Catalog (185)

A carved wood figure of a wandering priest, robes billowing in the wind, his large straw hat full of holes, signed Yasuchika on the back. Dating from the late Edo to Meiji period, it is by a member of the Tsuchiya Yasuchika lineage. The figure is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition, complete with walking stick.

A staggeringly beautiful set of unique Cloisonne vases featuring opposing designs of red flowers on white and white flowers on red. Each is roughly 15 cm (6 inches) diameter, 36.5 cm (14-1/2 inches) tall and are both in excellent condition, enclosed in a compartmentalized kiri-wood collector’s box dating from the middle of the 20th century.
Japanese cloisonné, known as "shippo-yaki" in Japanese, has a rich history dating back to ancient times, but it particularly flourished during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Cloisonné is an ancient technique of decorating objects, typically made of copper or bronze, with colored enamel. The origins of cloisonné in Japan can be traced back to the Nara period (710-794), when the technique was introduced from China and Korea. However, it was during the late 19th century that Japanese cloisonné gained international recognition. During the Meiji period, Japan underwent rapid modernization and industrialization. As part of this process, the Japanese government actively promoted traditional crafts as a means of showcasing Japanese culture to the world. Cloisonné was one of the crafts that experienced a revival during this time. Japanese cloisonné became extremely popular in Europe and the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was exhibited at world's fairs and international exhibitions, where it received acclaim for its exquisite craftsmanship and intricate designs.

A stellar modernist form with of cast bronze by Yamamuro Hyakusei in the form of a droplet splashing up as it hits the liquid surface. It is 25 cm (10 inches) diameter, 34.5cm (13-3/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition, enclosed in a custom kiri-wood collector’s box and is signed on the base Hyakusei.
Yamamuro Hyakusei (1900-1990) was a bronze casting artist born in Toyama prefecture. After graduating from Toyama Prefectural Takaoka Crafts School in 1919, he entered Hattori Watch Shop, working his way up to head of the arts and crafts department. In 1958, he won the Art Academy Award for his Bronze Flat Footed Vase. After retiring in 1961, he devoted himself to casting metal. He exhibited with and later also served as a Nitten Juror. He died on October 31, 1990. 89 years old. Work by him is held in the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and Chiba Prefectural Museum among others.

Phoenix soar among golden clouds on this amazing Lacquer box made for holding a Tsuzumi drum by Miura Meiho (1900-1975) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Houn Maki-e Tuzumi Bako. It is bound with silk chord which is held to the box with solid silver hardware. Inside it is lined with brocade. The box is 30.5 x 24 x 24.5 cm (12 x 9-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches) an is in perfect condition.

A beautifully crafted cast, carved, and parcel gilt bronze image of a samurai pulling back, arrow nocked, ready to let fly, signed in a metal cartouche on back Shunko-saku (made by Shunko). It is roughly 27.5 cm (11 inches) to the top of his hat, 25 cm (10 inches) from forefinger to elbow. The warrior is calm, determined, with a look of deep concentration in his inlaid eyes. He wears an eboshi, a formal type of hat, and is dressed in sumptuous, loose fitting robes with leggings and braces to protect his arms and legs. A short sword juts from his waist. The warrior's robes and pants feature large wagon wheel mon, known as genji guruma. The signed box identifies the figure as Minamoto no Tametomo (1139 - 1170) was a celebrated historical samurai of the Heian Period. Known for his impressive archery skills, he features as one of the epic warriors of the Hogen Rebellion, a precursor to the Genpei War. It is in excellent condition.

An unprecedented 19th century ceramic sculpture of a tumble of Shishi lions in a playful fight covered in unusual green-blue glaze. The Banko mark is impressed into the white clay of the base. It is very unusual to find large sculptures or works in Banko ware. This is 30 × 25 x 26.5 cm (12 x 10 x 10-1/2 inches) and in excellent condition. It comes in a box titled Okimono Banko-yaki Gyoku (Jade?) Shishi, with an inscription inside stating it was named a famous piece of the Shrine in July of 1920.
Banko ware began in the mid Edo period with the establishment of a small kiln in Kuwanocho, Mie prefecture, by the merchant, potter and Tea aficionado Nunami Rozan who stamped his works with his store name Banko. He studied in Kyoto and other regional kilns and created a name for himself in tea circles. The pottery died with Rozan, however was revived in the late Edo period specializing in Sencha tea ware and earthenware eating utensils.

