 he was designated a member of the Imperial Art Council (Teishitsu Bijutsu Inkai). Despite changes in the world around him Rokubei persevered, working in all manner of materials and styles. He retired in 1945, perhaps as exhausted as Japan was with the end of the war, or perhaps seeing that capitulation would signal a new era in need of new leaders and a new aesthetic. He passed the name Rokubei to his son and took the retirement name Rokuwa. Uncontainable he continued to create pottery under that name until his death in 1959. His influence is so pervasive he was voted one of the most important potters of the modern era by Honoho magazine, the preeminent quarterly devoted to Japanese pottery. A multitude of works by him are held in the The National Museums of Modern Art, both in Tokyo and Kyoto, the Kyoto Kyocera Museum, The Kyoto Hakubutsukan Museum and the Philadelphia Art Museum among others.

A breathtaking Taireiji pottery vase by Kiyomizu Rokubei V enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Chrysantheum in raised relief grow ghosly white on the soft pink surface. It is 32 cm 12-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Taireiji was the most important development by this innovative artist, and pieces are exceedingly rare.
Kiyomizu Rokubei V (Shimizu Kuritaro, 1875-1959) initially studied painting and decorating technique under Kono Bairei, one of the foremost painters in Japan in the Meiji era. After graduating the Kyoto Municipal Special School of Painting, he took a position under his father at the family kiln however. That same year he exhibited his first work at the National Industrial Exposition. He was a co-founder of Yutoen with his father and Asai Chu, and worked ceaselessly to promote the pottery of Kyoto. He helped to establish the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility (Kyoto Tojiki Shikensho) at the turn of the century which would be the proving ground for many young artist of the era. Doctor Maezaki Shinya has noted that Teishitsu-Gigei-in (Imperial Art Academy Member) Seifu Yohei III also fired his acclaimed works in the Rokubei kiln in the Taisho era. Due to his father’s poor health Rokubei V took the reins unofficially in 1902, commanding the helm until assuming the name Rokubei V in 1913. It was in 1928 that Rokubei changed the reading of the family name from Shimizu to Kiyomizu and applied it retroactively to previous generations. He exhibited constantly, and garnered a great many awards. He worked to get crafts added to the National Art Exhibition (Bunten/Teiten) and served as a judge in 1927, the first year crafts were allowed. In 1937 he was designated a member of the Imperial Art Council (Teishitsu Bijutsu Inkai). Despite changes in the world around him Rokubei persevered, working in all manner of materials and styles. He retired in 1945, perhaps as exhausted as Japan was with the end of the war, or perhaps seeing that capitulation would signal a new era in need of new leaders and a new aesthetic. He passed the name Rokubei to his son and took the retirement name Rokuwa. Uncontainable he continued to create pottery under that name until his death in 1959. His influence is so pervasive he was voted one of the most important potters of the modern era by Honoho magazine, the preeminent quarterly devoted to Japanese pottery. A multitude of works by him are held in the The National Museums of Modern Art, both in Tokyo and Kyoto, the Kyoto Kyocera Museum, The Kyoto Hakubutsukan Museum and the Philadelphia Art Museum among others.

A turned kiri-wood kogo incense case decorated with painting of plums and camellia with a silver rim. Inside wide leaves in god outline underlie the artist’s signature and stamp. The piece is 4-1/2 inches (11.5 cm) diameter.
Sekka (1866-1942) is known as the last great Rimpa Master, an artist of many talents who worked in painting, wood and lacquer. Taken from Wikipedia (they say it so much better than I) In 1910, Sekka was sent to Glascow to study Western art and craftsmanship. He sought to learn more about the Western attraction to Japonisme and which elements or facets of Japanese art would be more attractive to the West. Returning to Japan, he taught at the newly opened Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, experimented with Western tastes, styles, and methods, and incorporated them into his otherwise traditional Japanese-style works. It is easy to see this juxtaposition by looking at almost any of his paintings. While he sticks to traditional Japanese subject matter, and some elements of Rimpa painting, the overall effect is very Western and modern. He uses bright colors in large swaths, his images seeming on the verge of being patterns rather than proper pictures of a subject; the colors and patterns seem almost to 'pop', giving the paintings an almost three-dimensional quality.

