Catalog (201)

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 very large porcelain basin decorated with gold and red fish among green, gold and red flora by Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Gosu-Aka-e Sakana no Zu Hira Bachi. Inside the box bears the Teishitsu Gigein seal, followed by an annotation denoting the artist age at 75 years old. After a long verse which also appears to be by the hand of Kozan it is dated 5th day, 5th month of Taisho 6 (1917). It is 38 cm (15 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
The name Kozan was granted by Prince Yasui-no-Miya in 1851 in honor of the tea ware produced during the later Edo for the imperial Court by the tenth-generation head of the Kyoto pottery family Miyagawa Chozo. The Kozan (Makuzu) kiln as we know it today was established in Yokohama in 1871 by the 11th generation head of the family where he reinvented the family business. He immediately set out on a journey which would propel the Kozan name to International Celebrity status, and send his wares throughout the globe. Pieces produced there were marked Kozan, or Makuzu, the official kiln name, or both. Although he had been running the daily operation since the late 19th century, the first son, Hanzan, succeeded as head of the kiln, in 1912, with the father officially retiring to spend more time on his own research and art. Kozan I dies in 1916. The kiln was run by Hanzan (1859-1940) through the early Showa era, he officially taking the name Kozan II in 1917, after one-year mourning for his father’s 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 unlucky third generation inherited the kiln at the height of the war years, it 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.

Layer upon layer of lacquer has been carved with scrolling designs revealing the depth of the surface in a style known as Guri by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in a wooden box titled Guri Kobon. It is 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 inches) and in excellent condition, the artist seal inlayed in mother of pearl beneath. The box is annotated by his adopted daughter and heir Torako (Suwa Sozan II).
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 large table made of layers of lacquer carved through to reveal the various colors by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Guri Joku and bearing the Teishitsu Gigei-in Seal of the Imperial Art Academy. It is 65 x 40.5 x 20 cm (25-1/2 x 16 x 8 inches) and is in excellent condition. The artists seal is expertly incised into the back of one ball shaped foot.
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 porcelain vase decorated with a delicate depiction in over-glaze enamel of plum and bamboo by Suwa Sozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Gosai Bichiku-e Kabin (Vase with Plum and Bamboo in Five-Color Glaze). A rare work reflecting his roots in Kutani ware. It is 29.5 cm (11-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Suwa 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 iconic work with dynamic floral pattern in pale white on pink by Kiyomizu Rokubei V enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Taireiji Ichirinsashi. It is 19.5 cm (7-3/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition. The vase retains the original wood stand and stamped cloth pouch. Undeniably 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 set of three Chin puppies by Miyagwa (Makuzu) Kozan II published in the book Miyagawa Kozan and the World of Makuzu Ware (Yokohama Museum of Art, 2001) page 144, figure 174. They are roughly 5 x 10 cm (2 x 4 inches) and in excellent condition. They come enclosed in the original signed wooden box.
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 (1859-1940) through the early Showa era, he officially taking the name Kozan II in 1917, after one-year mourning for his father’s 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 unlucky third generation inherited the kiln at the height of the war years, it 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 startling find! A Horned Demon mask dating from the Nanboku-cho to earlier Muromachi eras (14th to 15th centuries) carved from a single block of wood and enclosed in an ancient kiri-wood box. The visage would have once sported a lower jaw, likely suspended by chord, which is no longer extant. It is 21 x 15 x 9 cm (8-1/4 x 6 x 3-13/4 inches) and is in overall fine condition, exuding a great sense of age.
Oni Masks: Oni are a type of horned demon or ogre in Japanese folklore. They are often depicted with fierce expressions, sharp teeth, and horns on their foreheads. Oni masks were commonly used in various traditional Japanese performing arts, including Noh theater, Kyogen (a comedic theater form), and festivals. In Noh and Kyogen plays, Oni characters represented malevolent supernatural beings or disruptive forces. Oni masks were crafted with variations in color and design to represent different types of Oni with distinct personalities and roles in performances.
Horned demons and monstrous beings have been a recurring theme in various art forms and folklore throughout Japanese history. The Hannya mask, with its distinctive design and association with the Noh theater, is one of the most iconic representations of a horned demon in Japanese culture. However, it is just one of the many examples of horned demon imagery that has been present in Japanese artistry throughout history.
The term "Hannya" refers to a vengeful female spirit or demon, often depicted as a hideous and tormented being with sharp fangs and a horned, demonic visage. The character of the Hannya is prevalent in Noh theater, a traditional form of Japanese drama that dates back to the 14th century. Hannya is often portrayed as a woman who transforms into a demon due to overwhelming jealousy, rage, or sorrow. The transformation occurs after experiencing intense emotional pain, particularly from unrequited love or betrayal. As a result, the Hannya's soul becomes consumed by negative emotions, leading to her metamorphosis into a malevolent, otherworldly creature. The Hannya mask is a distinctive and iconic representation of this character. It features a fearsome expression with bulging, angry eyes, a long nose, sharp fangs, and two sharp, upward-curving horns on the forehead. The mask is crafted to express a complex range of emotions, capturing the Hannya's torment, grief, and anger.

A lacquered cabinet for storing Tea accoutrements by Koyama Kogetsu enclosed in the original signed wooden box dated 1931 and titled Tsukiyama Maki-e Kikkyoku (Mon and Hills Maki-e Tea Cabinet). On the door deer stand on the edge of a glade, gold, lead and Raden (mother of pearl) trees with branches of gold and silver maki-e above. The door lifts off to reveal the silver disc of a full moon rising over evening hills. It is signed in gold Kogetsu. The cabinet is 36 x 28 x 39 cm (11 x 14 x 15-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition. Koyama Kogetsu (Rokuro, 1884-1937) was a Maki-e artist from Kashwaski City born the son of Koyama Kinpei (Tesse). He studied the art of Maki-e under Kawanobe Iccho and Uematsu Homin.　His work was exhibited at the Teiten National Art Exhibition and awarded at the Imperial Crafts Exhibition.

