The time of Obon is upon us, the middle of August when the spirits of the dead return to visit their families. A lantern is hung so the wandering souls may find their way. And on the last day of Obon (August 16), in Kyoto, is held perhaps the most famous of all the festivals, commonly referred to as Daimonji-yaki, when 6 massive characters are lit on fire in the mountains surrounding the city to light the way home for the ancestors...

Distinctly art deco, this C.1920 late Taisho Period exemplifies the burgeoning japanese basket makers shift to bold weaves and incorporating new mediums. The use of fuji (wisteria vines) intertwined with bamboo creates an entirely new ascetic. 16" tall and 9" wide. Ask for shipping quote.

JAPANESE DOLL WITH WIGS

Old 'Katsura ningyo' (lit. 'Wig doll') carrying a baby on back, originally made for the noble girl's play in the Edo period, as the original form of today's dress-up doll. Meiji period (1868-1912). Box: approx. 16.7 x 10.8 x 3.7cm (6.57 x 4.25 x 1.45in). Some expected damage around due to aging as is, but comparatively in good condition for this type of aged doll...

Takahashi Shotei (1871-1945)
Nihonmatsu
Date: pre-1923.
Size: Mitsugiri-ban. Approximately 14.875 x 6.5 inches.
Shotei's Kakei seal at lower right.
Number 352 in japanese on the verso.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Reference: M-144 in Shotei catalog.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Note: Blocks destroyed in 1923 earthquake.
Condition: Two lighter areas in upper sky from previous mounting.

Kato Harutake (1886-?) Shino Ware Chawan (Tea Bowl) for Tea Ceremony

Kato Harutake is of the same lineage as Seto ware founder Kato Kagemasa (1168-1249), and was born into a family that passed down the name Kato Buemon from generation to generation...

An antique Japanese Okidoko (display stand for a Tokonoma, a reception room) made of Kakinoki (Persimmon) and Keyaki (Zelkova) woods. Originally it was used to showcase Ikebana flower arrangements, special porcelain vases, Japanese sculptures, or seasonal displays. It will work in a contemporary setting to elevate and display any myriad of items.

Age: Early Taisho (circa 1912-1920)

Dimensions: 47 1/2" Wide by 5" High by 16 1/2" Deep

Japanese bronze vase with nice form, used to decorate single flower arrangement in Japanese traditional tea ceremony.

Age: Japan, Showa Period, Early 20th Century
Size: Height 18.7 C.M. / Width 17.5 C.M.
Condition: Nice condition overall. Please refer to the enlargement photos for more details.
Shipment: Worldwide shipping from Bangkok, Thailand at actual cost. Please e-mail us for the shipping fee.

A full 7 piece Steeped Tea Sencha Tea Set by Kiyomizu Rokubei enclosed in the original age darkened wooden box titled Seika Sansui Chaki. There are five cups, a teapot with lid, and a cooling dish. Each piece is decorated with a unique scene and poem, no two are alike. They show the mastery of brushwork this important potter, originally trained as a painter, possessed. The cups are 8 cm (3-1/4 inches) diameter and all is in excellent condition...

A voluminous ink landscape built around two scholars viewing the cascade dropping into the canyon on this huge scroll by Tanaka Hakuin enclosed in the original signed wooden box dated Meiji 45 (1912). Performed with rich black ink against the sheer white paper, the mountainous crags and leafy forms built up in layers of gray and black. The scene is mounted in patterned silk with white piping in the Mincho style popular among literati painters in the era, and features huge bone rollers...

Hanging scroll with erotic painting. Image of a man of the merchant class and a woman having intercourse, while being surrounded by a multitude of other women having their own fun. Ukiyo-e style.
Black ink, gold and bright color on silk.

Unsigned...

An exquisite koro by Kiyomizu Rokube V with solid silver lid enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled: Censer engraved with flowering Paulownia. This style is called Taireiji, developed by and unique to the fifth generation Rokubei. The most famous work in this style is undoubtedly a vase decorated with parrots in a tree held in the collection of the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art. This piece is more subtle, the imagery soft and delicate, breathtaking in person...

Antique Japanese bamboo walking stick. Carved with scenes of snakes chasing frogs. The frogs and snakes appear on the surface of the cane as if through holes in a tunnel. With details painted in ink and light colors. Signed by 吉明刀 Yoshiaki.

Taisho Period (1912-1926)

Dimensions: 36" long x 3/4" wide

Height: 3.9 cm (1.5 in)
Width: 1 cm (0.4 in)
Depth: 1.5 cm (0.6 in)

Small Japanese wooden netsuke /okimono of a standing monkey; hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil; well carved with natural himatoshi behind leg; inlaid eye; good condition

An incredible Flambe glazed vase by Kiyomizu Rokubei V on a black-wood stand enclosed in a massive red lacquered storage box heavily inscribed and signed by the artist. I rarely use the term, but this is Museum Quality, or perhaps I should more rightly say this unprecedented piece should be in a Museum! It is 55 cm tall (22 inches), 41 cm (16 inches) diameter. There is a firing flaw in one side (see close-up pictures)...

This is a Japanese antique kasuri ikat cotton child kimono.It is in very good condition with no stains or damage. I would recommend it to your collection. Size:Length:98cm /38.58inch Cuff to cuff, across the back: 100cm / 39.3inch

One of a kind! Very rare and unique Seto Chawan from the Meiji Period (1868-1912) which combines a unique mosaic pattern glaze on the outside with an artistic Neriage/Nerikomi technique on the inside. There is a signature of the potter inside the foot.

Nerikomi (練り込み , lit. "kneading") is an artistic technique for creating Japanese pottery in multiple colors of clay...

A breathtaking Taireiji pottery vase by Kiyomizu Rokubei V enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Chrysantheum in raised relief grow ghosly white on the soft pink surface. It is 32 cm 12-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Taireiji was the most important development by this innovative artist, and pieces are exceedingly rare...

Polychrome celadon ceramic four-lobed tray with two fish yôkai dressed in yukata, a light kimono worn in summer. The yôkai are supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore. Most of the ceramic is glazed, except for the brown skin of yôkai which has a matte finish.
Unidentified mark.

Japan - Taishô era (1912-1926)
Height: 1.2 in. (3.4 cm) - diameter: 6.3 in. (16.3 cm)