A superb image by Hirai Baisen depicting the fire lit on the mountains surrounding Kyoto on the final day of Obon enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled “Okuribi”. It is performed with washes of ink and gold on silk, bordered in a fine frame of patterned brocade. It is 22 x 79 inches (56 x 200 cm). It features large ivory rollers, which will need to be changed if shipped outside Japan...

Antique Japanese large 2-panel screen, depicting two large paintings of swimming carp and reeds in sumi ink. Gold leaf and silk borders each panel.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 74" L x 68.5" H

Unusual Japanese 2-panel calligraphy screen with highly stylized brushstrokes, bordered with silver leaf and silk. The left character reads "Gi" (or Righteousness); On the right reads "Dao" (the path or way). The inscriptions appear to mean "Righteousness must always be pursued".

Signature of a monk or a priest in his late 70s named Kakuan, appearing to date Spring 1851 with a description of the studio in which the painting was made...

The size of Scroll: 56" Long x 25 3/4" Wide without scroll end. Painting size 17 1/4"Long x 20"Wide. The scroll was painted on paper. The beautiful Sansui, Landscape by Artist name. Gendo. The subject of painting with Country house with man working in his yard. Very nice brush strokes. The scroll has beautiful brocade works around. The dating of scroll from 1960-70's. The condition of scroll excellent. No stains. The scroll was painted by Gendo which is signed and chop sealed lower left...

Japanese Nanga sumi-e ink scroll painting on silk depicting a scene of two men in a boat entitled "Water Cloud Mountain Pavilion". A scholar and a young man sit in a boat, the scholar has an open book, the young man, a pole. Between them is a handled box. A jagged out cropping of rock rises from the water where stunted trees stretch their branch over the water...

A set of four fans (uchiwa) made of bamboo and washi (Japanese hand-made paper). Each has hand-painted pictures and signs such as three kabuki "kumadori" which is special makeup of the kabuki player and Otahuku. All have the same written seal marks, however the name of the artist is not clear. Two are painted with kakishibu (persimmon tannin) 20th century. In excellent condition. W:30.5cm H:35.5cm

Though ripe with interpretative meaning, waterfalls are often associated with the ideas of unharnessed elemental motion and change, purification and cleansing, and journeys into the fantastical or unknown...

Antique Japanese scroll painting attributed to Kano Seisei (1795-1846). The image is an arrangement of red and white flowers with kiri leaves in its center, hanging from a sudare (bamboo screen) with long tassels. Signed with red chop.

Size: (entire scroll) 8.75" W x 62.5" H (artwork only) 6" W x 39" H

Japanese 17th/18th century scroll painting of a buddhist priest, outlined in a very rare style of incredibly tiny calligraphy mantra. The mantra repeats "Amida Butsu Nam Mo". The meditating priest holds a strand of mala beads and a willow branch and is seated upon a green lotus throne on clouds. The figure is most likely "Dengyo Daishi", the monk who brought Buddhism into Japan...

A charming miniature Japanese six panel silver leaf screen. Beautiful silver and light gold tone splash patina. Original condition.

Meiji period (1868-1912)

Dimensions : 46" L x 22" H

A nicely painted fan painting of waterfall landscape by an unknown japanese artist to me, an old piece taken out of a real fan that was used

Antique fan painting on rice paper by various Japanese painters

Texture has been applied to joined silk panels intimating waves and frothing sea salt which has then been gilded with genuine silver by Imai Toshimitsu signed and dated 2000. Each panel is 67 x 183 cm (31 x 72 inches) and the screen is in excellent condition.
Toshimitsu Imai was born in Kyoto in 1928. After finishing school in 1948, he trained at the Tokyo State Art Academy. Throughout Imai's career his work was distinguished by an acute sensitivity to color...

Antique Japanese painting on silk, of a pair of black birds pierced on the branch of a tree. With calligraphy and red chop signature.

Size: 12.5" W x 52" H (entire scroll) 7.75" W x 18.75" H (painting only)

Antique Japanese scroll painting of a small bird, perching on the branch of a tall growth of flowers. Signed with red chop.

Size: 16" W 9 69" H (entire scroll) 10.25" W x 38" H (painting only)

Antique Japanese scroll painting of a horse, done in sumi ink, its legs kicked up into the air. Very disciplined calligraphy brush work is used, and may have been executed by a Zen Buddhist monk. This horse painting was possibly cut down from a larger screen and mounted as a scroll.

18th century Edo period (1603-1868)

Size: 17.5" W x 52" H (entire scroll) 14.25" W x 20.75" H

Here in Kyoto our gallery is located along the Kamo River in a district known as Shobu-en Machi, which roughly translates as “Iris Town.” As you can imagine, the scene depicted in this painting of irises and cranes is one that can be commonly witnessed in our neighborhood in the spring (May) when these flowers are in full bloom...

14 images spanning two pages each are sandwiched between the silk binding of this two sided accordion album by Zen Priest Inaba Shinden enclosed in the original storage sleeve. The images span from Mount fuji to the Daruma to Zen Circles, each annotated with some verse or Buddhist anecdote. It is in excellent condition, the album (closed) measuring 8-1/4 x 12 inches (21 x 30 cm).
Inaba Shinden (1906-1986) was an important priest of the Rinzai sect of Japanese Buddhism...