A beautiful old Kyo-ware tea bowl slightly elongated on one end producing an interesting and unique effect. The collector who furnished the box labeled it as being by the legendary potter Ninsei (17th C.). Though the potter’s mark suggests this could be the case, there is no way to confirm for certain other than by its age and undeniably elegant craftsmanship...

An antique Japanese two panel screen painting (byobu) of the battle between the two historical figures Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune (born Ushiwakamaru c.1159) was raised in a monastery near in Kyoto. His incredible skill as a warrior emerged when he was very young. In the scene depicted here, he famously defeats the great warrior-monk, Benkei (Saito Musashibo Benkei). The young Ushiwakamaru easily leaps over the larger warrior...

Wooden figure of a lion, companion to Fugen bosatsu. On his back he carries a lotus base, on which Fugen used to sit (figure missing). The lion stands on high and slightly stiff legs, each foot positioned on a small lotus base.
The figure has been carved out of several blocks of wood that were subsequently assembled into the final figure. This technique is called yosegi saiku and was widely used for complex sculptures like these. The tail is stuck into the back, remaining loose...

Antique Japanese carved wooden figure of a fu-dog (fu-lion) guardian. Traces of paint and gold guilt remain. The underside has writing in ink and a translation which reads: "This pair of Foo-lions was donated to the gate of Myoken Nichiren Shrine in Noma village of the province of Sesshu (near Osaka) on the date of 9th May, 7th year of Genroku ra...

Large Japanese porcelain dish, Arita kiln, compartmentalized decoration inspired by Chinese models from the end of the Ming dynasty. In the center a flowered basket and on the edge, cartouches containing flowers and emblems are boldly drawn in underglaze cobalt blue. The reverse left without decoration. The firing was perfect, the blue is bright, the glass is uniform. There is a big chip...

A shard has been grafted into the side of this large misshapen Shino bottle dating from the Momoyama to early Edo period, the repair lined with gold. Gold also circle the neck where the discarded misfire was repaired, and gleams on the lip. It is 22 cm (9 inches) tall and in excellent condition...

Wooden lectern covered with black lacquer, decorated with Japanese seignorial emblems (Mon) with gold powder. The emblems are treated in three different versions, all three of excellent lacquer quality in a very elegant style. The lectern can be dismantled into 4 parts, the box, the drawer, the top and the axis, the elements are assembled using mercury-gilded copper frames, which are finely chiseled with scrolls of stylized plants on a nanako background...

A lovely chawan made of three separate excavated shards connected by lines of gold dating from the Kamakura to early Muromachi periods (13th to 14th centuries). It is 15.7 cm diameter, 7 cm tall and in excellent condition, enclosed in an old wooden box.

A spectacular collapsed pottery jar from the Karatsu tradition with a purpose-warped wooden lid covered in powdered silver enclosed in a top quality ancient red-lacquered kiri-wood box lined with wave-patterned colored-paper. The ancient box has silver lacquer writing on the top reading Kodai Karatsu Tsubo, Kamakura Ki, Mizusashi (Ancient Karatsu Tsubo, Kamakura Period, Mizusashi). The pot is 17 cm (7 inches) diameter, 15 cm (6 inches) tall and in overall excellent condition.

A beautifully crafted and remarkable example of an early Edo period (1603-1868) Raku Chawan. This bowl is strongly reminiscent of the Chōjirō tea bowls, the first head of the Raku family.

This exceptionally well-crafted tea bowl has a very meditative presence and reveals its highlights of a typically Momoyama Period classic black glaze. It comes with an old Japanese wooden box...

Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Typically, black or green glazes are applied to the bodies of these works and light-colored windows are created using feldspar. These high-contrast areas then act as a canvas upon which abstract, minimalistic, and often naturalistic themes are painted...

Keman in cut bronze gilded with mercury. Decorated with flowers and Karyobinga (winged musical deities). Keman are hung in Japanese temples and replace bouquets of flowers. Usually Kemans are only decorated with flowers. The one presented here is exceptional with its 4 karyobinga cast in relief and riveted on the copper plate cut with flowers. Very beautiful carving, thick gilding...

A classic Nanban style Japanese lacquer tray decorated with mother of pearl inlay featuring four panels of birds among floral patterns separated by bands and frets dating from the 17th century later Momoyama to early Edo era. It is 43 × 28.5 x 2cm (17 x 11 x 1 inches). It has been fully restored, with repairs to the original lacquer and inlay, and the underside has been re-lacquered. It comes in a custom fitted Chinese style cloth bound box lined with red silk.
According to the Met: The...

An E-karatsu Yobitsugi bowl made of various shards attached with wide bands of gold to a discarded base: the pieces dating from the Momoyama to early Edo periods. It is 22 x 20 x 6 cm 8-1/2 x 8 x 2-1/4 inches) and comes enclosed in a modern kiri-wood collectors box titled E-Karatsu Hachi.
This method of using pieces from multiple works with lacquer repair is called Yobitsugi. Yobitsugi is a form of kintsugi that entails combining pieces of different objects together in order to create a ...

Crafted from locally sourced Bizen clay, this mid-Edo period vase embodies simplicity, beauty, and understated elegance. Originally crafted as a tokkuri, or sake flask, it was recovered from the estate of a tea-practitioner who reportedly cherished it as a vase that would hold colorful flowers and various grasses throughout the seasons.

Thanks to the dedication and passion of a researcher by the name of Katsura Matasaburo (1901-1986) we can be assured that this vase is a...

Exceptional Pair of Monumental 17th C. Japanese Bronze Temple Lanterns A pair of exceptional and extremely rare bronze antique 17th century Japanese lanterns from a prominent Tokugawa temple courtyard. Each lantern is made of 10 individual cast bronze sections. Heavenly creatures and symbology are abundant and include: fu-dogs, apsaras (Heavenly People & Celestial Beings), scholars objects and swirling clouds seen throughout.
Apsaras a symbol of beauty, good fortune, fertility, heaven....

Appearing to be from a 2006 excavation site in Tokyo known to be a former residence of the Owari Tokugawa clan—the most senior contingent of the Tokugawa clan that united Japan under one rule—this lovely Mishima tea bowl is one of just two I have seen appear on the Japanese art market over the years. The previous bowl also listed on our site had a large portion reconstructed with a gold repair. This piece meanwhile is entirely intact and even has its original box. Details about t...

Over the years we have taken a special interest in Raku pottery, especially in pieces made by the original Raku family (16 generations) and by a branch kiln known as Tamamizu—started by the illegitimate son of the potter Ichinyū, whose work we see here. Approximately 350 years old, this piece displays a beautiful red glaze and has a shape known as “tsutsu” with high walls and a slender form making it ideal for keeping in heat during the cold winter months. Antique gold repairs...