A splendid set of five Chataku Tea Cup Saucers of turned wood decorated in ridiculously thick lacquer floral decoration by Ikkokusai enclosed in a fine wooden box signed by the artist and dated Meiji 39 (1906). Accompanying is a note stating the set was received as a gift upon visiting the Naganuma Ryokan during a trip to Hiroshima in the fifth month of Meiji 43, accompanied by the name Kayanomiyasama. Kaya-no-miya were a collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial family. There is a photograph in the collection of the Hiroshima Peace Museum commemorating an Imperial visit (meeting school children) dated the fifth month of Meiji 43 taken in front of the Naganuma Ryokan. Each Chataku is 13.5 x 11 cm (5-1/4 x 4-1/4 inches) and all are in excellent condition, each uniquely signed on the base.
Ikkokusai I (1777-1852) was born in Ise, Mie prefecture, and was trained in the lacquer arts in Osaka. His talent was recognized and in 1811 he was taken as an official artist of the Tokugawa Clan, relatives of the Shogun and Feudal lords of Owari near present day Nagoya. All three of his sons would take the name Ikkokusai, His first son, (true name Nakamura Yoshiyuki), would settle in Osaka, and works he made were presented at the first National Industrial Art Exhibition (Naikoku Sangyo Hakurankai) in the early Meiji period. The third son (Sawagi Tsunesuke, 1822-1875) would remain and work in Nagoya until his death. The second son (Nakamura Issaku) would leave the Owari province to further his studies, traveling throughout Japan and developing the Takamorie technique of built up layers of lacquer creating nearly 3-dimensional works. He would become the carrier of the name, and after a sojourn in Hagi (Choshu), moved to Hiroshima in 1843 where he would pass on his techniques and experience to Kinoshita Kentaro (1829-1915). It was Kentaro who would officially become the third head of the family and who brought the name to the fore with his dedication to Takamorie lacquering. Kinjo Ikkokusai IV (1876-1961) continued to develop the method with new materials and designs. The family is currently under the 7th generation (b. 1965) who was named an important cultural property of Hiroshima Prefecture in 2011.

Gold dragons prance about the vermillion surface of this exquisite vessel by important Meiji potter Eiraku Zengoro XIV (Tokuzen) enclosed in the original signed wooden box which is in turn enclosed in an outer box also annotated by a later generation Eiraku. Remembered specifically for his mastery of Aka-e Kinsai ware, this is a museum worthy example of this important potters work. It is 43 cm (17 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Eiraku Tokuzen (Eiraku Zengoro XIV, 1853-1909) was born the first son of the 12th generation Eiraku Wazen He was named the 14th Zengoro at the age of 18 in 1871. This was only a couple years after the Fall of the Shogunate and restoration of the Meiji emperor, a hard time for potters specializing in Tea ware, which was experiencing a backlash as did many things associated with what had been traditional societal ranking and privilege. However Tokuzen worked hard to both maintain ties with the tea world, while making efforts to embrace a global audience. In 1873 Eiraku wares were exhibited at the Vienna World Exposition, and in 1876, Philadelphia, then Paris in 1878. At the same time new approaches to pottery pioneered by Eiraku were exhibited at the 1875 Kyoto Hakurankai in the cultural heartland of Japan. In 1882 he opened in a new Kiln in the Eastern hills called the Kikutani Kiln (Valley of Chrysanthemum) specializing in high end tea ware for both Maccha and Sencha teas, while expanding into daily wares for the growing middle class.

A hawk rests on an elaborate perch, the feathers fluffed up, each uniquely carved on this rare okimono from the Mushiake kilns of Okayama prefecture. It comes in an ancient kiri-wood box. The notation on the side of the box states it was received in late Meiji 27 (1894) from the former Head of the Okayama fief Ikeda Mochimasa. The name of the recipient has been redacted, as is often the case when things change hands in Japan. It is 24 x 7.4 x 29 cm (9 x 3 x 11-1/2 inches). A ringlet on one side and a hook under the bar, both made of wire-thin clay, have been broken off, otherwise it is in excellent condition. A work like this from Mushiake is unprecedented, a true rarity.
Mushiake ware is pottery made in modern day Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture. Legend states it was begun as the Niwa-yaki (a private samurai residence kiln) by the Igi Family, chief retainer of the Okayama Domain. The kiln origin is unknown, but possible originated with the 6th head of the Igi family, and was certainly active in the Bunka/Bunsei eras at the opening of the 19th century. It is said the third generation Dohachi fired work there. The kiln was shut down in 1842, but five years later revitalized by the 14th-generation head of the Igi family, Igi Tadazumi (Sanensai, 1818–1886,), who was a well-known tea master. He invited Seifu Yohei (1803–1861) who came to the kiln and taught blue and white pottery techniques, Korean and other traditions popular in the capitol at the time. At the end of the Edo period (Bunkyu era) Mori Kakutaro took over operations at the kiln. In the early Meiji era Miyagawa Kozan came to work at the kiln, and it is said Kakutaro’s son Hikoichiro took the character Ko from Kozan for his own pseudonym Mori Koshu. Once again, during the Meiji era, the kiln shut down temporarily, and Hikoichiro (now known as Koshu) went to Yokohama to learn new pottery techniques from Kozan. The kiln enjoyed some success during this era, but was again shut down eventually, and revived in 1932. It is still in existence today.

A handle surmounts the peak of this beautifully rendered vase by Myagawa (Makuzu) Kozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seiji-yu Sometsuke Te-oke-gata Kabin (Celadon Handled Bucket Shaped Vase with Blue and White Design). It is 16 cm (6 inches) diameter, 32.5 cm (13 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 (1859-1940) through the early Showa era, he officially taking the name Kozan II in 1917, after one-year mourning for his father’s 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 unlucky third generation inherited the kiln at the height of the war years, it 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 black bird sporting a tufted beak shelters among the thick foliage of fresh bamboo by the easily identifiable and quite rare artist Sakakibara Shiho performed with pigment on silk in the original signed double wood box titled Mosochiku Hakkacho (Crested Myna Bird in Moso Bamboo), a favorite motif by the artist dating from the Taisho period. It is bordered in fine pattered silk threaded with gold and is appointed with solid ivory rollers (these will be changed if exporting). A major work, the scroll is 55.5 x 222.5 cm (inches) and in overall fine condition.
Sakakibara Shiho (1887 – 1971) was born in Kyoto and studied traditional Japanese painting at the Kyoto City School of Arts and Crafts, graduating in 1907, then moved on to the Kyoto Municipal School of Painting (mod University of Art). While at the school, his works were accepted (1909) and awarded (1911) into the Bunten National Exhibition. He graduated there in 1913. With his radical style garnering disapproval in official circles, in 1918, along with Tsuchida Bakusen, Irie Hakko, Ono Chikkyo and Murakami Kagaku founded the Kokuga Sosaku Kyokai. The organization changed its name to the Kokugakai in 1928, the same year Shiho took a position at his alma mater where he was awarded a professorship in 1937. He was awarded for his life’s work by the Nihon Geijutsu-in (Japan Art Academy) in 1962. Happily, the Kokuga-kai has outlived its founders, and is still exhibiting annually to this day. Works are held in the collections of the Seattle Art Museum, The Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, the Adachi Museum as well as the Otani memorial Art Museum among others.