Pure elegance and simplicity of form by Komazawa Risai enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Mage-Kensui (Round Spent Water Container). It is lacquered outside is tame-nuri opaque wine-red, inside is polished ro-iro black decorated with gold reeds overlapping from all directions. It is 16 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter, 7 cm (2-3/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition. It is made by Komazawa Risai; head of one of the ten crafts families of the three Senke tea schools adhering to the way of tea as taught by Sen No Rikkyu in the 16th century. The bowl is made of two pieces, the base a thin flat plank cut round, then the vertical is bent around and secured together with binding, the whole then covered in lacquer. The shape is that of a simple Oke or shallow bucket, however the artist has made it so much more than that. This is the epitome of the Japanese Tea Aesthetic.
Taking tea has long spread from its original home of Asia to the rest of the world, spawning in the process distinct and varied customs that deeply mirror the values of the culture that creates them. Japan's history of tea drinking is no different, becoming a focal point for the arts and enlightenment to the point where it became the unique ceremony we now know as chanoyu or the Way of Tea. The name can actually be something of a misnomer to the uninitiated, as although there are similarities in form and structure, there is no singular tea ceremony, and ceremonies can be very varied dependent on season, setting and school, yielding in the process a vast culture that can take a lifetime to become truly aquatinted with. Sen no Rikyu, born in 1522 is largely credited with instilling the quintessentially Japanese values into the custom and codifying the practice into a “Way”. To this very day the three houses of Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushakojisenke continue his tradition and teachings every time they perform the tea ceremony, and yet this is no fixed form, but an enduring process of gradual evolution and innovation that continues to reflect Japan beyond the walls of the chashitsu, tea room. In the case of the three Senke houses under Sen no Rikyu's teachings, in their centuries of history we find that their ceremonial tools are all produced by the same ten families, and ever since Mitsukoshi held an exhibition of their works in 1915 the name "Senke Jushoku", or the "Ten Designated Craftsmen of Senke", has entered common usage to describe this small collection of artisans who hold within their lineage the very DNA of the aesthetics of the tea ceremony.
The ten families are: Nakagawa Joeki (metalworker), Okumura Kichibei (scroll mounting maker), Kuroda Shogen (bamboo craftsman and ladle maker), Tsuchida Yuko (pouch maker), Eiraku Zengoro (brazier maker and potter), Raku Kichizaemon (tea bowl maker), Nakamura Sotetsu (lacquerer), Onishi Seiuemon (kettle maker), Hiki Ikkan (papier mache style lacquerer) and Komazawa Risai (woodworker).
The lineage of the Komazawa family began with the first generation Sogen in the later 17th century. The second generation headmaster, Sokei, was recognized by the Sen Tea houses, however, it was after the fourth generation, Risai, that they became more deeply involved in the House of Sen. He established a warm friendship with Kakukakusai, the sixth generation of Omote, and was designated as a regular joiner for tea ceremony and given the name of 'Risai'. The seventh Risai, who worked vigorously in the late Edo period and was also an excellent lacquerer as well as a joiner, and brought great fortune with his innovation and re-visioning of the tea ceremony and its utensils in a modernizing world. After the seventh generation, however, one after another the heads of the family died young. The thirteenth Risai lived up to seventy, but suffered the misfortune of losing his son who was born in his later years. After the death of the thirteenth generation, his wife Namie deicided to become the fourteenth Risai and have her daughter Chiyoko succeed her in the future, but the daughter died young in 1961, and she also died in 1977, leaving the position vacant to this day.

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).

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 small round gourd: polished, cut and decorated inside with delicate fronds in gold on black maki-e. This is superb. It is 3 inches diameter (7.5 cm) and in perfect condition, enclosed in a quality old kiri-wood box. .