A radical Bizen Mizusashi with two lacquered wooden lids enclosed in a black lacquered wooden box with gold lacquer writing titled Samidare which is in turn enclosed in a kiri-wood storage box by the same title compartmentalized to allow the lids to be stored safely. Samidare is a poetic reading for Rain of the Fifth Month (June in the traditional calendar). It has a seal of overlapping rings impressed into the earth of the base, and dates from the Edo period. The lids are for differing events, one black lacquered, the other covered with gorgeous gold and silver maki-e clouds with a soaring nightingale in gold, inside the ghost of a crescent moon. The Vessel itself is crusted with ash and dribbles of ocher with kutsuki on the side where something adhered to it in the firing. Inside the trials of the artist fingers are clearly visible. The receptacle is 23 x 20 x 15 cm (9 x 8 x 6 inches) ad is in overall excellent original condition. A very impressive presentation. Inside the Kiri box is written that the piece was viewed by The honorable Mr. Inoue upon his visit in Meiji 45 (1912). Inside the black lacquered lid is a paper tablet which reads Matsue-jo Nushi Fumaiko Hakogaki (Box written by Fumaiko of Matsue Castle).
Among the successive lords of the Matsue domain was the 7th lord of the Matsudaira family, famous tea master and Zen acolyte Harusato Matsudaira (1751-1818). He is known by many people simply as Fumai, the name he took after shaving his head in retirement in 1806. At the age of 17 he became the lord of the fief; the domain was in dire financial trouble. Harusato appointed Goho Asahi Tanba as chief retainer and promoted a fiscal reconstruction plan. While making great efforts to reduce expenditures, such as reducing debts within the domain and reviewing the domain's personnel structure, they also sought to increase income through industrial promotion measures such as the cultivation of medicinal ginseng and wax. He succeeded in restoring the domain's prosperity. After rebuilding the domain's finances, he focused his efforts on collecting tea utensils that had been scattered one after another from feudal lords of the time. The collected items were later called ``Unshu specialties,'' and are highly valued by lovers of tea ceremony and art. Harusato's great achievement in the history of the tea ceremony was his 18-volume book, in which he further classified famous tea utensils. He also promoted arts and crafts within the Matsue domain, supporting many craftsmen in the worlds of pottery, lacquer, and woodwork.

A pair of vases in the shape of old wooden well buckets (tsurube) in white glaze upon which is scrawled in beautiful grass scrip a poem by Otagaki Rengetsu. The poem reads: Yamazato wa
matsu no koe nomi
kiki nare te
kaze fuka nu hi wa
sabishikari keri
Which translates as:
Living deep in the mountains
I’ve grown fond
of the soughing pines
On days when the wind is still
how lonely it is
Each is roughly 15 cm (just under 6 inches) square 18.5 cm (7-1/4 inches) tall and both are in excellent condition. ).
Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) was 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.

Pink and blue iris blossom among the green promise of Spring promised on this elegant vase by Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kozan enclosed in a wooden box annotated by the current head of the Makuzu Family in Kyoto, Makuzu Kosai. It is titled Yukasai Shobu no zu Kabin. It is 30.7 cm (12 inches) tall 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.

First we hear the clang of the hammer striking the bell, then the steadily approaching clop of his wooden shoes before the horrifying creature dressed in the robes of an itinerant priest appears; a ledger in one hand noting our sins. This is a very rare ceramic figurine by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nenbutsu Oni and bearing the seal of the imperial Art Academy. It is 30 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition. He would have originally held a hammer, no longer extant. This summer, among other works by this artist, one of these sculptures, a one-eyed goblin, was on display at the Kyoto Kyocera Museum; part of their Imperial Art Academy Exhibition.
The Oni no Nenbutsu is one of the more popular figures from Otsu-e; a folk painting tradition from the town on the outskirts of Kyoto; the first or last stop coming to or leaving the capitol on the old Tokaido road. A pantheon of almost 200 characters, one of the most popular was the goblin, which came into vogue in the 18th century. Although the western goblin is a symbol of evil in religious iconography, in the Otsu-e tradition the symbol was used to satirize human folly and to remind people of the consequences of their actions. Other goblin images present remonstrations against arrogance, hypocrisy and carelessness. Utagawa Kuniyoshi created a woodblock print depicting the Otsu-e figures coming to life.
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 exceedingly rare (in fact the only one I have ever seen) Tenmoku-Dai stand for a Tenmoku Chawan by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kuruwa Tenmoku Dai (Curved Circular Tea Bowl Stand). It is made of layer upon layer of lacquer, carved with scrolling designs revealing the depth of the lacquer in a style known as Guri. The artist has carved his seal into the inside of the base. It is 15 cm (6 inches) diameter7.5 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Sozan I (1852-1922) was born in Kutani country, present day Ishikawa prefecture, where he initially studied before moving to Tokyo in 1875. Over the next 25 years he would gravitate between Tokyo and Kanazawa, working at various kilns and research facilities. He again relocated, this time to Kyoto in 1900 to manage the Kinkozan Studio before establishing his own. His name became synonymous with celadon and refined porcelain and was one of only five potters to be named Teishitsu Gigei-in. The Teishitsu Gigei-in were members of the Imperial Art Academy, Perhaps in modern terms one might call them the predecessors to the Living National Treasures. However unlike the LNT, there were only five Pottery artists ever named Teishitsu Gigei-in, Ito Tozan, Suwa Sozan, Itaya Hazan, Miyagawa Kozan, and Seifu Yohei III. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter upon his death. He is held in the Kyoto National Museum among many others.

Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original wooden box titled Kagyu-tsuki Take Kake-hana-ire (Bamboo Hanging Vase with Snail) bearing the Teishitsu Gigei-in Seal of the Imperial Art Academy signed inside “Sozan, with Amateur Skill” followed by the artists seal in red. It is 49 cm long and in excellent condition. The only other I have ever seen in this style is published in the rare 1971 book Suwa Sozan Sakuhin Shu page 59.
Sozan I (1852-1922) was born in Kutani country, present day Ishikawa prefecture, where he initially studied before moving to Tokyo in 1875. Over the next 25 years he would gravitate between Tokyo and Kanazawa, working at various kilns and research facilities. He again relocated, this time to Kyoto in 1900 to manage the Kinkozan Studio before establishing his own. His name became synonymous with celadon and refined porcelain and was one of only five potters to be named Teishitsu Gigei-in. The Teishitsu Gigei-in were members of the Imperial Art Academy, Perhaps in modern terms one might call them the predecessors to the Living National Treasures. However unlike the LNT, there were only five Pottery artists ever named Teishitsu Gigei-in, Ito Tozan, Suwa Sozan, Itaya Hazan, Miyagawa Kozan, and Seifu Yohei III. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter upon his death. He is held in the Kyoto National Museum among many others.

A crow at rest upon a rock raises its head in a gruff cry by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Karasu Okimono. It is pierced in the back, allowing it to be an oki-koro incense burner. It is 34 cm (13-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. A nearly identical piece was published in the 1923 book Sozan Toko, attributed to his late period.
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 exceptional Oki-goro Incense Burner in the shape of a dark glazed Catfish by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Namazu Koro dated the 6th month of Taisho 10 (1921). This would have been placed over a dish in which a burning incense cone would have been placed. It is 48 cm (18-1/2 inches) long, 23 cm (9 inches) tall and appears in excellent condition. A blacklight reveals a color repair at the base of the tail and at the position where the dorsal fin rises from the back. A similar figure can be seen in the rare 1923 book Sozan no Toki.
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.

One of the most unusual pieces I have ever seen from this innovative artist, an octopus shaped Koro by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box bearing the Teishitsu Gigei-in seal of the Imperial Art Academy. The bulbous top of the head is removable along a line as if the creature were wearing a hachimaki head band, revealing the incense chamber within. It is 26.5 cm (10-1/2 inches) tall, 19.5 cm (roughly 8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Sozan I (1852-1922) was born in Kutani country, present day Ishikawa prefecture, where he initially studied before moving to Tokyo in 1875. Over the next 25 years he would gravitate between Tokyo and Kanazawa, working at various kilns and research facilities. He again relocated, this time to Kyoto in 1900 to manage the Kinkozan Studio before establishing his own. His name became synonymous with celadon and refined porcelain and was one of only five potters to be named Teishitsu Gigei-in. The Teishitsu Gigei-in were members of the Imperial Art Academy, Perhaps in modern terms one might call them the predecessors to the Living National Treasures. However unlike the LNT, there were only five Pottery artists ever named Teishitsu Gigei-in, Ito Tozan, Suwa Sozan, Itaya Hazan, Miyagawa Kozan, and Seifu Yohei III. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter upon his death. He is held in the Kyoto National Museum among many others.

