Cigarette holder that can be used as a card holder in steel inlaid with gold and silver. The technique used is that of damascene (nunome zogan) in the style of Komeï. Japanese work around 1900. On the front are represented in gold a temple and a pagoda dominating a lake landscape; on the back is Mount Fuji dominating a lake. In the foreground an amusing retail fishing boat, indeed a tiny bird is perched at the top of the mast, probably a cormorant which would confirm the function of the boat...

Gold and silver steel cigarette case. Work in the style of Komei. The landscape decorations are in gold and silver relief. Examination with a magnifying glass does not show us the typical scratches of a damascene work (nunome zogan). The borders are worked with floral motifs in slight relief, the hollows being filled with black lacquer. two golden metal chains to hold the cigarettes. These two chains are extendable by a clever spring system hidden in each link...

Conceived by 20th century master ceramicist Kawai Kanjiro (1890 - 1966), the combination of “shinsa” (cinnabar glazing) and “tsutsu-gaki kamon” (raised-relief slip-trailing floral design) used in the creation of this work is one of his most recognizable motifs.

Like so many great artists throughout history, Kanjiro refused to confine himself to one genre...

A flat and circular kogo – incense box – made out of skillfully turned pine wood, stained or thinly lacquered dark brown...

Circular kobako in gold lacquer, decorated with cranes and pines on a nashiji background. The interior is in nashiji lacquer. On the lid, we can see the mon of the Tsugaru family (津軽).
This family is a samurai clan from the province of Mutsu, in the north of Japan. It was originally a branch of the Nambu clan, which became free during the Azuchi Momoyama period (1573-1603)...

A sweetmeat dish consisting of 1 central hexagonal dish surrounded by 6 fan-shaped dishes. Each dish has a straight side and is decorated in the center with one of the seven gods of good fortune, shichifukujin in overglaze enamels and gold on cream colored stoneware. The central dish holds the image of the only female member of the shichifukujin: Benzaiten.

The central dish is signed on the back Gyokuzan in a red and gold cartouche...

City in the Rain (after Hasui)
(A rare alternative perspective on "City in the Rain" by Kawase Hasui).
Artist: Not known.
Date: 1930s.
Size: 5.5 x 3.625 inches
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent with very slight bend at upper right corner.

"The Clarence Buckingham Collection of Japanese Prints Volume II: Harunobu, Koryusai, Shigemasa, Their Followers and Contemporaries" by Gentles, Margaret O., The Art Institute of Chicago, 1965. Oversized book measuring 12" x 15.7". 307 pages, 8 color and 525 b/w plates, bibliography, glossary, index. Cloth book with original slipcase. This rare out of print book was produced in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. It is the second of two volumes on the Clarence Buckingham Collection...

A classic tea form by pioneering artist Furutani Michio enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Hanaire. It has been burrid midway in the embers scorching the earth black , molten ash covering the fire side, the rim torn and sagging, the perfection of imperfection. It is 10-3/4 inches (27 cm) tallr and in excellent condition...

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...

Delicate flowers in blue on this vase by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shuyo Kokyo Kabin. Kokyo is the Chines Bellflower. Shuyo is a type of pottery developed by and unique to Rokubei VI whereupon the image is painted onto the pot, then covered with impure pine ash glaze resulting in a very wabi-sabi aesthetic. This vase is 25 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition dating from the 1970s...

A fabulous Shigaraki Tsubo of austere form blasted with natural ash glaze by Otani Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. A classic work it is 20 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Otani Shiro was born in Shigaraki in 1936 and graduated the Prefectural School in the ceramics department in 1956, which he followed up with 4 years studying decorating techniques under Morioka Yutaro. He then moved to Kyoto where he studied at the Municipal Ceramics Research Facilit...

A quintessential Mimitsuki Mizusashi with loop handles by die hard Takahashi Rakusai enclosed in the original signed wooden box. This is a superb example of the form by master of the tradition. It retains both the original pottery lid and custom made black lacquered wood Kae-buta lid. The vessel is 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter, 17.5 cm (7 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Takahashi Takusai IV was born the eldest son of the 3rd generation Rakusai in Shigaraki in 1925, given name ...

The Fundo stamp of Living National Treasure Kaneshige Toyo is impressed into the base of this classical Bizen Mizusashi by Toyo named Fuku no kami (God of Fortune) by 12th Grandmaster of the Omotesenke School of Tea Keio Sosa (Seisai), enclosed in a wooden box titled Bizen Mimitsuki Mizusashi, Na: Fuku no Kami and signed by Seisai., It retains the original ceramic lid as well as a lacquered lid also bearing an alternate signature of Seisai. It is 17.5 cm (7 inches) diameter, 15 cm (6 inches) ta...

A quintessential Iga vase dating from the Edo period, the rough clay covered in thick ash glaze. It is viciously charred, testament to the tempest in the kiln, with molten ash flowing freely over the surface. This is a perfect complement to a Japanese chashitsu tea room or traditional flower display. It is 24.5 cm (9-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. In a Japanese tea ceremony room, historically vases were made to match the ambiance of the humble setting. Although I did not write i...

A voluminous vessel glowing with hi-iro flame color by Furutani Hirofumi (Churoku II) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Hi-iro Tsubo. This piece comes from deep within the kiln, far from the ash deposits in front, and the pale clay is altered by the heat and touch of the inferno as it rushes through the vortex, the path and shadows of other pieces leaving various patterns on the surface. It is 32 x 34 x 31 cm (13 x 14 x 12 inches) and in excellent condition, directly ...

A fabulous ceramic casket by Kawai Kanjiro covered in his famous Gosu blue with abstract colorful patterns enclosed in a wooden box signed by the head of the Kawai Kanjiro Kinenkan Museum. It is 25 x 14 x 14 cm (10 x 5-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishi...

Kishimoto Kennin at his best, deep in the clay of Iga, a slightly misshapen vase covered in a splash of ash glaze and dark charring, one side flattened down like a beret, a single drip of crystalline jade clinging to the rim. The vase is 29 cm (just under 12 inches) tall and in perfect condition, enclosed in the original signed wooden box.
Kishimoto Kennin has been working with clay since the 1950s, devouring styles along the way. Shino, Seto, Oribe, Iga and Celadon, all very different a...