Catalog: Archives: Regional Art: Asian (640)

The tanuki rests, energy spent, among fallen bamboo leaves lit by the crescent moon, only those yellow eyes alert and watchful. A beautiful pigment on silk painting signed Seiei enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is bordered in patterned green silk and features bone rollers. The scroll is 21-1/2 x 76-1/2 inches (55 x 194 cm) and in overall fine condition.

A crow stands stark against a dark landscape, the last vestiges of autumn clinging to frozen branches as the landscape settles with snow. Below water surrenders to gravity as it drops into the unseen depths. Ink and light color on silk in a green silk border patterned with tangled vines and featuring stag antler rollers. It is 19 x 76-1/2 inches (48 x 194 cm) and in overall great condition.
Tanaka Raisho (1867-1940) was born in Shimane prefecture, into an important household which fell to ills after the Imperial restoration in 1867. So giving up his dreams to study in Kyoto, he became a traveling artist, painting for fees in the mountainous areas of Hiroshima and Shimane, going from village to village and sending his earnings home to help the family. With copies of the work of Mori Kansai, he was self taught; only making it to Kyoto at the age of 36. A very late start for an artist at that time. After moving to Tokyo, and despite his age, he was accepted into the circle of Kawabata Gyokusho (1842-1913) and flourished under his tutelage, garnering much acclaim at the Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai Exhibition, and Teiten/Bunten National Exhibitions. However after the great Kanto earthquake of 1923 destroyed the city, he returned to Hiroshima where he lived out his final years.

A large porcelain vase by Miyanaga Tozan decorated with a garden scene of young pine growing up around a large stone brushed by Yamamoto Shunkyo and enclosed in a double wooden box signed by both artists. It comes with the pictured rosewood stand in a separate section in the box. The vase is 12 inches (31cm) tall 8 inches (20 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Yamamoto Shunkyo (1871-1933) was born in Otsu, Shiga prefecture in 1871, and came to study traditional Shijo painting in Kyoto under Kono Bairei, Nomura Bunkyo and Mori Kansai from whom he acquired his dexterity with brush and draw from life ideals yet never left his roots in Otsu far behind, always happy to do a quick sketch with minimal effort in the abbreviated hybrid Otsu style. He was also an avid mountaineer, and observation on such outings give his landscapes a sense of depth lacking in traditional art of the era. Shunkyo also was heavily influenced by photography and Western perspective and light. Widely exhibited in his youth he was offered a professorship at the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts in 1899, where his semi-realistic style came to have a strong influence on the early 20th century Nihonga painters from Kyoto. He was appointed a member of the Imperial Art Academy, and was exhibited often both inside and outside Japan including the St. Louis World Exposition. He is held in the collections of numerous museums, including the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art Tokyo and Boston Museum among others.
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 beautiful lacquered wooden box and tray carved with leaves on an orange peel ground signed Tamehiko on bottom and dated 1932, enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 14 x 11 x 8 cm (5-1/2 x 4-1/4 x 3-1/4 inches) and is in excellent condition.

A bronze vase of mountainous form by Nakajima Yasumi I patinated in his signature mottled red-brown and enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The vase is 9-1/2 inches (24 cm) tall, 8 inches (20.5 cm wide and in excellent condition. Nakajima Toyoji, (d. 1950) first came to notice in 1908, receiving an award at the Senkatsu Kinen Exhibition. He was a consistent exhibitor with the Teiten-Nitten national exhibitions, He 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 and was subsequently prized there. His work is held in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency and he served as mentor to a generation of young bronze artists.

A noborigama (multiple chamber climbing kiln) ascends the right side of this wildly brushed Autumnal Nihonga screen signed Takuji, which dates from the late 1920s or 1930s. Drastically contorted thatched buildings are shaded by a massive leafless tree which dominates the center of the scene. A few remaining leaves dangling after winters first frosts, shine with gold about the edges. The back ground is a milieu of rich blues and blacks, shaded with the ghosts of winter trees, the whole awash with mica, giving it an ethereal glow. In the foreground smoke drifts from where unglazed pots are being fired in a small subterranean kiln in the garden, and others are drying under the thatched annex on the left, while the craftsmen carry pots and wood to the kiln in preparation for firing. Nothing is within scale, yet the artist has managed to balance the extreme manga style work with the two dimensional charm which epitomizes traditional Japanese painting. The screen measures 68 by 74-1/2 inches (173 x 189 cm) and retains the original silk backing which is in fine condition. This is one of the most interesting screens we have ever owned. The eye is constantly pulled to a new aspect or view, and although it has been standing here in the office for almost two months (unprecedented) I have yet to tire of its interest. It is likely the screen is an early work by Koide Takuji (1904-1978) as, were one to take the radical brushwork of his Youga sketches and give them a Nihonga flair, the result would be something which looks very much like this. It was after all, in the 1930s, that the Japanese government took the ideology that Nihonga was the only true art in Japan, and a great many young artists practiced the genre.

