Japanese Meiji period cast iron tetsubin in lotus form with a Chinese inscription dating 1702 on one petal. The inscription reads “Kangxi forty-second year, 9th month, 6th day, auspicious day made.” Lotus form lid. Measures about 8 1/4” in length by 4 3/4” high (8” including handle). 19th century. Very good overall condition. The handle can stand upright, but it does not balance easily. There is rust to the interior. From a Scottsdale, Arizona collection.

This remarkable tea bowl is from the kilns of Yoshida Shuen (1940-1987)—an apprentice of Miwa Kyusetsu (1910-2012) who was awarded the status of Living National Treasure in 1983. It features a warm crackled glazing with a white translucent overcoat that beads in areas.

Hagi-yaki has a tradition stretching back over 400 years and is a high-fired stoneware type of pottery...

Using local materials and traditional methods, the creator of this work Masahiko Imanishi, has brought a distinctively modern interpretation to the classical form of the tsutsu chawan. At the same time, he somehow manages to maintain the simple rusticity that Tanba-ware is renowned for. Stretching back over 800 years, Tanba is counted as one of Japan’s 6 ancient kiln sites and is known for making large pots with red ferrous clay and natural ash glazes with a distinctive greenish tinge...

Distorted shoe shaped (kutsugata) tea bowl with a flaring mouth made of light, coarse, unrefined Mino clay. The expertly thrown body was trimmed with a potters knife in its lower part and its brim. It dates back to the early Edo Period (1603-1868).

It is covered with a very deep black iron oxide glaze inside and outside. A 'window' on the side has been left unglazed and is decorated with two fish nets hung for drying...

This lovely Shino tea bowl fashioned from coarse Mino clay is covered in feldspar glazing, has a classic ferrous abstract painting across the front, and shows nice age—most likely from early Edo.

Shino-ware dates to the Momoyama period when potters were attempting to recreate white porcelain-wares that were being imported from China at the time. Originally they were made in a single-chamber anagama style kilns set into the hillsides...

There are only few opportunities to find antique Chosen Karatsu chawans - collectors know of what I'm talking about. Here is the second one of our collection:

Chosen Karatsu chawan from the Edo Period. The grandiose embellishment of color creates a sublime sense of tension between the dark glazed and color infusion...

Crafted by one of the most well-known potting families from the Meiji period (Ito Tozan), this black Raku tea bowl displays a glossy sheen and gentle swells rippling through the clay body. The shape of the this tea bowl is known as “tsutsu” in Japanese and is regarded as being especially attractive. Tsutsu bowls are used mainly in the depths of winter to keep in the heat and prevent the tea from cooling too quickly...

Unlike many of the pieces in the genre of Kyo-ware, this tea bowl is decidedly demure in appearance. Milky, flowing glaze pools in places along a backdrop of ivory and coral pink sides, contrasting nicely with the rough, unrefined clay of the base. In the center of the kodai is a decorative swirl pattern reminiscent of the yin and yang.

The potter, Kanpu Kawanabe (1873 - 1947) was born into a family of weavers but went on to be trained in many of the arts related to tea ceremony...

A small, attractive incense table on four legs in classical style with openwork in red Negoro-lacquer with the typical ‘rubbed’ surface to reveal the layer of black lacquer underneath. Japan, late Meiji, c. 1900. H 13.5 cm, W 20 cm, L 26 cm. Condition: Generally good (minor wear and a few, small cracks).

Tsutsu-shaped chawan have a unique and especially attractive shape. They are used mainly in the depths of winter to keep in the heat, and prevent the tea from cooling too quickly. Tea disciples of all stripes appreciate this type of bowl for its elegant lines and functional properties.

This tea bowl was fired in the kilns of one of Kyoto’s best known Raku-yaki potters, Sasaki Shoraku III (1944-)...

Exquisitely painted cherry blossoms (sakura) and willow branches (yanagi) on a background of jet-black traditional lacquer.

The craftsman, Wakashima Takao (b. 1935) was born in the north of Japan in the picturesque town of Wajima. The lacquer technique particular to this region (Wajima-nuri) is rather unique in its use of an undercoating incorporating special compounds that make it exceptionally durable over time...

The colors seen in this ceramic piece are not often encountered in the world of Japanese tea-ware pottery—a field dominated mainly by styles such as Raku, Hagi, and other traditions with relatively conservative and predictable color schemes. The aquamarine blue is rather striking, reminiscent of coral encountered in the pristine waters of tropical and remote destinations...

Mountain tea bowls (yama-jawan) are commonly excavated from the hillsides of Japan and many date to the 12th century or earlier. They tend to be crude in construction but with a fascinating ruggedness that allows then to endure, often much better than contemporary ceramics, despite being buried in the earth for hundreds of years. Highly prized when found completely intact or with minor cracks, there is a sort of folklore and mystique that has built up around these objects...

Japanese Antique woven fruit basket with bent bamboo handle...

A Japanese antique Ikebana Suiban Takekago (basket) made of woven bamboo with its perimeter intertwined with split bamboo. A removable copper insert for the run-off of water. Mixed chestnut color highlights and smoked bamboo. Flat woven bottom with parallel bamboo slats.

Age: Meiji Era (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 18 1/2" Long by 12 3/4" Wideb by 2 3/4" High

Antique Japanese ikebana basket. Woven of split bamboo in a round, footed form. The handle is made of a piece of bamboo that has been carefully curved to give the whole basket a lovely hourglass shape.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 16 1/2" high x 7 1/2" wide

Antique Japanese ikebana basket (for flower arranging). Squat, round body with tall arching handle. Woven of split bamboo. The handle is comprised of sections of bamboo twisted together like a rope. It attaches to the wider, bottom section of the basket made in the same technique. The upper portion of the basket is made of flat sections of bamboo woven in a repeating horizontal chevron pattern. The more orderly pattern is intentionally interrupted periodically with strands of twisted bamboo...

Meticulously crafted from carefully woven strips of bamboo, this traditional “chabako” would typically contain all of the basic utensils for conducting tea ceremony. As the same name is commonly used to describe wood boxes used to store and transport tea leaves, the piece below could also be described as a “chakago” to avoid confusion—though the former descriptor is much more commonly used. In practice, the box would contain a tea bowl, kensui, chashaku, chasen, chaire and several othe...