Japanese seto ware ceramic chawan (tea cup). Made of dark brown stoneware with round body and small round foot. Appealing greenish glaze with drips. Artist's mark on the bottom. With tomobako.

Age: Taisho Period (early 20th century)

Dimensions: 2 7/8" high x 5 1/4" wide

Antique Japanese oribe ware chawan (tea cup). Buff color stoneware with reddish brown translucent glaze. Two areas of thick white crackle glaze with black brushwork motifs give this cup it's traditional oribe appearance. Satisfying weight and shape. Lovely drips and depth. With tomobako.

Age: Taisho Period (early 20th century)

Dimensions: 3 1/4" high x 4 3/8" wide

Vibrant red glaze is dribbled randomly across the scored and scarred light glazed body of this magnificent Chawan by Yamada Kazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaku-yu Oribe Chawan. The form is slightly belted, to allow the bowl to settle comfortably into the palm. The very traditional silhouette however has been paddled and graffiti structures scratched into the surface. Over this has been applied an overall white glaze, with black and red ladled out on top of that...

An antique Japanese chest called Tohoku Kasane Tansu made of Kirinoki (Paulownia) wood. All original hand forged iron hardware including the Kakute style handles. Good luck symbols on the handle backplates showing the Sho Chiku Bai motif (longevity, tenacity and beauty). Four large drawers for spacious kimono storage and a hinged door behind which are two small drawers where valuables were hidden away...

Japanese kappazuri stencil print by the artist Yoshitoshi Mori. Mori developed his distinct style using the kappazuri print technique and grew to fame, exhibiting his work around the world. His distinct style shows how he was influenced by his work as a textile designer and dyer of kimono fabric, a job he had when he first graduated from art school. This print shows figures under a row of lanterns on Nakamise Street in Asakusa. Signed in pencil and unframed...

An antique Japanese display chest known as a Cha Tansu made entirely of Kirinoki. Used in Japan as an all purpose cabinet used to store tea serving accessories for guests as well as serving as a display chest where seasonal or special occasion accents can be shown for all to enjoy. Original bronze hardware. Two large sliding doors hide a large spacious storage area and 5 drawers are used for organizing and additional space. Beautiful curved top corners with dovetail joinery work...

Japanese Edo period woodblock print kakemono (vertical diptych) of a full figure samurai walking in an elegant kimono by Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) published by Sanoya Kihei between 1844-1845. Signed Kochoro Kunisada at the lower right corner with the publisher's seal and Tanaka censor seal beside it. The assembled size is about 28 1/2” x 9 9/16" (top sheet: 14 1/8" x 9 1/2"; bottom sheet: x 14 9/16" x 9 9/16." Very good clean overall condition...

Okimono in bronze of a frog.
Seal of the founder or of his factory on its belly, not identified.

The frog (kaeru) is associated with luck and wealth. Kaeru means both "frog" and "coming home" in Japanese. This extension of meaning is due to the ability of the frog to return each year to the pond of its birth. A gong in the shape of a frog can thus sometimes be used as a door hammer or to protect a house.

Japan - Meiji Era (1868-1912)
Height: 0.9 in...

Okimono in bronze of a frog.
Seal of the founder or of his factory on its belly, not identified.

The frog (kaeru) is associated with luck and wealth. Kaeru means both "frog" and "coming home" in Japanese. This extension of meaning is due to the ability of the frog to return each year to the pond of its birth. A gong in the shape of a frog can thus sometimes be used as a door hammer or to protect a house.

Japan - Meiji Era (1868-1912)
Height: 1.4 in...

Wooden toad with long legs. In the Japanese bestiary, the toad has a special place, carrying positive values. Both the toad and the frog, called kaeru (蛙) return every year and regardless of the distance to the pond where they were born. The word kaeru is a synonym for "coming home". It is the protective animal for travelers and the symbol of hospitality...

Hitotsusage tabacco pouch with a netsuke. Unlike the tabako-ire, there is no kiseru case.

Netsuke of kagamibuta type, made of two parts: a silver plate with peonies decoration and an ivory bowl.
Leather snuffbox (pouch) with menuki (metallic decoration) of a silver dragon. On the pouch, painted decoration of a Hôô phoenix surrounded by flowers...

Bronze sculpture of a giraffe beetle (Prosopocoilus girafa)...

Bronze okimono with brown patina of a mouse lying down. The coat, the tail and the legs are chiselled. The details of the head are particularly detailed, such as the moustache hairs and the long eyelashes.
In Japan, the term nezumi refers to both the mouse and the rat. They are regarded as the messenger of Daikokuten, the deity of trade and wealth. In the Chinese zodiac, taken over by Shintoism in Japan, the rat (or mouse) is the first of the twelve animals, a place that, according to the ...

Large natsume in black lacquer covered with gold powder (maki-e). Gold and silver snowflakes decoration in togidashi maki-e on nashi-ji background. The interior is made of dense nashi-ji lacquer.

The natsume is a tea box intended to contain matcha tea for the preparation of the tea ceremony. It is named for its resemblance to the natsume fruit, i.e. the jujube (also called the Chinese date). It is round, short and has a flat lid. It is often made of lacquer. The natsume is used for ...

Small namban style chest with a semi-cylindrical lid made of black lacquered wood (urushi) with gold lacquer (maki-e) and inlaid with mother-of-pearl (raden).
Mon style decoration (family emblem) of ginkos and chrysanthemums framed by friezes alternating three grooves and mother-of-pearl inlays. Copper fittings and black lacquer interior.

The Namban art of the 16th and 17th centuries was influenced by the contacts with the West and in particular the Portuguese who arrived in ...

Exceptional wagumi Japanese style free flowing bamboo flower basket, Taisho Period c. 1920. Masterful weves using big strips of susudake bamboo aged in old Japanese farmhouses from the irori smoke. Height 36cm; width 32cm.

An antique Japanese Sakata Kotansu (Japanese personal storage chest) made entirely of Kirinoki (Paulownia) wood. All original hand forged iron hardware and Urushi lacquer finish. 5 Drawers with 3 drawers secured by a locking bar. Hinged door behind which lie 3 small drawers where valuables were kept. Constructed using thick wood with straight dovetail joinery and hardened wood nails. A beautiful elegant chest that is perfect for a night stand or a side table. Comes with keys.

Age: Edo ...

A hard to find water jar of rough clay scored and scarred and covered in cream colored glaze splashed with red by Yamada Kazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaku-yu Oribe Mizusashi. This style is distinct to this artist, and easily recognizable as his work. It is 22 cm (8-1/2 inches) tall, 20.5 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Yamada Kazu was born in Tokoname city in 1954, one of Japans ancient kiln areas, into a line of potters. He would have been i...