A rare Seto Heishi (also read Heiji) bottle dating from the Kamakura period (1192-1333) wrapped in a custom made silk pouch with age darkened Kiri-wood box. Streaks of an unusual blue shidare glaze are visible on one side, Unlike the vast majority of Heishi bottles, this piece is no unearthed or excavated but has been passed down from generation to generation (as evidenced by the lack of inclusions or calcification). It is 24 cm tall and in overall excellent condition, with only minor chips about the rim. Included is a printed image of the piece titled Seto Haiyu Heishi, Kamakura period. This appears to have been cut from an exhibition catalog, and one can guess it has been exhibited.

A Taisho period Lacquer writing box of superb quality decorated with a design of a stone lantern under broad leaves enclosed in an age darkened kiri-wood box. The scene is performed with Thick slices of shell and lead inlay on black Ro-iro ground with Taka-maki-e and Hira-maki-e designs. Inside is finished in Kin-gin (gold and silver) Nashiji. It contains two ink stones, a solid silver water dropper and Silver lidded box, as well as the original brushes, hole punch and paper knife all in matching Nashiji finish. The box is 38.5 x 15 x 5.5 cm (15 x x 2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
The Rimpa revival of the early 20th century emphasized visual splendor, decorative patterns, and harmonious compositions reflecting nostalgia for the past. However, it was not a strict replication of the past. Artists involved in this movement integrated modern techniques and materials into their work, allowing for a fusion of traditional aesthetics with contemporary artistic practices. This approach enabled artists to create innovative interpretations of the Rimpa style that resonated with the changing times.

Were one to describe THE piece which epitomizes the vase aesthetic of Suwa Sozan I, it would be this epochal Red Fish design flaring celadon bottle. This is a superlative example, exquisite detail and come enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 29.5 cm (11-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Suwa 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.

Red ivy clings to the pale crackled glaze of this tsubo by Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kozen enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Below glistening black glaze covers the bottom, in a style well known for this artist. It is 24.5 (just less than 10 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.

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!

Reaching for his hat, the boatman leans out arms extended toward the prow, protected from the elements under a woven reed roof. This beautiful incense burner comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 24 x 8 x 10 cm (9-1/2 x 3-1/4 x 4 inches) and is 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 (1859-1940) through the early Showa era, he officially taking the name Kozan II in 1917, after one-year mourning for his father’s 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 unlucky third generation inherited the kiln at the height of the war years, it 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 serene vision of enlightenment, calming and compassionate, can be seen in the later Edo period Buddhist carving of Amitabha. He stands on a lotus base, with a flame like mandala rising up behind him in the shape of a jewel, the entire gilded in pure gold worn soft with age and care. The figure alone is 39 cm (15-1/2 inches) tall. With the base and mandala, it is 65.5 cm (just under 26 inches) tall. It is in excellent condition. I believe that some restoration has been performed on the delicately sculpted hands in the past, not uncommon in the most earthquake prone country on the planet.
Amida Buddha, also known as Amida Nyorai or Amitabha Buddha, is an important figure in Mahayana Buddhism, particularly in the Pure Land Buddhism tradition which permeates Japan. He is revered as a celestial Buddha who resides in the Pure Land, a realm of ultimate enlightenment and liberation from suffering. Pure Land Buddhism and the belief in Amida Buddha were introduced to Japan during the 8th century. The key figure responsible for bringing Pure Land teachings to Japan was the monk, scholar, and imperial advisor named Genshin (942-1017). Genshin is considered the founder of the Japanese Pure Land school and played a significant role in popularizing the Pure Land teachings in the country. Genshin was deeply influenced by the Chinese Pure Land master Shan-tao (613-681) and his teachings on Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land. Shan-tao was a renowned exponent of Pure Land Buddhism, and his writings and teachings had a profound impact on the development of the Pure Land tradition in East Asia. Genshin's most famous work, "Ojoyoshu" (The Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land), written in 985, became a seminal text in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. In this treatise, Genshin elaborated on the concept of Amida Buddha's Pure Land and the practice of reciting the Nembutsu (Namu Amida Butsu) as a means of attaining birth in the Pure Land after death. After the establishment of the Pure Land school, Pure Land Buddhism gained popularity among the common people and members of the aristocracy in Japan. The teaching of salvation through faith in Amida Buddha's vow and the chanting of the Nembutsu resonated with the aspirations of people seeking a simple and accessible path to enlightenment. Over time, other prominent figures and schools contributed to the spread and development of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan. Notably, Honen (1133-1212), the founder of the Jodo Shu (Pure Land School) in the Kamakura period, and Shinran (1173-1263), the founder of the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land School), played significant roles in popularizing Pure Land Buddhism and further shaping its doctrines.
Amida Buddha and Pure Land Buddhism continue to be influential and revered in various Asian countries, especially in Japan, where it has a significant presence as one of the major Buddhist traditions. The belief in Amida Buddha's compassion and the aspiration to reach his Pure Land remain important elements in the spiritual lives of millions of Buddhists around the world.

This is a breathtaking work of art, a cherubic figure forms the finial of this later Edo period ceramic incense burner. Atop the lid strides a youth in purple robes wearing a lotus leaf as a hat and blowing a flue, a staff lays at his feet. About the square box of the ash pot are exquisite-colored designs lined with gold like precious jewels dangling from the edge. Two beast heads protrude from the sides and the entire is elevated on a square foot. The koro is 8 x 11 x 17 cm (3-1/4 x 4-1/2 x 7 inches) and is in excellent condition. It comes enclosed in an age darkened Kiri-wood box with chamfered edges titled Ninsei Fue-buki Jizo Koro annotated inside the lid Zuiichi (Superlative) followed by a Kao signature traditionally used by Tea Masters, Literati and important figures such as samurai and (Edo period) court figures.

A pair of covered ceremonial Sake-Tsubo called Heiji decorated with the three auspicious winter plants, Sho-chiku-bai (Pine, bamboo and plum) by Ito Tozan II enclosed in the original wooden box Plum pine and bamboo rise up in a riot of color on the thinly crackled pale glaze covering the surface. Inside the box is dated Showa 11 (1936) 8th month, 9th day. Each is roughly 22 cm (9 inches) tall and in excellent condition, each uniquely stamped on the base with the artist seal.
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 nd 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 prizd 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.
Ito Tozan II (1871-1937) was born the fourth son of one of the upper level samurai of the Zeze feudal domain in Otsu, just over the mountains from Kyoto and began his artistic career as a painter. He was picked up by Tozan I and introduced to the plastic arts, where he flourished, taking over the Tozan kiln in 1920, following the death of his mentor.