A variety of saya lacquer-style samples enclosed in a set of stacking boxes titled Nuri-Hon. Thirty samples covering inlays, various techniques such as nejiri, powdered shell, byakudan, wakasa, and tsugaru techniques. Each sample is roughly 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) lng, the boxes 7-1/2 x 4 x 1 inches (19 x 10 x 2 cm). Very rare and overall in fine condition, dating from the later Edo. This is from a collection of scholar items we are currently offering from the estate of a Kyoto family involved in literati and art movements from the later Edo period on.

The red walls of a mountain monastery appear between the precipitous crags on this large scale painting by Komura Suiun enclosed in the original signed wooden box c. 1920. The composition escalates, guiding ones vision past the lone occupant of the mountain monastery to the quatrain in the top corner. The mature technique of a master painter; it is performed with ink and light color on silk in a fine silk border with large, solid ivory rollers. The scroll measures 26 x 79 inches (65 x 201 cm) and is in excellent condition. Suiun (1874-1945) was born in Gunma prefecture, and studied the Nanga style under Tazaki Soun. He exhibited with the Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai and Bunten, and served as a juror for the later. He was instrumental in the foundation of the Nihon Nanga-in and was appointed a member of the Imperial Art Academy. His works are held in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo among many others.

A superb example of the mastery of Bizen Saiku-mono sculptures by Nishimura Shunko dating to the pre-war era. The musculature and bone structure of the creature is clearly visible, and it wears a cloak of ash glaze like fur, the tail actually covered in dry “goma” textured ash, and the lower extremities showing a fine assortment of Hi-iro flame colors on the raw clay. Stylistically there appears to be some influence of the pottery technique of Okinawan Shisa (lions). This is very likely, as the potteries of Kyushu and Okinawa held sway over the Mingei movement originating in the 1920s and 30s, when Shunko was at the peak of his abilities. The beast is roughly 10 inches (25 cm) tall and in excellent condition. It is signed Shunko Saku (Made by Shunko) inside the hollow body followed by the artists double mountain kiln symbol.
Nishimura Shunko (Yasujiro, 1886-1953) was, along with Kaneshige Toyo and Mimura Tokei one of the three pillars of Bizen pottery during the first half of the 20th century, and one credited with saving it from extinction. Born in Kyoto, he studied Japanese Painting before moving to study Awata Yaki pottery techniques under Aoyama Shunko (from whom he received his name) and then under the first Suwa Sozan. He moved to Inbe (Okayama Prefecture, home of Bizen) in 1909, where he established a kiln and became known for saiku-mono or ceramic sculptures. His genius was quickly recognized, and his works were collected by the Imperial family and given as gifts to foreign dignitaries. He served as a ceramics instructor for two years in Korea during the Taisho period. He also taught potters like Urakami Zenji (1914-2006). He was named a bearer of intangible cultural properties for his lifes work in 1942. Several works by him are held in the Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art.

Gnarled plums cover the unusual rich blue ground of this antique tsubo vase from the Arita kilns dating from the early 20th century. It is 14-1/2 inches (37 cm) tall and in fine condition, signed on the base. The decoration is performed entirely in overglaze enamels with a gold rim,and is both vivid and fresh. One of the more unusual pieces I have seen from this region. It is signed on the base in Red Arita sei Miyuki Gama

A very unusual pale yellow-green (kiji) porcelain vase in the shape of a Chinese Gu by Seiji Celadon master Suwa Sozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Fretwork and a roiling dragon body have been softly engraved into the sides; the slightest variation in tone the only hint to the subtle design-work. The vase is 11-1/2 inches (29 cm) tall, 6 inches (15 cm) diameter and in fine condition. Sozan (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. His name became synonymous with celadon and refined porcelain. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter upon his death. He is held in the Kyoto National Museum among many others. Sozan Torako was born in Kanazawa in 1890, and was soon adopted by her uncle, Suwa Sozan I. Her ceramics resemble those of Sozan I, but are considered to be more graceful and feminine. Torako assumed the family name upon her uncles death in 1922. She is held in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency among others. General consensus seems to be this is the work of Sozan II, but likely by subject matter while still under the watchful eye of her father.