Catalog (228)

A fabulous large porcelain vase by Daimaru Hokuho (Hoppoo) complete with a rosewood base enclosed in the original signed and compartmentalized wooden box titled Konko-yu Semi Monkizami Kabin (Golden Yellow Glazed Vase inscribed with Cicada Patterns). The vase is a perfect example of the Sinophile aesthetic that permeated Japanese art in the early 20th century. The baluster form rises to frets in the shape of stylized cicada under a belt of archaic figures and yotsu-domoe (yin-yang) symbols. It is 21 cm (just more than 8 inches) diameter 36.5 cm (14-3/4 inches) tall plus the base and is in excellent condition.
Daimaru Hokuho (also called Hoppo, 1879-1959 ) 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 ceramic painting by Seishichi Okura at the Kutani Ceramic Company of the Kutani tradition before moving to Kyoto in 1899 to study porcelain throwing and decoration there. In 1906, he was invited to teach at the Hunan Ceramics Department in Hunan Province, China, and devoted himself to research on Chinese ceramics, returning to Japan where he took up residence again in Kyoto in 1909 and began making ceramics, mainly tea utensils and sencha utensils. He exhibited many works at exhibitions, receiving numerous accolades, and his works were purchased by the Imperial Household Agency. Daimaru Hokuho II (Tatsuo, b. 1926) studied under both his father as well as both Kiyomizu Rokubei V and VI. He exhibited frequently with the Nitten National Exhibition, where he would serve as a judge.

A set of five lacquer lined covered bowls made from natural gourds enclosed in an age darkened wooden box titled Hyo Suimono Wan indicating they are for serving thin soup to cleanse the palate between courses. In Japanese cuisine, presentation is everything. Texture and color may in fact be more important than flavor. The dishes used as well, should be a feast for the eyes, and you will find every aspect of the traditional meal is presented in its own unique setting. These bowls are 7 to 8.5 cm (roughly 3 inches plus) diameter, 7 cm tall (roughly 3 inches) and all are in excellent condition. According to Arigatojapan, Suimono, literally meaning 'dish to sip,' is a refreshing type of clear soup that is meant to cleanse the palate in between dishes. Often very light and slightly umami in taste, it is one of the oldest and most traditional foods in Japanese cuisine.

Polished layered-lacquer lozenges are inlayed into the surface of this fabulous Art-Deco era vase by important Japanese Bronze artist Yamamoto Junmin. The lacquered pieces have been cut and polished from variously colored layered lacquer. The vase is signed on the base Junmin, and measures 27.5 cm (11 inches) diameter, 18.5 cm (7-1/4 inches) tall. It is in excellent condition.
Yamamoto Junmin (1882 – 1962) learned the metal arts under Katori Hotsuma (Hozuma) and Asakura Fumio at the Tokyo University of Art. Living in Nara, the ancient capital, he was one of the finest metal workers of his age, carrying on the Edo-doki tradition through the early Showa era while also incorporating many ideas and innovations from Art Deco into hos oeuvre. His work was exhibited with the Teiten/Bunten National Exhibitions many times before the second world war, and with the Nitten National Exhibition post-war. The National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto holds two works by this important bronze artist, as well as the Metal Art Museum Hikarinotani.

An elegant vase by Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kozan retaining the original wooden base enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seika Take-no-Zu Kabin. It is 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter, 14 cm (5-1/2 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.

A solitary thatched hermitage rises on the top of this stony crag set onto a beautifully carved and signed rosewood stand. Together they are 7.5 x 11.5 x 13 cm (3 x 4-1/2 x 5 inches) and in excellent condition. The box is titled Yasegawa-ishi, inside signed Seicho and dated a fortunate day in the second month of 1936.

Toast the new years with this solid silver sake set made for celebrations. 3 solid silver cups, as well as a beautifully shaped silver sake kettle with lid, each piece bearing the jun-gin (Pure or 100 percent silver) mark. They come enclosed in a wooden box titled Jungin-sei Shuki (Solid Silver Sake Set). The kettle is 13 cm diameter, 18 cm wide at the spout. The largest cup is 12 cm (4-3/4 inches) diameter. In total the set weighs 757 grams, or 1.65 pounds of pure silver!