Brilliant red leaves seem to glow in the darkness over a band f silver on this vase by Miyagawa Kozan. It is 24 cm (9-1/2 inches) tall, 21 cm (8-1/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.　There is no box.
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 long verse is incised into the side of this tea bowl by Otagaki Rengetsu. The poem reads:
Yorozuyo mo 10,000 ages
tae nu nagare to enduring the surge
shimetsu ran so well
sono kame no o no From Turtle Tail Mountain
yama no shitamizu. The water flows
The bowl is 12.2 cm (5 inches) diameter and in perfect condition. It comes wrapped in a silk cloth pouch, enclosed in an old box with original lid inside of which is a long verse. It has been appraised by the head priest of Jinkoin Tokuda Koen on a separate newer lid titled Rengetsu Ro-ni saku Chawan.
Otagaki Rengetsu 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.

A carved lacquer box which pays homage to Chinese literary taste while presenting itself clearly in a modern, Japanese way (for turn of the century lacquerware at least) by 2nd generation lacquer artist Ishii Yusuke enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The tsuishu lacquer technique requires applying layer upon layer of lacquer which is then carved through and polished, a painstaking process. This piece is exquisitely crafted, carved and polished revealing the many layers of lacquer, it is 13.5 x 10.5 x 5.5 cm (5-1/2 x 4 x 2 inches) and is in excellent condition. On bottom in a bell-shaped gold cartouche are the characters Yusuke. According to the box it was held in the collection of the Kuriyama Sodo, home of Ishizaka Sennosuke who was a member of the governing assembly of Toyama prefecture.
Ishii Yusuke (1851-1925) was born the second son of the lacquer artist Ishii Yusuke (different characters, 1810-1886) in the waning years of the Edo period. After learning from his father, he became independent, establishing a second branch family in the Yusuke Lacquer Tradition. The first Yusuke Ishii Founded Yusuke lacquerware and created Chinese-style lacquerware in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He pioneered rust painting and gold leaf techniques to express Chinese-style paintings of flowers, birds, and landscapes three-dimensionally on ancient vermilion or matte lacquer. Later, the eldest son succeeded as Yusuke II

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 magnificent stand of root wood writhing upward to a flattened cluster, a perfect example of the Japanese esteem for things natural enclosed in a period custom made wooden storage box. It is 48 cm (19 inches) tall and in overall excellent condition. Perfect for elevating a koro incense burner or tiny bonsai.
The aesthetic of the scholar studio is embodied in an acute appreciation for representations of the natural world in any form; from the subject of a painting in the alcove to the texture of the wood on the desk and the colors or deformities in the bamboo brush hanging from a piece of natural wood.
A profound influence from China, through the practice of Chinese style steeped tea (Sencha) and glorification of the Literati ideal of the Ming is part of the dual basis of Japans Scholar tradition. Equally important is an understanding and appreciation of natural degradation and the fleeting nature of existence espoused in the ideal of wabi-sabi and the world of Japanese Powdered Tea (Maccha). Behind both these concepts lies a basis in Zen (Chan) Buddhist precepts and Taoist/Confucianist Philosophy.
Stone. Wood. Earth. Grain. Texture. Form. All natural, imperfect, transient and unique.

A spectacular collapsed pottery jar from the Karatsu tradition with a purpose-warped wooden lid covered in powdered silver enclosed in a top quality ancient red-lacquered kiri-wood box lined with wave-patterned colored-paper. The ancient box has silver lacquer writing on the top reading Kodai Karatsu Tsubo, Kamakura Ki, Mizusashi (Ancient Karatsu Tsubo, Kamakura Period, Mizusashi). The pot is 17 cm (7 inches) diameter, 15 cm (6 inches) tall and in overall excellent condition.

An exceptional web of gold interspersed with nishiki-cloth patterned designs on gold lacquer fuses this once broken 16th-17th century Koro with ami-me net patterned solid silver lid. This was likely originally made as a tea cup, considering that the entire interior is glazed. Broken and reassembled using the Kintsugi gold technique and placing unusual patterns on the missing portions, this is an exceptional work of art. The silver lid was likely made when it was repaired and repurposed as an incense burner. It is 8 cm diameter, 7 cm tall (roughly 3 inches) and is in excellent condition. It comes in an antique cloth pouch with solid silver lid enclosed in a compartmentalized age-darkened kiri-wood box.

A bronze crane in dark almond colored patina of superb craftsmanship dating from the late 19th to early 20th century (Meiji period). It is quite large at 48.5 cm tall (19 inches) and is in excellent condition.

A rare large vase by Kanzan Denshichi decorated with a hermitage in the hills and a poem extolling the beauty of summers first rain by Kanzan Denshichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box bearing the Shountei seal, dating it between 1871 and 1890. It is 34 cm (13-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kanzan Denshichi (1821-1890) was born in the ceramic-producing area of Seto. He worked at the Koto kiln of the Ii family in the Hikone domain, moving to Kyoto when the kiln closed in 1862. In Kyoto, he established his workshop at the base of Kiyomizu-zaka where he worked under the name Terao Denshichi and is thought to have been one of the first ceramicists in Kyoto to specialize specifically in porcelain. In the first year of the Meiji era (1868) he worked to supply the Kyoto Prefectural Office, following which he studied Western painting and pottery decoration under Gottfried Wagner. In the following three years, production was renamed Shountei and he worked under the name Kato Kanzan. Kanzan’s works include porcelain tableware, both Western and Japanese in style, often decorated with brightly colored polychrome and gold. Some of these wares were made for export, and Kanzan also exhibited at international exhibitions, securing a gold medal at Paris in 1878 In 1881 during their visit to Japan, Queen Victoria’s grandsons: Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, and Prince George, Duke of York (George V), visited Kanzan’s workshop in Kyoto. The Imperial Household Ministry purchased Kanzan’s works, including some tableware for use in the Enriokan and other items in the style of the underglaze blue decorated Edo-period imperial porcelains known as kinri goyōtōki.
Pieces by Kanzan may be found in the collections of the Sannomaru Shōzōkan (Museum of the Imperial Collections) and Imperial Banqueting Department of Japan’s Imperial Household Agency, Tokyo National Museum and Kyoto Prefectural Library and Archives. The Victoria and Albert Museum has a pair of vases displayed at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876, a pair of ginger jars and four other small pieces. In 2014, the Sannomaru Shōzōkan devoted an exhibition to a Japanese-style polychrome dinner service made by Kanzan’s workshop for Prince Arisugawa Takehito: Beautiful Modern Kyoyaki (Kyoto-style ware) – Fine works by Kanzan Denshichi passed down within the Prince Arisugawa Family, 21 March – 22 June 2014.