Peach bands of silk arranged in vertical columns stagger across six feet of Kesa interspersed with colorful patches featuring flowers and geometrics. The Kesa is backed with sumptuous orange silk. It is accompanied by a smaller piece of the same design called Ohi, a sash worn along with the Kesa. The Kesa is 78 x 45-1/2 inches (198 x 115.5 cm), the smaller Ohi 12 x 57 inches (30 x 142 cm). A fabulous wall hanging, they likely date from the early 20th century and are overall in very good condition. The unusual pattern of Kesa (Kasaya in Sanskrit) is based on the garment worn by the Buddha, purportedly made by him from scraps of funerary cloths picked up along the banks of the sacred Ganges. It is said the Buddhas Kesa was 10 feet long. The design of kesa is a symbol of the Mandala, the four corners protected by patches representing the four Guardians of the Cardinal points of the universe. At the top of the third and fifth columns are patches representing the Buddhas of benevolence and wisdom. The oldest examples of Kesa in Japan date from the 8th century.

A hand forged antique iron water pot with bronze lid for use in the Japanese Zen Tea Ceremony; handles in the shape of dragonflies embedded in the side. The upper half is grooved with concentric rings; spread wings of the dragonflies conform to the shape of the bowl while jointed bodies project out in 3-D almost 1 inch from the surface. 2 antique iron ring handles (included) are run through the body between the wings. The heavy bronze lid features a 5 petal plum blossom finial. The piece measures 9 inches (23 cm) diameter, 6 inches (15.5 cm) tall and dates from the early 20th century.

A large and stunning vase by Nakamura Shuto made for the Shobido Art Company enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 12 inches (30 cm) tall, 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) across the base and in excellent condition.
Nakamura Shuto I (1865-1928) was born the son of famous Kaga potter of Daishoji Temple Nakamura Shigeichiro from whom, along with Takeuchi Ginshu from the age of 12, he initially studied pottery and painting techniques. Delving into the past he researched and revived ancient kiln techniques. From 1906 he took the name Shuto, and became famous throughout Japan for superb quality ceramics. Suddenly in Taisho 2 (1913) he switched to painting and design, and then in 1917 combined the two disciplines in a new approach using a kiln he created in his home. Works by him are held in the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum among others. Shobido has been commissioning works with first rate artists and craftsmen for its own facilities and top Department stores since 1900. Founded by Eto Eikichiro at the height of the salon era, it served as a focal point for art, and they scoured the country for artists and craftsmen in all fields. During the strict war years their business suffered under the laws against excess, and finally the studio was completely destroyed in the bombing of Osaka in 1945. The second generation took over in 1946, working to re-establish the company and connecting with Hanshin Department Store, slowly growing while promoting the cultural heritage of Japan. They are now in the 113th year.

A cascade of flora drapes from the neck of this gorgeous piece by Seifu Yohei IV. It is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in perfect condition. Quite large for a work by Seifu, it is marked on the base with an incised signature.
Seifū Yohei IV (Seizan: 1872-1946) was born the second son of Seifū Yohei III (1851-1914). He studied literati-style painting under Tanomura Shōsai (1845-1909), a son of Tanomura Chokunyū, in Osaka for three years. In 1914, he succeeded to the head of the family and produced works mostly in his father’s style. He won a number of prizes including the Golden Prize at the Panama Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco in 1916 and the exhibitions of the Japan Art Association in 1916 and 1918. He produced several works for members of the Imperial family.

A set of stacking brass coasters in the shape of a cannon shell complete with dial settings on the warhead made for the Shobido company in the 1930s or 40s and enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Stacked it is 10 inches (25 cm) tall, 3 inches (7.5 c) diameter and in excellent condition.
Shobido has been commissioning works with first rate artists and craftsmen for its own facilities and top Department stores since 1900. Founded by Eto Eikichiro at the height of the salon era, it served as a focal point for art, and they scoured the country for artists and craftsmen in all fields. During the strict war years their business suffered under the laws against excess, and finally the studio was completely destroyed in the bombing of Osaka in 1945. The second generation took over in 1946, working to re-establish the company and connecting with Hanshin Department Store, slowly growing while promoting the cultural heritage of Japan. They are now in the 113th year.

