Japanese antique giver of joy diety elephants, Shingon and Tendai sects, made of boxwood male and female elephants-headed with human body holding another. Well-carved, with inlaid eyes, hollow body. Giver of joy and prosperity. Small restoration.

Edo Period, circa 1800s
Size: Height 4" Width 2 1/4" Depth 2"

DISKS

13 pieces of wooden (cedar) disks once used as the stands for drying pottery wares as probably. Showa period, 20th century, Japan. In such well-used mature condition as is. Small: approx. 18cm (7.08in), Large: approx...

Antique Japanese boxwood okimono of swimming carp fish with sinuously shaped body and realistically carved scales and details. Lovely soft patina of golden brown color. Good condition.

Age: Meiji Period circa 1900s
Size: 14"L 4"H 4"W

An antique Japanese Shinto Shrine (also known as a Kamidana, Yashiro or Omiya) housing the deities Ebisu and Daikoku. The shrine was made from Hinoki (Cypress) and Suginoki (Cryptomeria) while the deities were hand carved from Tsugenoki (Boxwood).

Ebisu is characterized by the lucky Sea Bream (Tai) fish that he holds under his arm. Sitting on a rocky shore, he looks to the water as a protector of fish, fisheries, seafood, fishermen, sea merchants and anything else that is related...

Pair of beautifully hand carved dragon temple corbels. Each is made of solid keyaki hardwood and hand carved with great detail. Original pigment can be seen highlighted in red, gold and black tones. Each dragon is twisting and swirling both looking in different directions. These would have originally been mounted up high within a temple shrine...

An expressive frightful yet humorous yamaneko cat (tiger) perched on a natural jagged boulder. Hand carved of boxwood with eye detailed in bone. Very well carved with fine details. An Okimono may be a small Japanese carving, similar to, but larger than netsuke. Unlike netsuke, which had a specific purpose, Okimono were purely decorative and were displayed in the tokonoma.
Original hand worn finish in excellent condition...

An antique architectural Japanese Buddhist temple carving of opposing flying Ryu (dragons) protecting a Hoju (sacred Buddhist jewel) with the eyes made using the reverse glass painting technique. The detailed relief carving shows their coiled bodies circulating amongst the stylized clouds with one dragon open mouth to expel evil spirits and the other closed mouth to keep good spirits in. Their serpentine body reveals 4 appendages with classic three claw anatomy...

A rare full size Japanese Temple gold gilt ranma. Deep hand-carved relief depicting a floating apsara with an incredible flowing phoenix tail feathers (heavenly being) amongst swirling clouds. A phoenix rising up and through the angel with its head seen leading the way.
An apsara is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist culture...

A vintage Japanese Ranma (transom) made of Kusunoki (Camphor) and Hinoki (Cypress) woods. Hand carved in deep relief depicting an auspicious Plum Blossom Tree with Bamboo and Irises. Celebrating the change of seasons from winter to spring, it shows many flower buds ready to bloom with a few blooming in all its beauty.

Age: Late Taisho through Early Showa Era (1926-1950).

Dimensions: 67 1/4" Wide x 16" High by 2 3/4" Deep

An dramatic pair of large Japanese golden gilt lotus flowers. Gold gilt in excellent original condition over hand carved wooden lotus flowers. Originally these would have been exhibited at a large temple. Rare to find such a large pair. Typically when found these are much smaller. Each is mounted to a matching base.

Meiji Period (1868 -1912)

26" wide X 53" High

EBISU AND DAIKOKU

Pair of traditional Japanese wood carving statues of the Gods of Wealth, called Ebisu and Daikoku as the two-top of Shichifukujin (Seven gods of good fortune). Showa period, early 20th century. approx...

Unique handworn / polished natural burl wood brush rest in the shape of a mink okimono. The low long shape makes for an ideal brush rest for an calligrapher...

Reliquary in the shape of a pagoda, used to house the Hokyoin Sutra. This type of reliquary originates from China and developed in Japan in the Kamakura era. The Hokyoin Darani sutra contains invocations that make it easier for the soul of the deceased to find its way out of Hell directly into Paradise. These pagodas are usually made of stone, so they can be buried with the deceased. The sutra is recited daily in esoteric Buddhist sects, and is venerated as a relic of the Buddha Shakyamuni...

An incredible original and rare 16th Century Gagaku Karasu Tengu ritual mask dating from the Muromachi period in Japan. Hand carved out of a single piece of Kirinoki (Paulownia) wood. Finished in its original black lacquer, the extremely old reddish pigment is still visible...

Antique Japanese wooden bowl carved in the form of a wide lotus leaves. On the inside of the bowl, a frog with turquoise eye climbs the stalk of a lotus blossom. Two more frogs cling to curling leafy edges. The underside of the bowl is carved like the underside of a lotus leaf including it's spiraling stalk.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 12 1/4" wide diameter x 3 1/4" high

A large Japanese wood okimono of a shishi with its puppy on a wooden base. Silk, enamel and glass eyes. Edo period 18th century Sizes: 37 x 50 x 30 cm Condition report: Good condition

Antique Japanese carved boxwood jizai-okimono of a dragon. Literally meaning "decorative object, moves at will", this jizai-okimono is made up of many separately carved moving pieces. There are differing theories about why these articulated creatures came to be made, the most accepted being that the armorers who normally created suits started crafting jizai-okimono as a way to show off their skills to daimyos in hopes of being chosen next time their armor needed to be replaced. During the Me...

Antique Japanese Shinto mask in the likeness of a fox (kitsune). Carved of wood and lacquered dark brown, this mask is made with a movable lower jaw operated by a wooden mouthpiece. Most likely used during ceremonial dance associated with Shinto religion.

Japanese folk lore tell of many variations of the role of the fox including those closely related to guardians of Shinto Shrines. The goddess of agriculture and fertility, Inari-san herself at times takes on the form of a white ...