A fabulous porcelain incense burner in the shape of a boy playing the flute astride a large ox dating from the 19th century. The box identifies the work as Hirado ware. The quality is certainly of that level. It is 23.5 x 12 x 19 and is in perfect condition, enclosed in a period red-lacquered wooden box.
In Zen, an oxherd searching for his lost ox has served as a parable for a practitioner’s pursuit of enlightenment since this Buddhist sect’s early history in China. In the eleventh century, the Song-dynasty Zen master Guoan Shiyuan codified the parable into ten verses. The parable proceeds from the herd boy losing his ox and following its tracks to recover the animal to transcending this world. This piece represents the sixth step in enlightenment, riding the bull home. This is the point where one has attained understanding. The ancient verse associated with this image reads:
Mounting the bull, slowly
I return homeward.
The voice of my flute intones
through the evening.
Measuring with hand-beats
the pulsating harmony,
I direct the endless rhythm.
Whoever hears this melody
will join me.

A set of 5 rare Dutch glass cups imported to Japan in the Edo period and formerly owned by the Confucian scholar Nakai Riken (1732-1817). They are enclosed in a custom made double sided wooden box with drop in doors titled on the side Yoi-O-Gozui (Five fortuitous ways to be drunken) with a long verse carved into each door. Of course, the meaning of the title goes much deeper, and the Gozui is also a Confucian concept. The emperor of China distributed five jade treasures to the five feudal lords, and they were named. The scholar has named each of the cups after one of these jade objects, Ko, Yu, Haku, Shi and Dan. The Osaka University Professor Ueda Minoru researched Riken, and mentions the treasured set of five glass cups, the smallest with a golden rim, in his research of the scholars life and belongings, claiming them to be one of his most treasured items. The largest cup is 15 cm tall, the smallest 7.5 cm. There are some chips and fractures in the corners of the seven-sided foot of the smallest cup, otherwise all is in overall excellent condition.
Nakai Riken (1732-1817) was a Confucian scholar of the later Edo period. He studied Neo-Confucianism under Goi Ranshu, and together with his older brother Nakai Chikuzan, supported Kaitokudo, a school of learning in Osaka, leaving behind the greatest academic achievements of the Kaitokudo school. the rational and modern academic style that is characteristic of Kaitokudo literati was established mainly by Riken. As a scholar he commented on the classics and wrote books such as " Nanakyo Kadai," and "Shichikyo Kadai Ryaku." These were compiled into a total of thirty-three volumesara. He was well versed not only in economics but also in natural sciences such as astronomy. Goryu Asada, who had studied Western astronomy in earnest, stayed with. He wrote an overview of the ming period book "Tenkyo Arumon," by Yushiroku, and created a celestial map. In addition to astronomy, he also left a natural history map "Sakura Cho", an anatomical chart "Etsuryofutsu", and a microscope observation record "Microscopic Record". In addition, he wrote "Kashokoku Monogatari" (The Tale of Kashokoku), in which the protagonist was the king of a fictitious ideal nation, 'Kashokoku,' and discussed how the nation should be governed. A prolific writer, he left a vast body of contextual research for subsequent generations.

A quintessential 16th century design in worn gold covers all the dark surfaces of this lacquered wooden box dating from the Momoyama period. Here auspicious cranes and turtles, reported to live a thousand years, laze among pines. About the lid boaters enjoy leisure seas. Ichimonji checkerboard patterns rising diagonally up the sides alternate with garden trees, the ends decorated with wisteria and ivy. The box retains the original inner tray in festive red decorated with garden grasses. It is worn with age and use, but stands testament to the durability of lacquer and evidences the functionality of the coating. The box is 35 x 26.5 x 28 cm (13-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 11 inches). A rare opportunity to acquire such an ancient lacquer work.

An amazing small wooden figure covered in with glass eyes made in the hyper-real likeness of a Rakugo-shi Comic storyteller, dressed I traditional Hakama trousers and seated on a large cushion clutching a fan in his right hand. It is 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) tall, while the cushion upon which he sits is 19.5 x 15.5 cm (just under 8 x 6 inches) and the figure is in excellent condition. There is what appears to be a signature on the bottom; Ta?Saku. This caring is very much in the audacious style of early works by artist Hirakushi Denchu, (b. 1872) and likely dates from the first quarter of the 20th century, although could go back into the final years of the 19th.
According to Wikipedia: Rakugo (literally 'story with a fall) is a form of Japanese verbal entertainment, traditionally performed in small theatres. The lone storyteller sits on a raised platform, a kōza using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical (or sometimes sentimental) story. The story always involves the dialogue of two or more characters. The difference between the characters is depicted only through change in pitch, tone, and a slight turn of the head.