An interesting comment on the circle of life, the huge cicada, with only a three day (above ground) life, is dissected and carried away by a line of tiny ants, birth and death, the mighty and the tiny, and the cycle of life continues. This image is by Ishikawa Chikuson and comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is performed with ink and light color on handmade paper, mounted in a field of soft-blue silk extended with beige. The scroll is 22 x 48-1/2 inches (55 x 123 cm) and is in overall fine condition. Ishikawa Chikuson (1884-1952) was born in Tokyoand was given his mothers name. At the age of 18 he apprenticed under Matsumoto Fuko and Suzuki Kason. Much lauded at the time, he moved to Nagoua after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 destroyed his studio, establishing a studio and a following in his new home, but was again, later in life, displaced by war and the allied bombing of Nagoya. He took refuge in rural Mie prefecture. After the signing of peace terms, he returned to the barren Nagoya where he took a job as a postal worker while rebuilding his studio.

Gentlemen glide through the open “ma” staring up at the moon on this serene work signed Joun (One of many names used by the priest Hashimoto Dokuzan). Ink on paper in superb Shunpodo Silk mounting (THE preeminent scroll hangers in Kyoto) enclosed in a signed double wood box (niju-bako) dated 1935 with solid ivory rollers (They will be changed for export). The scroll is 28-1/2 x 53 inches (72 x 134 cm) in excellent condition but for scattered foxing.
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.

Oarsmen battle Tempestuous seas to carry safely home their cargo of courtly women in this vivid scene signed Hakushun dated 1932. The oars bend under the strain of the ferocious seas, the oarsmen pull with all their might. Behind bamboo curtains the young women huddle together, their courtly robes flowing about like the oceans mad waves. A very powerful scene supervised by a noble seated at the back of the small ship, witnessed by a gaggle of cormorants resting on a jagged rock cluster. The silk screen is bordered with an unobtrusive black lacquered wooden frame and measures 9 feet by 55 inches (275 x 140 cm). It is in excellent condition but for some minor marks in the upper portions. Due to the war, which started for Japan in 1932, records on artists for this and following years are scant. However the painting is very much in the style of the artist Matsumura Ichiyo, and Hakushun may have been one of his students.

A truly magnificent vase of pastel blue floral designs on yellow-green body by Miyanaga Tozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 8 inches (20 cm) tall and in excellent condition. It retains the original wooden base. I believe this is by the second generation.
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. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter who brought a refreshing variation of color and delicate touch to the porcelains they produced. The kiln is now in the third generation, run by his grandson.

Porcelain cranes in a lead tree decorate the lacquered top of this gilded wooden box enclosed in the original wooden box titled Romatsu Sokaku Zu (Ancient Pine Two Cranes) and signed Sekka, with signatures of Tozan II (porcelain decoration) and Hyoetsu (lacquer artist) inside. In this case, Kamisaka Sekka produced the design, enlisting two of Kyoto’s then top artisans to complete the work, lacquer artist Miki Hyoetsu I who applied the lead, gold and lacquer and Ito Tozan who created the ceramic cranes and pine boughs. The box is in unused condition, containing the original stone and water-dropper and two brushes still wrapped in paper. It is 25.5 x 10 x 3.5 cm (10 x 4 x 1-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Kamisaka 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 Nouveau 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.
Ito Tozan I (1846-1920) began as a painter in the Maruyama school studying under Koizumi Togaku. In 1862 he became a pupil of Kameya Kyokutei, as well as studying under Takahashi Dohachi III and Kanzan Denshichi (who made the dishes for the imperial table). In 1867, with the fall of the Edo government, he opened his kiln in Eastern Kyoto. Much prized at home, he was also recognized abroad at the Amsterdam, Paris and Chicago World Expositions. With an emphasis on Awata and Asahi wares of Kyoto, he began to use the name Tozan around 1895. In 1917 he was named a member of the Imperial Art Academy, one of only five potters ever given that title, and like his teacher Denshichi, created the dishes from which the Imperial family would eat. He worked very closely with his adopted son, Ito Tozan II (1871-1937). He too began life as a painter, but his talent was seen by Tozan I, who adopted him and converted him to pottery, where he both succeeded and excelled as a member of one of Kyotos most well known pottery families.
Miki Hyoetsu I was born in 1877, establishing a line of craftsman which lasts to this day. He was exhibited at the Shotoku Taishi Ten and Paris World Exposition among others.

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.

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.