A lantern shaped vase of typical pale stoneware, glazed inside and within the foot-rim with the typical finely crazed clear glaze associated with Satsuma and Kyoto wares. The thick glaze on the exterior has evacuated to form a marvelous abstract composition. Whether the potter relied upon the glaze to evacuate by first dressing the unfired vase with wax or perhaps the ... Click for details
This richly crackled folk pottery stoneware plate is hand painted with scrolling vines and flower heads encircling a snail. The design has been freely and boldly executed with just a few simple brush strokes in underglaze cobalt blue. Late Edo/early Meiji period, mid-19th century. Known as “ishi-zara” (“stone plate” or “herring plate”), these thick-walled and sturdy bowls were typically decorated in just two colors (iron-oxide brown and cobalt-oxide blue) under a clear glaze on buff-colored clay... Click for details
A Japanese Seto-yaki Tokkuri (Sake Bottle) 19th. Century
Ht. Ht. 11 ins. (28 cms) This handsome sake bottle from the Seto kilns is in good condition except for a chipped lip. We have observed similar chipping on many tokkuri which is puzzling but we once had a similar bottle which had a rope and wood handle and a similar chip which coincided with the knot on the rope and it occurs to us that when suspended from the handle the rough scar would prevent the bottle from turning in the loop. But w... Click for details
A set of five antique Kenzan style plates decorated with Momiji maples on crackled cream colored glaze from Inuyama, outside Nagoya, enclosed in an antique wooden box. In the center of each dish is a character Sakigake in a green dial (Sakigake is the brightest star in the big dipper), meaning to excel above all others. They are 8 inches (19.5 cm) diameter and in fine condition. Very rare to find a complete set of dishes like this.
A striking Kutani stoneware okimono fully sculpted as a seated Buddhist temple guardian. Posed with head slightly turned, bare teeth and front legs firmly placed, its tufted, golden chest
contrasts with the glistening emerald- green glaze of his body.
This Kutani stoneware shishi is in very good condition with only minor rubbing to the gilt, commensurate with age.
Height: 22", length: 18", width: 11"
19th Century, Japan
This unusual Japanese Oribe ceramic sake bottle (“tokkuri”) with its wide base is known as a “fune-dokkuri” or ship bottle. Late Edo period, ca. 1860. Such flat-bottomed tokkuri were used on ships in Japan to prevent the bottle from toppling over in rough seas. It was hand potted from buff colored clay which was covered with a clear creamy crackled glaze and freely painted with sparse underglaze brown iron oxide decoration. The front is decorated with a tendril vine design and the back with thre... Click for details
Stoneware moon flask, decorated on one side with three pieces of cloth hanging in the wind from a flowering cherry tree (the cherry blossoms in tiny specks of silver, the clouds done in gold); on the other side with peonies that are covered against late spring snow (the snow on the cover and the veins of the leaves in silver, the outlines of the peony petals in gold). On the rounded side an irregular pattern in tea dust glaze, sprinkled with cherry blossoms in silver. The neck and foot are glaze... Click for details
A red Raku Chawan inscribed with the Ichigyosho Tea phrase Seifu hakki yoku ni shozu by Zen Priest Kutsu Deiryu enclosed in a wooden box. The bowl is 4-1/2 inches (11.5 cm) diameter and in fine condition. Kutsu Deiryu (1895-1954) was born into a military family, and was raised from an early age in the strict environment until being diagnosed with Tuberculosis. He was sent then to serve at a nearby temple but was refused as Buddhism was still recovering and many temples were quite poor. He wa... Click for details
An Oto-yaki Chawan inscribed by Zen priest Kutsu Deiryu with the Tea phrase Jakunen Fudo enclosed in a wooden box. The bowl is 4-1/2 inches (12 cm) diameter and in fine condition. Kutsu Deiryu (1895-1954) was born into a military family, and was raised from an early age in the strict environment until being diagnosed with Tuberculosis. He was sent then to serve at a nearby temple but was refused as Buddhism was still recovering and many temples were quite poor. He was finally accepted into t... Click for details
A Shino glazed bowl inscribed with the characters Jutoku by Zen Buddhist Priest Yamada Mumon enclosed in the original cedar box signed by the potter and made in 1974 for the 500th anniversary of the completion of Tokuju-Ji Temple. The bowl is roughly 5 inches (12 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (8.5 cm) tall and in fine condition. Yamada Mumon (1900-1988) studied law in his youth, but was converted to the life of Buddhism by a statement of Confucian theory which says, rather than become a lawyer, c... Click for details
