An antique Japanese Karatsu ware tea container or chaire with motif of donkeys painted on the side of the piece. One side is painted in a indigo blue color with a fine tip and on the other side is brown done in thicker lines. The motif of donkeys in Japanese art may infer to the literati taste of a rustic and simple lifestyle. The motif is not often seen in ceramics, but mostly in paintings influenced by Chinese works...

A Mashiko ware tea bowl (chawan) by Hamada Shoji. The bowl is glazed in a style known as kaki yu or persimmon color glaze which is often seen in Mashiko wares. Hamada Shoji along with Yanagi Muneyoshi and Barnard Leech were part of the mingei movement in the late 20th century. The movement emphasized the simple minimalist beauty found in daily objects made by unknown artists. Thus, Shoji never signed his works, where he too wanted people to simply appreciate his ceramics, not his notoriety...

Wonderful Japanese antique tetsubin (tea pot), made of cast iron with concentric ripples across the body. The handle is beautifully shaped. It has the bronze lid which is also signed, and a flower bud serves as the lid's handle. The signature reads: Ryubundo zo, translation: Created by Ryubundo. Age: Meiji Period. Size: 8" high (including handle) x 6.125" wide (including spout).

Delightful Japanese antique tetsubin (tea pot), made of cast iron. The handle is beautifully shaped. The lid is of bronze with a flower bud as the lid handle. The lid is is also signed by the noted tetsubin studio of Kinjudo. Age: Meiji Period. Size: 7.5" high (including handle) x 7.125" wide (including spout).

Admirable Japanese antique tetsubin (tea pot), made of cast iron. On the body, Kanji symbols are raised with the following message: Pine Tree, Longevity, 1000 years in the mud, really low, always a master. The idea is "Out of the mud comes the master". On the opposite side, designs of a crab, water lily, full leaf and half leaf. The handle is uniquely shaped. The lid is of bronze with a flower bud as the lid handle. The lid is is also signed, Kijudo. Age: Meiji Period...

An antique oke-bound wooden bucket has been lacquered mirror smooth black inside with a natural bark handle added to create a superb sumi-tori charcoal basket for use in the Japanese tea ceremony. The original cask-like body is worn at the rim to an incredible degree, and yet remains structurally sound. It may have indeed been a lacquer-workers bucket, or perhaps used by a paper-hanger, decades of being bumped by the brush naturally wearing down the edges...

This lovely Bizen ware is called Kogo / incense container used for Japanese tea ceremony. The shape is a seed of wisteria suitable for tea ceremony in autumn / winter. This is the work of a potter Yoshimoto Shuho. Shuho was born in 1938 in Okayama prefecture and studied pottery under Fujita Yoshiro. After Shuho became independent, he first produced Bizen ware for 10 years...

Splendid Japanese incense container, also known as kogo, used for tea ceremony. The persimmon has a small lady bug sitting near the head of the persimmon. The incense container contains an inscription reading: Rakushisha, which is a small hut in the Sagano district of Kyoto. The hut was the summer home of Matsuo Basho's disciple, Mukai Kyorai. The hut was given the name when a hurricane blew all the persimmons off the trees planted in the estate...

A fine Japanese lid rest or futaoki as it is known in the tea ceremony. The lid rest is done in a technique known as karakane or bronze and has been hammered. The tachizuru or motif of standing cranes is often seen in various tea accessories representing the rise of auspiciousness. The lid rest comes with a tomobako with the name of the lid rest and the artist, Seishu. Age: Late Showa Period Size: diameter 2.1" height 2.1"

Decorated with bamboo and characters (poem?). The bronze lid signed on the inside by Ryobundo. Condition: old repair on the inside of the pot. Late Meiji, early 20th century. H. 21 cm, Diameter 16 cm.

A splendid tea container decorated with hydrangeas done in makie. The container is known as a hira natsume, where the wide structure is a signature element. Motif of hydrangeas are associated with the mid summer- monsoon season in Japan and often seen in summer tea gatherings. Age: Taisho Period Size: diameter 3" height 2.25"

An unusual hira natsume decorated with motifs of a cicada, dragonfly, spider, snail, cricket, and frog. A few insects are closely associated with the various seasons. For example, the cicada and snail are summer insects, the dragonfly and cricket are autumn. In addition, the insects have allusions to zen and Japanese philosophies. Age: Taisho Period Size: diameter 3.25" height 2.25"

A finely done Japanese bamboo basket used as a flower container made by the second Shochikusai. The handle is done in a way as if the vine appears to grow out from the basket and fine strips of bamboo are woven throughout the vase. Fine woven bamboo baskets require the highest skills to create the rhythmic geometric patterns and form. Age: Showa Period Size: length 10" width 6.5" height 18.75"

This is a beautifully rendered Japanese Tetsubin. Done in Iron with gorgeous mixed metal inlays of gold and silver. Portrays persimmon fruit branch with birds an Maple tree leafs representing Fall. Signed Lid on bottom reads Ryubundo, the noted studio that produced cast iron tea kettles. Dimensions: 8 3/4'' High X 6 1/2'' Wide

This work is a work of famous ceramist Deishi Shibuya of Hagi ware.

It is a Oni-Hagi Hiissen Chawan. Hiissen is Japanese and is a meaning referred to as Washing a brush.

Since form resembles the container from which a brush is washed, it came to be refered to as Hiissen Chawan. The Hagi ware clay with which three kinds of grounds were mixed is used for the clay of this work (Daido, Mishima, Mitake).

The clay which blended rough sand is called Oni-Hagi...

This very unusual Kyoto ware chawan is decorated in underglaze blue on a buff stoneware body.

The motifs are very odd and present mysterious pictures a poetic calligraphy.

Inside are 5 spur marks indicating that these bowls were stacked inside each other in the kiln. A previous owner has obviously been very attached to the bowl as it has several fine "kintsugi" gold lacquer repairs.

The Teabowl was made in Edo Period at the end of the 18th. century...

Very beautiful antique aka-raku (red raku) chawan (teabowl) with Raku 11th generation Keinyû (1817-1902)'s seal. Early Meiji Era.

Born as a son of Ogawa Naohachi, a sake brewer from Tanba, the present Kameoka City in Kyoto, he was taken into the Raku family as Tannyu's son-in-law. He succeeded as the 11th generation in 1845. He retired in 1871, assuming the name of Keinyu...

SIZE : Width 5.1 in : Length 5.0 in : Height 2.8 in : Weight 360 g + Box 290 g

This is a rare tea bowl of Japanese SETO pottery ware. This was made about 150 years ago during the Meiji Period.

SETO is the pottery of Aichi Prefecture in Japan. It is chosen as one of the oldest 6 pottery called ROKKOYO in Japan. And such a glaze with taste of mud is SETO. It has a fantastic Wabi-Sabi atmosphere and the design on it reminds of wild big cats.

The overall unperfection...