A dynamic early porcelain work in vivid color by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Futatsuki Kajutu Mon Kashiki (Sweets dish decorated with fruit) bearing his real name, indicating it predates his taking the name Rokubei in 1945. The box bears the seal of the Hattori Tokeiten, purveyors of fine art in Pre-war Japan. The porcelain is 19.7 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, signed on the bottom.
The Kiyomizu family potters managed one of the most productive workshops in Kyoto’s Gojozaka district throughout the second half of the Edo period. From the Meiji they began producing tableware for export and special pieces for government-sponsored exhibitions under Rokubei IV. Rokubei V led the kiln into the 20th century, and his son, Rokubei VI (1901-1980), would assume lead in 1945, taking the kiln through the tumultuous years after the Second World War. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, then the Kyoto Special School of Painting, before apprenticing under his father in 1925. He exhibited frequently and was often prized at the National Bunten, Teiten and Nitten Exhibits, where he later served as judge. He was also lauded abroad, in the USSR, France, Italy, Belgium and was appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy. In 1976 he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit for his lifelong devotion to promoting Japanese pottery traditions. His works are held in numerous museums throughout the globe.

A beautifully sculpted image of a pheasant by Ogawa Yuhei enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 37 cm long and in excellent condition.
Yuhei Ogawa (1885-1945) was born in Takamatsu, Okayama prefecture an came to pottery a bit later than most. In 1923, while working part time at the Naval Hydrographic Department, he was deeply moved by seeing the solo exhibition of ceramic sculptor Kazumasa Numata. This gave him impetus to begin sculpting in his free time. Although he started his career as an artist late at the age of 37, he was selected for the opening exhibition of the newly established arts and crafts department at the Teiten National Exhibition in 1927, and frequently thereafter. He participated in the activities of the Totokai, a group of potters living in the Kanto region, with Itaya Hazan, Numata Kazumasa and Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kozan II serving as advisors, and played an active role as a central artist. In 1934 he was invited to Iwaki Glass Factory as an advisor and created pottery sculptures and glass works for the rest of his life. A sculpture of a black panther is held in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art.

The cormorant prepares to take flight, wings extended, captured in bronze in a moment of excitement, the shapr eyes focused ahead. Captivating realism with simple Art-deco overtones signed below the tail. It is 32 x 36.5 x 25 cm (14-1/2 x 13 x 10 inches) and is in excellent condition. The cormorant, known in Japanese simply as U, is a migratory bird native to the east Palearctic with a range from Taiwan to the Russian Far East. It has a black body with a white throat and cheeks and a partially yellow bill. It is one of the species of cormorant that has been domesticated by fishermen in a tradition known in Japan as ukai. This method of fishing is often depicted in art and is now a popular tourist attraction during the brief Ukai season.