Two Jubako stacking porcelain boxes enclosed in their unique wooden boxes which are both enclosed together in an additional outer wooden box for protection. According to the lid, the designs were by Kinoshita Itsuun and Uragami Gyokudo, and the pieces were made by Kawamoto Hansuke. Hansuke is considered the progenitor of porcelain production in Seto, and it was through an act of industrial espionage that he was able to bring the techniques, until then the secrets of the Kyushu potteries, to Seto. It is believed the 3rd generation Hansuke went to Kyushu, purportedly to help with the establishment of the Kameyama Kiln, and stole the secrets of porcelain production. Each set of boxes is roughly 12 cm (4-3/4 inches) square, 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) tall and enclosed in respective age-darkened wooden boxes. The landscape dominated pieces are in excellent condition, the boxes with floral designs have several small chips and one gold repair. The box for the landscape piece is titled Ju-bachi Hakurendo and has inside two long verses stating the paintings was performed by Gyokudo. The box for the second piece is signed inside Shintoen Hansuke-zo, the name used by the 4th generation Hansuke.
During the Horeki era (1751-1764), the first generation Kawamoto Hansuke worked with Kawamoto Jihei to build both the Asahi and Yuhi kilns, and each subsequent generation inherited the name Hansuke. The third generation switched to Sometsuke-yaki in 1804. His son, the fourth generation, took over the family business in 1822. He created a variety of Shozui-style dyed patterns and was a naturally talented artist, inheriting his father's legacy, and was always passionate about improving porcelain. 'In the Tenpo era, he finally invented the idea of pulverizing Gyaman stone and blending it with the original clay creating a lustrous, tranparent porcelain. During the Tenpo era (1830-1844), he was ranked as the Bishu family's pottery master. He is remembered as a person who made a significant contribution to the history of Seto's ceramic industry for his research into the use of silica stone as a glaze on porcelain to increase transparency and improve the color of Gosu, and for his efforts to improve quality.In 1858 (Ansei 5), he adopted Kawamoto Masukichi as his eldest daughter's son-in-law and passed the family business to him as the fifth generation.
Kameyama ware was made in Nagasaki during the late Edo period. The high-quality white porcelain is famous for its literati-style Gosu paintings reminiscent of imported Chinese models, but many designs evoke an exotic atmosphere unique to Nagasaki. A characteristic of Gosu is that it is darker overall than Imari. Under the Nagasaki Magistrate, the techniques of potters in each domain were handed down from generation to generation, producing highly skilled porcelain such as Mikawachi ware from the Hirado domain, Hasami ware from the Omura domain, and Arita ware from the Saga domain. In 1807, a kiln was opened in Kakineyama, Irabayashi, Nagasaki by 4 potters with funds by a loan from the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office, the kiln named Kameyama. The clay was taken from Amakusa, Ajiro as well as imported clay from Suzhou in China. Prominent literary figures such as Tanomura Chikuden, Kinoshita Itsuun, Somon Tetsuo, and Miura Gomon, designed elegant literati paintings for the pottery decoration. By 1819, it was run solely by Jingohei Ogami, and during the Kansei and Tenpo years it reached its peak, gaining reputation for its high quality. In 1839, Jingohei Ogami passed away at the age of 65, and the second generation, Jingohei, took over the kiln, which remained in operation until 1865. Because the pottery was produced over a short period of about 50 years, and there are few passed down items, it is called a phantom pottery, and particularly well-crafted pieces are prized by collectors.
Kinoshita Itsuun (1800 - 1866) was a nanga during the latter part of the Edo period. born as the third son of Kinoshite Katsushige in Nagasaki. At the age of 17 he inherited the role of "Otona," or village head, which had been assumed by the Kinoshita family for generations, but transferred the role to his elder brother in 1829. Working as a medical doctor, which had been his initial interest, he was committed to proliferation of vaccination learned from a Dutch medical doctor. Itsuun first learned Nanga painting from Ishizaki Yushi, as well as directly under several Chinese artists visiting Nagasaki. He ardently studied the techniques of various painting schools including Unkoku, the Kano School, Yamato-e and the Maruyama Shijo School as well as Western oil painting and incorporated them into his own technique. He tavelled in literati circles with the likes of Rai Sanyo, Tanomura Chikuden, Somon Tetsuo and Hirose Tanso. He also excelled in other fields such as calligraphy, tenkoku (seal-engra

A dynamic floral pattern in pale blue and white on pink by Kiyomizu Rokubei V showing the developmental stage of his iconic Taireiji works. Undeniably Taireiji was the most important development by this innovative artist, and pieces are exceedingly rare. It is 19cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter, 27.5cm (11 inches) tall and 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 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.

An incredible Mishima Chawan dating from the Edo period with a wide repair to the rim in dark lacquer decorated with golden grasses in gold maki-e lacquer designs. It comes in an ancient dilapidated silk pouch with cotton buffer enclosed in an age darkened kiri-wood box titled Mishima Chawan. The bowl is 5.5 cm (2 inches) tall, 12.5 -13.5 cm (5-1/2 -6 inches) diameter and in fine condition. Mishima ware refers to different types of imported and adopted Japanese pottery. Mishima originally refers to the shimamono pottery imported from the islands of Taiwan, Luzon, and "Amakawa" (Macau). They were characterized by being roughly-made and often uneven, thus epitomizing the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. HOwever the term overall came to refer to impressed and slip-inlayed ceramics in the Korean style like this bowl.

Scrolling characters are inscribed into the side of this hand formed elongated basin by Otagaki Rengetsu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hissen Chawan (Brush washer shaped Tea bowl). The poem reads:
Shigayama ya On Mount Shiga...
hana no shirayuki flowers like white snow
harahara to flutter down
furuki miyako no in the ancient capital
haru zo kure yuku. Spring is fading
The bowl is 17 x 12 x 7 cm (6-1/2 x 4-3/4 x 2-3/4 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Otagaki Rengetsu 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.

A rare Edo period porcelain covered dish attributable to the Nanki Otokoyama porcelain tradition of the Southern Kii peninsula (modern day Wakayama) under the patronage of the Kii branch of the Tokugawa family. Outside the dish is expertly modeled in the shape of a sea bream, a fish known as Tai (or Madai) in Japanese. The fish is associated with celebration, not only because of its festive red color, but also as the name Tai is a homonym for festivity. Cranes soar inside both the lid and base with the mark Nanki Otokoyama brushed in among the imagery. The dish is 29 x 19 x 18.5 cm and is in excellent condition, enclosed in a period compartmentalized kiri-wood box titled Otokoyama Tai Futamono (Otokoyama Sea Bream Lidded Dish).
Nanki-Otokoyama ware was established in 1827 under the patronage of the Tokukgawa clan of the Kishu Domain by Sakiyama Rihe after he learned the art of blue and white porcelain in Takamatsu. The kiln remained open until 1878, and the then craftsmen moved to Work at the Tozan Kiln of Himeji. At the height of its prosperity, together with Kairakuen-ware, they were highly esteemed ceramics to be presented as a gifts from the Daimyo feudal lord. Works for the Nani Otokoyama Kiln are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of art New York, the British Museum and the Smithsonian among others.

An exquisite dark bronze image of the deity Benzaiten playing a four stringed lute known as a Biwa signed in a cartouche inset into the base and dating from the early 20th century (Later Meiji to taisho period). The figure is 20 x 16 x 18 cm (8 x 6 x 7 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Benzaiten (or Benten) is the Japanese embodiment of Saraswati, the hindu god of the arts. Benzaiten is depicted a number of ways in Japanese art. She is often depicted holding a biwa (a traditional Japanese lute) similar to how Saraswati is depicted with a veena in Indian art In medieval Japan, Benzaiten came to be associated with a number of Buddhist and local deities, which include the goddess Kisshōten (the Buddhist version of the Hindu Lakshmi), the snake god Ugajin (thus Benzaiten is sometimes depicted with a snake) and the kami Ichikishimahime. Apart from being a patron of music and the arts, she was also worshiped as one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin).