An exquisite lacquered box covered in gold powder prominently bearing the imperial crest given as a gift to Baron Nakamura Satoru in Meiji 44 (1911). According to the inside of the lid this box was created for the Meiji emperor and given in gratitude to the Baron for his support in creating the Keanfu memorial for fallen soldiers of the Russo-Japanese war. The box is an exquisite example of Imperial splendor featuring leaves tinged with kiri-gane gold inlay over powdered gold on a surface dusted with gold and blue-gold powder. It is 20.5 x 24.5 x 13.5 cm (10 x 8 x 5-1/2 inches) and in perfect condition.
Baron Nakamura Satoru (18 March 1854 – 29 January 1925) was a career soldier in the early Imperial Japanese Army, serving during the Russo-Japanese War, and was an aide-de-camp to Emperor Taishō. He was born the second son of a samurai of Hikone (present-day Shiga Prefecture). Joining the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army in July 1871, he was promoted to corporal in November 1873. After attending the Imperial Army Academy, he was commissioned second lieutenant in November 1874. He fought as an officer in the 2nd Brigade during the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 then was assigned to the Imperial Army General Staff Office from March 1879. After promotion to Major he became a battalion commander with the 10th Infantry Regiment. He served as an instructor at the Army Staff College from December 1889. Nakamura was appointed aide-de-camp to the Crown Prince (the future Emperor Taishō) in December 1891, and promoted to lieutenant colonel in September 1892. During the First Sino-Japanese War, he served as Aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Japan from the end of October 1894 and was promoted to colonel in December of the same year. In April 1897, he was given command of the 46th Infantry Regiment, which served as a garrison force in Taiwan. He was promoted to major general in September 1899. From April 1900, he was chief-of-staff of the military bureau of the Governor-General of Taiwan. In March 1902, Nakamura was assigned command of the 2nd Brigade, which deployed to Manchuria in March 1904 as part of the Japanese Third Army at the start of the Russo-Japanese War. The unit served with distinction during the Battle of Nanshan. During the Siege of Port Arthur Nakamura led a force named the Shirodasukitai, after the distinctive white tasuki used for visibility and identification in the darkness of a pre-dawn attack. The Shirodasukitai assaulted the Russian fortifications three times, taking great casualties. Nakamura was himself wounded during the assault on the night of 26 November 1904, during which most of his 4,500 man unit was annihilated with no significant result.
He continued in command positions and in September 1907, he was made a baron (danshaku) in the kazoku peerage system. At the end of December 1908, he was once again Aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Japan. In September 1914, he served as resident-general of the Kwantung Leased Territory.　In January 1915, he was promoted to full general. During World War I he was appointed to sit the Supreme War Council in 1917. On his death, he was posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays.

A diminutive image of Hotei (Putai) the lucky god of fortune from the Edo period kilns of the Matsudaira clan of Matsue in their distinct golden color. It is 4.5 x 3.3 x 4 cm tall and is in excellent condition. Fushina-yaki was the Goyogama clan kiln of the Matsudaira of Matsue Han in modern day Izumo, established around 1764. It fell strongly under the aesthetic taste of Matsudaira Harusato (1751-1818) Daimyo of the province and one of the most influential Tea Masters of the later Edo period. His style of ceremony continues to this day as the Fumai-ryu style of tea.
Flagging in the late 19th century, artists such as the great scholar and Nanga artist Tanomura Chokunyu sought to revitalize it, and came to Shimane to decorate the works or to teach decoration and painting techniques. It became an important influence on the Mingei movement and was visited by Bernard Leach, Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro in the early 20th century.

A Bairin Yaki Suiteki water dropper in the shape of an eggplant and bowl covered in that quintessential Bairin purple and green glaze flowing into the water bowl. It is 10.5 x 6 x 4.5 cm (4 x 2-1/4 x 2 inches and is in overall nice condition, with miniscule chips repaired on the rim. Suiteki are used to provide water for grinding ink on an ink stone.
Bairin Yaki was a resurrection of the ancient Omi style of ceramic called Zeze favored by Kobori Enshu and Honami Koetsu. Zeze Yaki died out in the mid 1600s, but was reestablished by Odawara Ihe-e sometime during the Tenmei Era (1781-1789), with brighter colors. It was, however not long lived, and appears to have died out again sometime in the 1840s. It was again revitalized in the Late Edo and Meiji eras under the name Seta-yaki, and again the lineage died in the Taisho period. An unusual opportunity for the collector of Japanese ceramics.