A set of four large scrolls depicting seasonal landscapes by Shirakura Niho enclosed in the original signed double wood box exhibited at the 1936 Nangain-Ten and published in the book Shirakura Niho (page 127 figures 102-107). Ink & Light color on Paper in fine silk mountings, they have been completely cleaned and restored to original perfect condition retaining the original cloth by Kitaoka Hyboido of Kyoto. Each scroll is 66 x 138.5 cm (26 x 54-1/2 inches). A copy of the museum book and our catalog will accompany the set.
Shirakura Kinichiro (Kinro, Niho or Jiho, Kanyu, 1896-1974) was born the first son of lawyer and scholar Shirakura Shigeichi in Shibata city, Niigata. His father was a noted Kangakusha, the pre-modern Japanese study of China; the counterpart of Kokugaku (Japanese Studies) and Yōgaku or Rangaku (Western or “Dutch” Studies). He was initially inducted into the Nanga school of painting at the age of 12 under Hattori Goro. He moved to Tokyo at the age of 17, where he studied Western Oil painting with Oshita Tojiro and watercolor under Ishii Hakutei. Two years later his paintings were first accepted into the 8th Bunten National Exhibition under the name Kinro. That same year his work was honored in the Tokyo Taisho Hakurankai Exposition. In 1915 his paintings were again accepted into the Bunten where they were awarded Nyusen status. Despite his initial successes, he paled on Western painting and in 1917 decided to return to the Nanga school joining his initial teacher Hattori Goro who had relocated to Kyoto and it was from Goro that he received the name Niho which we know he was using by mid 1920 when Hattori fell ill, and Niho moved by introduction to study under Tajika Chikuson. In 1921, along with Komura Suiun, Ikeda Keisen, Yano Kyoson, Mizuta Chikuho, Mitsui Hanzan, and Kono Shuson he became a founding member of the Nihon Nanga-In society of literati artists. That same year his first collection of paintings was published, and he began a two year journey in China, which had become a Mecca for Japanese artists. He would consistently display at the Bunten/Teiten where he was consistently awarded, as well as the Nihon Nanga-In. In 1926 he would move to the tutelage of Komura Suiun in Tokyo, and be awarded at the Fist Shotoku Taishi Art Exhibition. He began exhibiting at the newly formed Nanga Renmei Exhibition in 1937 and in 1938 he established his own art salon. In 1940 he would change his name from Niho to Kanyu. Post war his participation in art expositions becomes sporadic. His final known painting, of Nijo castle, created in 1972 is held in the Kyoto prefectural Archives. Other work by him is held in the collections of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the Kyoto Municipal Kyocera Museum, the Nîgata Prefectural Museum of Art, the Tenmon Museum in Osaka, the Korean National Museum in Seoul, the Smithsonian in Washington DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Kaluz Museum in Mexico City among others.

A beautifully crafted basket by Tanabe Chikuunsai enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hirokuchi Senshu-ami Hanakago (Wide Mouthed Senshu-weave Basket). It is 18 cm (7 inches) diameter, 35 cm (14 inches) tall and retains the original bamboo insert. A similar basket is held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Tanabe Chikuunsai II (1910-2000) was born in Osaka the son of Tanabe Chikuunsai I and trained under his father. In 1930 he became a member of the Naniwa Ranyukai and exhibited was first accepted into the Teiten (Modern Nitten) National Art Exhibition in 1931, and exhibited there both prior to and following the second world war. He assumed the name of Chikuunsai II on the death of his father in 1937. In 1991 he transferred his studio name to his eldest son, who became Chikuunsai III and took the retirement name Ichikusai. Work by him is held in museums throughout the world including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, Museum of Fine Art in Boston, San Francisco Asian Art Museum and aforementioned Minneapolis among many others.

Seasonal Grasses and flowers blossom all about the cream colored surface of this slightly belted vessel by Kiyoizu Rokubei V enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Gohon Akigusa Mizusashi (Water Jar with Autumn Flora on Fawn-spotted Glaze). It is 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter, 14 cm tall (just less than 5 inches) tall and 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 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 glass Bowl by Iwata Toshichi enclosed in the very rare original signed wooden box titled Ryomimitsuki Kajutsumori (Fruit Dish with Two Handles). Inside the box lid is written: For the 2nd Emerging Glass Solo Exhibition Held at Takashimaya in the Early Summer of 1936. It is 28×24 x 8 cm (11 x 9-3/4 x 3 inches) and is in excellent condition. Acquiring a piece by Toshichi with such detail about its past is a decidedly rare opportunity.
Iwata Toshichi (1893-1980) is considered to be the founding father of Modern glass making in Japan. He graduated the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, metal-craft department, in 1918, then proceeded to garner a BA in Western (Oil) Painting in 1923 before moving to study glass under Imamura Shigezo at the Tachibana Glass Factory. He would exhibit his works with the Nitten National Exhibition both before and after the Second World War, serving as a judge there later in life. He received the Japan Art Academy Prize in 1951. In 1972 he established the Japan Glass Art and Crafts Association. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1980 by the Emperor for his lifetime of devotion to the arts. Many of his works have been collected by the The National Museums of Modern Art, both Tokyo and Kyoto, and several pieces are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York among many others.