A yobitsugi Jar made up of various excavated kiln shards of central Japan dating from the Heian period (794–1185). It is roughly 32 cm diameter, the same height. Looking at the volume of debris and encrustations, it is likely that the upper most part of this tsubo, which is one piece, was buried in a kiln collapse, earth and stone fusing to the molten ash. During the Heian period, hole kilns were dug into hillsides, with a chimney bored down into the back. Sometimes during firing, or after repeated use, the earth above would weaken and collapse upon the contents, burying all. Unusable, the site would be abandoned and another hole kiln dug alongside or at the next available site, leaving the shattered contents to be excavated a millennia later. Assembling these parts into Wabi-sabi jars or bowls became popular from the mid Edo period in a style known as Yobitsugi (literally called together and attached). To the contemporary viewer it is an example of the simple beauty of random effects produced by a wood-fired kiln as well as a unique view into the Japanese mindset of serenity found in the accidental and ephemeral.

Additional photos of this fabulous Accordion book of 12 paintings by Kimura Seiun enclosed in a wooden box titled Atami Dan Ko-gasatsu and dated early Spring of Showa 4 (1929). The introductory page is written by Zen priest Hashimoto Dokuzan of Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto. The paintings are each signed with various names used by Kimura, mostly Seiun or Ren. The introductory and concluding pages are both dated 1929. It is 28 x 14 cm (5-1/2 x 11 inches) and in overall outstanding condition.
Atami is a place in Japan on the Izu peninsula South of Tokyo in Shizuoka prefecture.
　 Kimura Seiun (1885-1967) was born in Shimane prefecture, home of one of the oldest and most venerated shrines in Japan, Izumo Taisha Shrine. His given name was Hara Renzaburo however he was adopted into the Kimura family taking that name. In 1921 he moved to Kyoto where he studied painting under Miyazaki Chikuso, and them to Tokyo where he studied under Komura Suiun. Post war he returned to Shimane, devoting himself to painting and private exhibitions, leading the quiet life of a scholar.
Hashimoto Dokuzan (Gengi, 1869-1938) was born in Nîigata, and was sent to Kyoto at the age of 16 to study painting and philosophy under the important literatus Tomioka Tessai. At the age of 20 he entered Tenryuji Temple under Hashimoto Gazan, later receiving Inka (recognition of enlightenment) from Ryuen. In 1910 he moved to Sokokuji, and then was assigned the foundation of Nanonji Temple in Tottori Prefecture. He served as abbot of Tenryuji Temple and Sokokuji, both important Zen temples in Kyoto.

A striking soft-glazed six-sided incense burner by Maki Hokusai decorated with white flower blossoms on soft flesh colored glaze surmounted by a silver lid pierced with the character Kotobuki (Fortune) by Hata Zoroku. The pot itself is 10 cm tall, plus the sliver lid. It comes in an ancient wooden box signed by Zoroku.
Hata Zoroku I (1823-1890) learned metalwork techniques in the studio of Ryubundo in Kyoto. Hata produced works for the Imperial Household and it is known that he made the gold Imperial seal and national seal by order of the Imperial Household in 1873. He was under consideration as Artist to the Imperial Household (Teishitsu Gigeiin). He died several days before the announcement of these designations in 1890. For bronze works by Zoroku in the collection of the Imperial Household, see The Era of Meiji Bijutsu-kai and Nihon Kinko Kyokai, in Meiji bijutsu saiken I (Reappraisal of Meiji Art I) (Tokyo: Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, 1995), pp. 40-41.
Maki Hokusai (Bunshichi, 1782-1857) established a pottery workshop in the West district of Nagoya city during the Bunka era (1804-18). Hokusai was a master at sculpture and studied painting technique under Gekkoku. He decorated with bright colors and vivid detailed landscapes. Known as a master craftsman for making tea utensils, sake utensils, ornaments, etc., he worked for the 12th lord of the Owari clan, Tokugawa Naritaka, and produced works in the Hagiyama Niwa-yaki kiln of the Feudal lord. The kiln continued for three generations, but due to the expansion of Nagoya Station, the kiln was abandoned around 1923.

The title does not lie, this is one against which all others might be measured. A celebratory sake set consisting of three cups and a stand enclosed in their original lacquered wooden boxes. The cups are over the top, decorated with plum pine and bamboo in taka-maki-e gold over red replete with bits of kirigane gold and ke-uchi details. The cups are equally gorgeous on top and bottom, the design extending even inside the foot ring. Roundels of the same designs are built up in gold and lacquer maki-e on the black lacquered stand, the inside of which is covered in Togidashi Nashiji. Along the edge of the stand are carefully placed bits of gold in a technique known as oki-hirame. The stand is 17 x 17 x 14.2 cm (6-3/4 x 6-3/4 x 5-1/2 inches). The cups are 9.8 cm (4 inches) 11.2 cm (4-1/2 inches) and 12.7 cm (5 inches) diameter respectively, and all are in excellent condition.

An unusual Edo period Oribe serving bowl, the color filled crackled glaze decorated with scrolling lines in iron and splashes of copper green. Both inside and out hash mars denote a bamboo fence with blossoms in the fore. A handle and raised architectural elements around the rim and rising to the mouth echo some western influence, possibly indicating original Christian use. It comes resting on a silk pillow in a age-blackened wooden box titled Oribe Katakuchi. The piece measure 24.5 x 13.5 x 10 cm (10 x 5-1/4 x 4 inches) and is in overall excellent condition.
On a little historical note, a toned paper label on one side denotes the piece was once placed under hold by the Himeji Courthouse as part of a property with a lean against it, indicating the piece was considered to be of significant value even a century ago.

A waka poem in underglaze blue brushed by female artist/poet Tomioka Haruko decorates this porcelain Mizusashi by female potter Suwa Sozan II enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The porcelain container is 17.5 cm (7-1/2 inches) tall, 11.5 cm (4-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. On the base it bears the circular mark of Suwa Sozan II and on the side the verse is singed Haruko 80. From this we can surmise it dates from 1926 when Haruko was 80 by Japanese count.
Suwa 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 (Suwa Sozan II 1890–1977) 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.
Tomioka Haruko (1847-1940) was born as the third daughter of Sasaki Yoshimitsu, a feudal lord of Ozu. She was taken in as the third wife of Tomioka Tessai—who later became known as a leading figure in modern Japanese painting—when she was 26 years old in 1872. She was well known for her poetry, calligraphy, and sparse paintings.

