Catalog (86)

A vibrant landscape separated by crimson clouds surrounds this koro signed in gold Seifu-zo surmounted by a fabulous solid silver lid. It is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Seifū Yohei I (1801-1861) was born the son of a Samurai in Kanazawa however aspired to be a potter. In 1815, he moved to Kyoto where he apprenticed under Nin'nami Dōhachi (1783-1855). He opened a studio in Fushimi before establishing another studio in the Gojōzaka pottery district. In 1847 the lord of Bizen invited him to assist at the Mushiage kiln. After returning to Kyoto he established another kiln, eventually passing this on to the second generation Seifu. He was a known literatus, and many works decorated by painters and scholars were made by him. He is held in the collection of The Met New York and the British Museum among many others.

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

Tiny repairs of gold glint along the rim of this misshapen wan-gata bowl from the Utsutsukawa tradition of Nagasaki. The bowl comes with a silk pouch enclosed in an old wooden box. There is a kutsuki on one side, where it adhered to something else in the kiln. The bowl is 12 x 10.5 x 6.5 cm (4-3/4 x 4-1/8 x 2-1/2 inches) and is in overall fine condition, dating from the 19th century.
Utsutsukawa-yaki originated in Nagasaki in the late 17th century. It is said it began when Tanaka Gyobusaemon opened a kiln around 1690. It is characterized by brown orange clay with a heavy iron content and was most often decorated with Brush strokes in white slip. Although at one time it was called the Ninsei of the West, the manufacture lasted only about 50 years due to the financial aspect of the clan, and it disappeared until the Meiji period, when there was an attempted revival, but that too failed to last. In modern times the art was revived by Yokoishi Gagyu, and has been named an important cultural property of Nagasaki Prefecture.

Additional photos of the 4 unique bowls dating from the 17th to 19th centuries with old gold repairs. All are between 11 and 12.5 cm diameter. The Hakeme Brush patterned bowl has gold repairs and a break which is currently glued but not repaired with gold.

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.

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

A shop sign carved from a block of knotted wood in the shape of a tea leaf jar engraved on both sides with the character Cha (Tea) originally gilded which still reflects light from the correct angle. A large knot making up one shoulder has split apart in the center, while the outside edge remains intact. A perfect example of the Japanese aesthetic of wabisabi. It is 32 x 3 x 32.5 cm (roughly 13 x 1 x 13 inches). The sign has been restored at some time in the past, the green and black pigments freshened up at the time.

A raw earth chawan tea bowl that is just stunning. When I look at it I am at a loss for words. It is so simple, to be honest, I think you need to hold it in your hands to truly get it. Lightweight, dark outside as if from eons of handling, yet inside is light, orange-tinged. There is an indistinguishable mark along the foot-ring. The bowl is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter, 7.5 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition. It comes in an old padded silk pouch in an old red-lacquered wooden box. I would guess this comes from the Meiji to Taisho era, 2nd half of the 19th to early 20th century, when there were many artists exploring the unglazed wares known as Nanban or Shimamono. Unfortunately my mediocre photography skills cannot do justice to this one.

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.

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!

Comic shishi-lions in blue and white prance around the outside of this striking red lined gold decorated kinrande bowl by Eiraku Zengoro XII (Waenclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kinrande Donburi-bachi. It is 15.5 cm (6 inches) diameter, 8.5 cm (3-1/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition signed on the base Dai-Nippon Eiraku Zo.
Eiraku Zengoro XII (Wazen, 1823-1896) was one of the most influential potters of his time, setting the stage for the revival of and modernization of Kyoyaki, based on models by Koetsu, Kenzan and Ninsei. Although named Sentaro, he was more commonly referred to by the name Zengoro, and used also the name Wazen after 1865. He was trained under his father, Hozen, who was a compatriot of Ninnami Dohachi and Aoki Mokubei, and rightfully one of the most famous potters of the later Edo. Zengoro was given the reins to the family business quite early, in 1843, and managed the day to day running of the kiln while his father sought to perfect porcelain products in Kyoto. From 1852 to 1865 the family worked from a kiln at Ninnaji temple. Attracting the attention of a Daimyo from Kaga, from 1866-1870 he worked to revitalize a porcelain kiln in that area, coming to produce classic wares which are prized to this day. During this time of working divided from the family kiln, two workers who had been trained by his father shared the title of the 13th generation leader in Kyoto, however Wazen outlived both by decades. He returned to Kyoto in 1870, and also established a kiln in Mikawa in the 1870s to produce more common tableware. From 1882 until his death, it seems he worked from a large kiln in the Eastern Hills of Kyoto. Under both the 11th and 12 generations of this family the name Zengoro took on a life of its own, and came to symbolize the highest in porcelain and tea wares. The family is one of the 10 artisan families producing tea articles for the Senkei tea schools.

A rare hand formed iron koro signed Munehiro created in the Uchidashi manner considered the pinnacle of metal-craft, where a single lump of iron is slowly hammered and worked into a complex shape. This one is made like a tri-legged jar with glaze drips all around. The lid is pierced with a ladle and what appears to be a sake cup. The artists signature is engraved between the legs. It comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tetsu Uchidashi Koro. It is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter and in overall excellent condition.

The skeletons of chrysanthemum crests decorate the simple beauty of this elegant cup and stand dating from later 18th to 19th century Japan. The stand is Roughly 8.5 cm square, 6 cm tall and is in excellent condition. There is a stamp on the base obscured by glaze, leaving simply an oval impression. It comes in an age darkened wooden box titled Ninsei Kiku Hai (？) Dai.

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

A beautifuly formed iron sake kettle known as a Choshi with a solid silver lid and featuring sliver inlay designs on the handle enclosed in an age darkened kiri-wood bos titled Tetsu Choshi Jungin-futa. It is 8 cm (just over 3 inches) diameter, 16 cm (6 inches) to the top of the handle, and is in excellent condition.

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).