A beautiful early footed bowl of colored glass with sweeping clear glass handles by Iwata Toshichi enclosed in the rare original signed wooden box titled Sango-Iro Garasu Hachi (Coral Colored Glass Bowl). It is 17.5 cm (7 inches) diameter, 14cm tall (5-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition, bearing the artist seal in gold on the base.
Iwata Toshichi (1893-1980) is considered to be the founding father of Modern glass making in Japan. He graduated the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, metal-craft department, in 1918, then proceeded to garner a BA in Western (Oil) Painting in 1923 before moving to study glass under Imamura Shigezo at the Tachibana Glass Factory. He would exhibit his works with the Nitten National Exhibition both before and after the Second World War, serving as a judge there later in life. He received the Japan Art Academy Prize in 1951. In 1972 he established the Japan Glass Art and Crafts Association. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1980 by the Emperor for his lifetime of devotion to the arts. Many of his works have been collected by the The National Museums of Modern Art, both Tokyo and Kyoto, and several pieces are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York among many others.

A beautiful dark plum colored glass bowl by Iwata Toshichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Glass Bowl and dating from the 1920s to 30s. Attesting to its early origins, it bears the artist stamp on the base, which is rarely seen later. It is roughly 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter, 7 cm (just less than 3 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Iwata Toshichi (1893-1980) is considered to be the founding father of Modern glass making in Japan. He graduated the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, metal-craft department, in 1918, then proceeded to garner a BA in Western (Oil) Painting in 1923 before moving to study glass under Imamura Shigezo at the Tachibana Glass Factory. He would exhibit his works with the Nitten National Exhibition both before and after the Second World War, serving as a judge there later in life. He received the Japan Art Academy Prize in 1951. In 1972 he established the Japan Glass Art and Crafts Association. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1980 by the Emperor for his lifetime of devotion to the arts. Many of his works have been collected by the The National Museums of Modern Art, both Tokyo and Kyoto, and several pieces are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York among many others.

A vibrant image of a paradisaical island over which soar white cranes by Shirakura Kanyu (Niho) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Horai Senkyo-zu. This scroll is signed Kanyu, placing it in or after 1940 , when he changed his art name. It is performed with pigment on silk in a fine silk border with solid ivory rollers (these will be changed if exporting). It is 145 x 65.5㎝ (57 x 26 inches) and is in excellent original condition. A similar scene on two six panel screens spread across 24 feet is held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Shirakura Kinichiro (Kinro, Niho or Jiho, Kanyu, 1896-1974) was born the first son of lawyer and scholar Shirakura Shigeichi in Shibata city, Niigata. His father was a noted Kangakusha, the pre-modern Japanese study of China; the counterpart of Kokugaku (Japanese Studies) and Yōgaku or Rangaku (Western or “Dutch” Studies). He was initially inducted into the Nanga school of painting at the age of 12 under Hattori Goro. He moved to Tokyo at the age of 17, where he studied Western Oil painting with Oshita Tojiro and watercolor under Ishii Hakutei. Two years later his paintings were first accepted into the 8th Bunten National Exhibition under the name Kinro. That same year his work was honored in the Tokyo Taisho Hakurankai Exposition. In 1915 his paintings were again accepted into the Bunten where they were awarded Nyusen status. Despite his initial successes, he paled on Western painting and in 1917 decided to return to the Nanga school joining his initial teacher Hattori Goro who had relocated to Kyoto and it was from Goro that he received the name Niho which we know he was using by mid 1920 when Hattori fell ill, and Niho moved by introduction to study under Tajika Chikuson. In 1921, along with Komura Suiun, Ikeda Keisen, Yano Kyoson, Mizuta Chikuho, Mitsui Hanzan, and Kono Shuson he became a founding member of the Nihon Nanga-In society of literati artists. That same year his first collection of paintings was published, and he began a two year journey in China, which had become a Mecca for Japanese artists. He would consistently display at the Bunten/Teiten where he was consistently awarded, as well as the Nihon Nanga-In. In 1926 he would move to the tutelage of Komura Suiun in Tokyo, and be awarded at the Fist Shotoku Taishi Art Exhibition. He began exhibiting at the newly formed Nanga Renmei Exhibition in 1937 and in 1938 he established his own art salon. In 1940 he would change his name from Niho to Kanyu. Post war his participation in art expositions becomes sporadic. His final known painting, of Nijo castle, created in 1972 is held in the Kyoto prefectural Archives. Other work by him is held in the collections of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the Kyoto Municipal Kyocera Museum, the Nîgata Prefectural Museum of Art, the Tenmon Museum in Osaka, the Korean National Museum in Seoul, the Smithsonian in Washington DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Kaluz Museum in Mexico City among others.

