Antique Japanese small zushi (traveling shrine). Red lacquer case opens to reveal the Buddha in the moment in which he attains parinirvana, dies and is released from the cycle of rebirth. Here he is recumbent on his side on an elongated lotus bed on a two tiered stand carved with blossoming branches and waves. The whole interior of the zushi is lacquered gold as is the Buddha while the lotus petals are delicately painted in colors with gold details...

An incredible and massive Japanese Buddhist Temple Ranma (transom) carving of a crouching Shishi (Fu Dog) under an overhanging pine tree flanked on both sides by exaggerated Peonies. Beautifully hand carved with great detail. The pine tree represents longevity while the large Peonies symbolize an abundance of wealth. The frame and carving both are made of Hinoki (Cypress) wood. Very good original condition...

An antique Japanese Kannon Bosatsu (Kwan-Yin, Guanyin) large Buddhist wood statue. Depicting the Goddess of compassion, mercy and kindness she hears the suffering souls of the world using her hands to help save them through their misfortunes. With Amida Buddha atop her head overseeing and assisting her actions, she has 11 heads surrounding her crown to hear those in pain and suffering...

They are carved from a single piece of wood. They are hollowed out on the back to probably receive a column. They had to be at the entrance of a temple and supported the portico. The wood is cracked and blackened by time. I think they are Edo period Japanese, but they may be earlier. They are two magnificent creatures with a powerful and fierce appearance. The fact that the wood is excessively weathered makes me think they were outside the temple, at the front door...

FOOT IN GETA

Anonymous vintage wooden sculpture of a right foot wearing geta (Japanese wooden sandal), Showa period, 20th century, Japan, approx. H 25cm (9.84in), thinly with varnish-like coating all over surface and gold paint only on the top surface...

Chinese Qing dynasty lacquered wood guardian figure standing on a square base with arms raised and his left black boot resting on a thin circular object embedded in the square platform. He is dressed in elaborately decorated animal head armour painted in red, blue, and black polychrome pigments with fine gilt highlights. 15 7/8" high. 19th century. Sturdy and in very good overall condition...

Polychrome lacquered wood sculpture of a tanuki dressed as a pilgrim, carrying its baby on its back. Their eyes are in horn.

The tanuki is a kind of racoon dog which is part of the yôkai (spirits) of Japanese folklore. It is endowed with magical powers: it can metamorphose and take many different forms. This spirit is a symbol of luck and prosperity...

Tall zushi or Buddhist temple shrine, housing the wooden figure of the standing Buddha Amida, Buddha of the Western Paradise. Both his hands in mudra. He is standing on a multi-tiered hexagonal base, decorated with flowers. His eyes inset in glass or crystal, which are hardly visible due to old layers of re-lacquering and soot.

The baldachin decorated with double family crest...

Sculpture in chiselled and stained wood representing a hare lying down.

In Japanese, the hare and the rabbit are designated by a single word: usagi. The hare occupies an important place in Japanese legends and superstitions. Like many other animals, it is supposed to reach a fabulous age and become blue at five hundred years old...

Chiseled wood sculpture representing a sitting hare.

In Japanese, the hare and the rabbit are designated by a single word: usagi. The hare occupies an important place in Japanese legends and superstitions. Like many other animals, it is supposed to reach a fabulous age and become blue at five hundred years old. In Far Eastern art, it is often depicted with the moon, an association that seems to have its raison d'être in an imaginary line that we want to see in this star...

CANDLESTAND

Old Japanese mingei wooden shokudai (candlestand) that applies the original spiral form created by natural forces to its main body attaching with pedestal, Taisho-Showa period, 20th century, approx. H 41cm (16.14in). Expected aged deterioration as is as seen. Slightly unstable at the joint of pedestal.


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A masterpiece by one of Japan's preeminent artists, Seiko Sawada b.1894-1988. This signed piece was executed out of keyaki wood in his younger days in the 1930's depicts Ebisu, one of the seven lucky gods, riding a fish and a wave spouting out of the fish's mouth. Daikoku, the god of abundance, is riding his treasure bag holding his hammer of magic. The Sawada Museum is in Atami, Shizuoka. Sawada was awarded the Order of Merit in the 1970's.

Large toad in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, in Japanese sugi).
Black and gold painted glass eyes.
In the Japanese bestiary, the toad has a special place, carrying positive values. The toad as well as the frog, both called Kaeru (蛙) return every year and regardless of the distance to the pond where there were born. The word kaeru is a synonym for "coming home". It is the protective animal for travelers and the symbol of hospitality. Its effigy is present on door hammers or ...

An antique Japanese Daruma wooden mold used for making paper mâché dolls. Likely retired from duty and lacquered to preserve its years of production and service. The worn lacquer is a testament to its display and use that extended beyond its useful life and paid tribute to the former artisans that supported the craft. The bottom reveals the three holes used to connect the mold to a turning wheel for ease of applying the paper mache. Knife cuts and natural cracks from wear show how the mold w...

Buddha in gilded lacquered wood. In the middle of the forehead is inlaid in mother-of-pearl the eye of the spirit. Le buddha is placed on a lotus-shaped plinth and leans against a glory sculpted with volutes. The base and the glory are from the Edo period.The Buddha is probably older, it is constructed differently,having a thick solid layer of reddish-brown lacquer visible where the worn gold powder has gone and is much more worn.The face and torso are atypical of those of the Edo period. Only a...

Buddhist shrine containing the deity Uga Benzaiten surrounded by Fifteen Children (Jugodoji), all sitting and standing on a rock formation. In the foreground are the ox and the horse, a boat laden with rice bales and the snake god Ugajin. Hidden between the jugodoji is the tiny figure of Amida Buddha.

In this shrine Benten appears in her eight-armed martial form holding various weapons (wheel, bow, spear, sword, club, lock, and arrow) and the wish granting jewel (all of them missing). On h...

Zushi, Buddhist shrine, containing a highly complex deity. On an eight-tiered lotus throne sits beautifully carved and decorated Dainichi Nyorai, his hands folded in his lap in meditation mudra. On his head he wears a cap in the shape of a lion head. He sits in front of a disc-shaped mandorla.

From the ceiling of the zushi hangs a drapery, decorated with of two phoenixes in fine gold on a lapis blue ground.

Wood with mineral colors, gofun, and fine decorations in gold. The crown of t...

A charming Okimono made of fine grain wood, probably cherry wood because it is too light and wide rings to be boxwood. It represents a couple of cats or martens dressed in kimono. Very nice sculpture, neat details, hair, whiskers. Inlaid eyes. Two other sculptures of this subject are known but much smaller and are housed in the Metropolitan and the other in the Fine art of Boston. They are announced as netsuke. Good condition, nice patina. Worn of uses for a sculpture of the 19th century. No r...