A sage, strikes a forever pose as he stares into the distance, robes billowing in the wind, contemplating the troubles of lesser beings, a fan clutched behind. This is a beautiful bronze sculpture dating from early 20th century Japan paying homage to the literati and Confucian traditions which formed the basis of Japanese ideology at the time. It is signed Kiyoshi with an engraved signature on the hem of his robes. The figure stands 39 cm (15-1/2 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.

An early Edo period Ki-Seto sake cup repurposed with a silver lid pierced with a chrysanthemum to function as an incense burner enclosed in a custom made silk pouch and bamboo case dating the transformation to New Years of Kae-7 (1854). Without the lid it is 5.5 cm (roughly 2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.

Gold gleams on the dragon shaped prow of this boat shaped object in the style of Kyoto’s Ninsei ware. The house on top is meant to be filled with ash and serves as an incense burner. Removed it reveals a glazed compartment in which flowers can be placed, allowing the versatile object to be not only a display on its own, but also to act as a vase and or incense burner. It is 41 x 16 x 25 cm (16-1/2 x 6 x 10 inches) and is in excellent condition, enclosed in an ancient wooden storage box dating from the 19th to opening years of the 20th century.

An exquisite bronze image of an ancient sage, a gnarled staff supporting his crooked frame with a golden fan capped with silver feathers clutched in his right hand. The Detail is superb, from the evocative expression to the minute details on his robe and accoutrements. It is signed on the foot Seiun (Hara Souemon), a top quality bronze, expressive and detailed. The figure is 10 inches (25.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
The Seiun family began bronze casting by the lost wax method in the later Edo to Meiji period, receiving the technique directly from Hara Takusai. Each piece is unique, unlike many foundries which employ re-usable molds. They are currently in the 5th generation, and have been named an intangible cultural property of Niigata Prefecture.

Wide gold bands mend the broken walls of this unearthed pottery bowl dating from the Kamakura period covered in earthy green glaze from the Seto region from around modern day Nagoya. It is 16.3 (almost 6-1/2 inches) diameter and ready to use. It comes enclosed in a modern collectors wooden box titled Horinote Hirachawan (Excavated Wide Tea Bowl).
Kintsugi embodies the spirit of wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic worldview centered around imperfection, transience, and the beauty of the natural cycle of growth and decay. Embracing the flawed and broken aspects of an object through kintsugi is a way to appreciate the passage of time and the history of the object, recognizing that it gains value and character through its journey. Kintsugi aligns with traditional Japanese values of frugality and resourcefulness. Instead of discarding broken items, kintsugi repairs them, extending their lifespan and reducing waste. This approach reflects a profound respect for resources and a desire to cherish and honor the objects used in daily life. This is also a way to avoid offending the spirit of the object, as all items are embodied with a soul of some sort. The act of repairing broken pottery with gold-laced lacquer carries a symbolic message of resilience and overcoming adversity. The restored object becomes a metaphor for the human experience, highlighting that even after suffering damage or hardship, one can find beauty and strength through healing and renewal. In the context of the Japanese tea ceremony kintsugi plays a vital role in enhancing the overall aesthetic experience, especially during the tenth month. The practice of kintsugi encourages contemplation and introspection during the tea ceremony. Guests may be reminded of the impermanence of all things and the beauty that can arise from embracing life's scars and vulnerabilities. Overall, kintsugi holds a deep cultural and philosophical significance in Japanese culture, symbolizing beauty in imperfection, respect for resources, and the resilience of both objects and individuals. In the context of the tea ceremony, it enriches the aesthetics and fosters a sense of mindfulness and appreciation for the present moment.

A small circular table likely made as a stand for an incense burner or suiban basin dating from the Muromachi era (late 14th to 16th century ) covered in black lacquer over which has been applied vermillion in the style known as Negoro. About the center a ring of wood grain is typical of the era. It is supported by three curling feet extending from a billowing diaper. The lacquer, originally black, has oxidized to a mellow chocolate color beneath. It is 29 cm (11-1/2 inches) diameter, 14.5 cm (5-3/4 inches) tall. As one may imagine there are some losses and much wear to the edges typical of age. One leg has been broken and repaired. Surprisingly good condition for something over 500 years old.
According to the National Gallery of Victoria: Negoro refers to simple and elegant red lacquer objects that were produced during Japan’s medieval period, between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries. Embodying the ancient sense of Japanese beauty, the minimalistic forms of Negoro lacquer ware were primarily made to be functional objects and are void of elaborate decoration. The supple shapes and naturally worn patina of red and black lacquered layers give Negoro an ambience of antiquity and elegance which has made them treasured objects throughout the ages. Since the early twentieth century Negoro wares have become highly appreciated by connoisseurs as objects of outstanding design that pursue a certain utilitarian beauty. Negoro lacquer derived its name from the Buddhist temple of Negoro-ji, located in the mountains of present-day Wakayama Prefecture, just south of Osaka. Established in 1243 as a temple of esoteric Buddhist practice, Negoro-ji thrived during the Kamakura, Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. In period depictions of monastery life and aristocratic villas Negoro utensils are clearly shown as favoured and cherished objects, alluding to demand for their production in large numbers. Square and circular trays, bowls of various sizes and large spouted ewers were used at daily meals. Lobed cup stands, offering trays and sake bottles with foliate lids featured in temple rituals and clearly display lotus flower–inspired motifs common to Buddhist art. Stem tables were frequently used as offering stands and placed in altars of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Circular wash basins with legs were used in monastery ceremonies to catch water poured over the hands of monks in an act of purification. Large hot water pots or spouted ewers were often used as practical kitchen and serving utensils, and are still used to this day in Zen monastery dining halls. The true essence of Negoro is found in its antiquity and the generations of affectionate use that imbues these objects with the esoteric Japanese spirit wabi (the aesthetic of beauty found in imperfection), and sabi (an affection for the old and faded). With regular use the wearing and reduction of the outer red coating gradually reveals the black lacquer beneath, creating an ever-changing beauty that can only result from continual use and the passage of time. Cracks, wear, damage, splits, texturing and irregularities all enhance the harmonious sophistication of a Negoro object’s surface. This natural evolution of beauty, similar to the maturing of the human spirit with age, epitomises the Japanese spirit and stems from the belief that the respectful use of an object for its proper function enhances its appearance and status.

A rare stacking Bento (picnic) box in the shape of a tea leaf storage jar decorated in a realistic fashion with black, silver and gold maki-e lacquer. It consists of four pieces, stacked they are 28 cm (11 inches) tall, and all are in excellent condition.