A lonely figure walks home through the forested hills, a rustic scene by Shirakura Kanyu (Niho) from his mature period distinctly blending his early years of training in watercolor under Ishii Hakutei with his later Nanga years. Ink and light color on silk in a superb silk border with solid ivory rollers (these will be changed if exporting). It comes in the original signed double wood box titled Kisho (returning home) and is in excellent condition. This scroll is signed Kanyu, placing it in or after 1940 , when he changed his art name.
Shirakura Kinichiro (Kinro, Niho or Jiho, Kanyu, 1896-1974) was born the first son of lawyer and scholar Shirakura Shigeichi in Shibata city, Niigata. His father was a noted Kangakusha, the pre-modern Japanese study of China; the counterpart of Kokugaku (Japanese Studies) and Yōgaku or Rangaku (Western or “Dutch” Studies). He was initially inducted into the Nanga school of painting at the age of 12 under Hattori Goro. He moved to Tokyo at the age of 17, where he studied Western Oil painting with Oshita Tojiro and watercolor under Ishii Hakutei. Two years later his paintings were first accepted into the 8th Bunten National Exhibition under the name Kinro. That same year his work was honored in the Tokyo Taisho Hakurankai Exposition. In 1915 his paintings were again accepted into the Bunten where they were awarded Nyusen status. Despite his initial successes, he paled on Western painting and in 1917 decided to return to the Nanga school joining his initial teacher Hattori Goro who had relocated to Kyoto and it was from Goro that he received the name Niho which we know he was using by mid 1920 when Hattori fell ill, and Niho moved by introduction to study under Tajika Chikuson. In 1921, along with Komura Suiun, Ikeda Keisen, Yano Kyoson, Mizuta Chikuho, Mitsui Hanzan, and Kono Shuson he became a founding member of the Nihon Nanga-In society of literati artists. That same year his first collection of paintings was published, and he began a two year journey in China, which had become a Mecca for Japanese artists. He would consistently display at the Bunten/Teiten where he was consistently awarded, as well as the Nihon Nanga-In. In 1926 he would move to the tutelage of Komura Suiun in Tokyo, and be awarded at the Fist Shotoku Taishi Art Exhibition. He began exhibiting at the newly formed Nanga Renmei Exhibition in 1937 and in 1938 he established his own art salon. In 1940 he would change his name from Niho to Kanyu. Post war his participation in art expositions becomes sporadic. His final known painting, of Nijo castle, created in 1972 is held in the Kyoto prefectural Archives. Other work by him is held in the collections of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the Kyoto Municipal Kyocera Museum, the Nîgata Prefectural Museum of Art, the Tenmon Museum in Osaka, the Korean National Museum in Seoul, the Smithsonian in Washington DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Kaluz Museum in Mexico City among others.

A set of two incense items carved from blocks of dried lacquer, the surfaces polished to reveal the various layers and colors of lacquer used in a mottled pattern. Truly quite spectacular despite their diminutive size, the koro is 10 x 6 x 7.5 cm (4 x 2-1/4 x 3 inches), the kogo is 4 cm (1-1/2 inches) diameter and both are in excellent condition.