Japanese sumi on paper—this piece by well-known Meiji/ Taisho artist Tomita Keisen depicts a lone banana tree. Deceptively simple in style, each brush stroke made with sweeping yet calculated motions to evoke nostalgia for sultry summer days and tropical climes...

A shell incense box (kogo) painted in relief pure gold with waka writing inside with probably poetic or romantic references. Very similar to shells for the game of kaiawase, but larger in size. Edo period 19th century Sizes: 5 x 10 x 8 cm Condition report: Good condition – with tomobako

Hanging scroll. A dragon shoots upwards through the clouds. Its head clearly visible, pointing straight up, the tail faintly disappearing in the darkness of the sky. Black ink on silk. Very skillful use of many shades of black and gray. Signed and dated in the lower left: Bunka year of the dog (1814), Fuyu and artist’s red seal Rintai.
Japan

Image: H 52.5 x W 20 in. Mounting: H 81.5 x W 25 in. (lower roller 27.25 in. wide)

Mounting in excellent condition, painting too.

This masterful rendition of an idilic landscape done in the Nanga style of Chinese painting is spread across three canvases titled 1) “Arashiyama” (A district nestled at the foot of Kyoto’s eastern mountain range), 2) “Kyomizu-dera” (One of Kyoto’s most iconic temples located in the western foothills), and 3) “Tatsuta” (An area west of Kyoto on the edge of Lake Biwa, known for its expansive fields of lotus flowers)...

Antique Japanese pair of paintings depicting two dragons in a dense mist. Gold flashes light up the clouds. Symbolizing the ultimate yang, or masculine energy, the dragon is the controller of both winds and water. Painted in sumi and gold ink on silk and signed by the artist. Both panels are loose (unmounted)...

A charming painting in ink and colors on silk depicting a young, long-haired girl in traditional dress with her back turned to the viewer. Signed: Nobumaru (Mitsubumi 1812–1879), a late Tosa School painter in the Nihonga tradition. Exquisite mounting. Meiji, c. 1865–1875. L 182 cm, W 60 cm. Picture frame: L 109 cm, W 42.5 cm. Condition: Very good.

Antique Japanese screen painting in 6 panels. Painted to resemble a samurai encampment space divider. The simple graphics of the curtain-like camp divider are painted in black and white and displays the kamon (crest) of the Takiyama Family. Narrow slits between the white and black sections of cloth were for the wind to pass through, preventing the curtain from becoming a sail. Thick striped rope securely ties the curtain to tall stakes in the ground...

Seated in meditation with open and compassionate heart, this bodhisattva is on a spiritual journey, postponing his own salvation in order to remain on earth to help others achieve enlightenment. In contrast to some images of the Japanese Bodhisattva (Bosatsu), often depicted as austere and inward looking, here, Kimura depicts the Bodhisattva as playful, carefree, and decidedly ornate...

Pair of Japanese 6-panel screen paintings. Painted with a continuous scene of a rural landscape. Mountain pavilions sit atop high peaks reached by winding trails. Across an expanse of calm water stretches a long, low foot bridge occasionally interrupted by a sudden archway. Boats and tiny figures go about their business. Painted in sumi ink and with gold leaf on paper.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions of each painting: 67 1/2" high x 142 1/2" long

Japanese Edo Period scroll painting of a yamabushi, a mountain ascetic hermit or holy man. Often believed to be endowed with supernatural powers, the yamabusi follow the Shugendo doctrine, a religion that places heavy emphasis on feats of endurance. Throughout history, they have participated in battles along side samurai. In this painting, the warrior/sage is leaning on a walking stick. He is dressed only in leaves and animal skins...

Antique Japanese screen painting of a beautiful woman or man, possibly a taikomochi or male geisha smoking a long pipe, leaning on a padded lacquered stand and wearing elegant flowing robes patterned with flowers. In the background stands a ink painting of a mountain landscape. The right hand panel is painted with a standing kimono rack, lacquered black with gold butterflies...

Antique Japanese 2-panel byobu screen. Covered with small squares of pale gold leaf. That this is antique is told by the size and quality of the gold leaf squares.

Dimensions: 35 1/4" high x 51 1/2" long

Chinese scroll painting of a beautiful maiden. She stands in a loosely draped salmon colored gown with red chording, a transparent shawl around her bare shoulders. Atop her head is a bright pink peony flower. At her feet, is an exuberance of wide leaves, the over all appearance is that she is part of the blossoming plant. Dramatic calligraphy dominates the left hand side of the painting. Signed by Wu Fan...

This tranquil winter scene showing a group of birds taking shelter in the snowy boughs of a tree was done by well-known Edo painter, poet, and tea ceremony devotee—Baiitsu Yamamoto.

A native of Nagoya, a bustling Japanese center for shipping and trade in Late Edo, Baiitsu was heavily influenced by works of Chinese art, especially the naturalistic landscapes that made their way into Japan through this port city...

Large shrine, zushi, made on special order for a temple. Inside, right in front of the back wall is a silk covered panel. Towards the bottom of the panel, on a gold background, are painted Fugen Bosatsu on his companion the elepahant, and Monju Bosatsu, sitting on the back of his companion the tiger. Above them, set in the center of a red painted circle is a circular crystal reliquary, sitting on a gilt bronze lotus dais, surrounded by gilt bronze flames, forming the wish granting jewel hojugata...

Japanese screen painting in two panels of butterflies and moths. The etherial quality of the fluttering creatures is conveyed by delicately painted details and movement. Painted in mineral colors on silk...

Antique 2-panels screen painting from the interior of a wealthy home in Momoyama Period Japan. Each of these two rectangular shaped panels is painted with a fan shaped reserve. The fan on the left panel is painted with a branch of blossoming white flowers, possibly dogwood and is shadowed by another blue and gold fan shaped reserve. The fan on the right panel is painted in ink with a bird on a branch and shadowed with a green and gold fan. Both fan reserves are painted over a brilliantly col...

Antique Japanese pair of screen paintings, one of early Summer (or Spring): rabbits, blossoming wisteria and peonies. And the other of Winter: birds including sparrows and kingfishers with snow-covered bamboo and red clusters of berries on a large nandia bush. Painted using mineral colors and gold leaf on paper. Signed Eigaku Kano (1790-1867).

Eigaku Kano was the ninth head of the "Kyo Kano", the Kyoto branch of the Kano School. He is credited for reviving the Kano School and ...