Antique Japanese six-panel byobu folding screen painting of a pair of pheasants (male and female). Near the pair of colorful birds, a stream flows over rocks. Exuberantly blossoming cherry trees and peonies rise from the rocky earth. Another pair of smaller birds fly together through a golden mist. Painted in mineral colors and with gold leaf on paper.

Age: late Meiji Period (circa 1900)

Dimensions: 59 1/2" high x 145 1/2" long

Ohara Shoson (Koson)
Two wild ducks near water; reeds behind
A well-known woodblock print and the original watercolor on board on which it was based.
Date: 1930s.
Watercolor size: 14 x 7 inches.
Woodblock print size: Approximately 15 x 6.75 inches.
Date: 1930s.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Shoson signature and seal on each.
Reference: S7.4 in Crows, Cranes and Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson (Amy Reigle Newland).
Condition of waterc...

Antique Japanese kuruma tansu (wheeled storage chest) from the Northern Sendai area closer to Iwayado. The front of the chest is made with keyaki (zelkova elm) wood with lovely grain and original red-orange translucent lacquer finish. The frame is made of sugi (cryptomeria). The large, raised iron lock plate on the top drawer depicts a pair of cranes flying in clouds. The middle two drawers are held in place with a locking bar (bo) with pine tree shaped ironwork...

Japanese two panel painted byobu (screen) depicting a winters evening with resting pair of mandarin ducks siting amongst the late blooming roses at waters edge. A pair of song birds sitting within the white hydrangeas...

The box is made of iron embossed with a hammer, the forging work itself is admirable, it presents a particularity rarely encountered in works of this type, in fact the artist sculpted the trunk of the tree hollow in the iron and forged the branches in relief. The inlays are in shakudo (copper and gold alloy), sentoku (copper alloy) in silver and gilded copper. The details are solid gold. The tree, rocks and plants are admirably drawn and perfectly executed...

A set of 5 Japanese karimata arrow collection. Forged iron, mounted on steel plates and armature wire.

The forked arrowhead (karimata) was named after its resemblance to the V-formation flight of wild geese. Such arrows of different sizes were highly prized on the battlefield and for hunting large game. The Japanese arrowheads, many resembling miniature spears, were made in hundreds of varied shapes of folded, tempered steel...

A superb Japanese pair of hanging scrolls, dating from the Momoyama Period. Depicting scenes of autumn signed by the noted painter of the Kano school, Kano Shoeisai Naonobu (1519-1592). One scroll is depicting a pair of Bohemian Waxwings perched on maple and the other scroll is showing a group of sparrows frolicking among millet. Has the original lid incorporated into the scroll box. Very well painted with high level of detail...

Japanese scroll painting of a ghostly woman standing in a shoji doorway. Her robes are white, the color of death and her hair falls unkept around her shoulders. Tendrils of flame appear where rays of light shine down at an angle to catch on her sleeve. Painted in mineral colors and ink on silk.
Painted by Obata Chiura (1885-1975), painter and first professor of Japanese painting at University of California, Berkeley. Born in Ibara-cho and raised in Sendai, Japan...

Pair of Carved Wooden Koma Inu Temple Dog Figures, each seated in the traditional posture. These are a very rare find from the early Heain Period, and could be even earlier, possibly Nara Period. The wood is aged to a beautiful patina. There are not many works of art of the period that come up for sale...

Pair of rare hanging apsaras, also known in Japanese as Kuyo Bosatsu or Hiten. The style of the face, the soft appearance of the hands, and the flowing robes are fine examples of the highest quality in Edo Period Buddhist sculpture. One apsara may have been holding an object to offer the Buddhas, while the other is carrying drumsticks and appears to be hitting the drum the apsara is carrying. The pair may have been part of a set long ago, but even so, it is rare to see this set...

Very elegant pair of Japanese cloisonne vases in the style of Hayashi. Dark midnight baby blue with sparrows flying amidst bamboo, with chrysanthemum flowers in exquisite detail, Top and bottom rims with special lapid in beautiful hues of orange, purples and greens. The natural scene in each vase are complimentary to each other and not identical. Vase are in perfect condition. Age: Meiji Period. Size: 9" Height x 4" Diameter.

A large Japanese bronze tripod censer decorated with various auspicious motifs. Dragons and phoenix-like birds are set within a wave pattern known as seigaiha. The feet of the vessel are shaped like scrolling clouds. A censer such as this would have been used for incense at a temple.

Age: Early 19th century

Size: diameter 29.25" height 16.5"

Extremely detailed pair of bronze statues of guardians to the Buddha called Niō or Kongōrikishi. While Buddhism usually promotes pacifism, the Nio guardians are said to have justified the use of physical confrontation to fight back against evil. Nio are typically placed on either side of a temple door. One statue, named Misshaku Kongo or Agyo, has an open mouth to represent the first sound in the Sanskrit language "a", symbolizing birth and overt violence...

Wonderful Japanese antique gosho doll, a charmingly fat little boy with smiling face and beautifully detailed features, he still wears his original silk bib, Edo Period, on metal stand. Size of doll: 16" high x 15" wide

Japanese bronze statue of a horned oni with long, curly hair, sharp fangs and claws...

Antique Japanese very large ceramic jar with a highly textured form, wide mouth, large dripping area of natural ash glazes in blues and browns with bare tapered foot. Tokoname kilm dates from the Momoyama period 17th century. Size: 24" H x 18" W

Absolutely incredible Japanese antique bronze figure of a monkey sitting and inspecting a small wasp's nest. He is delicately modeled with great care given to his expression and details. The monkey figure wears a little coat with incised decoration of more monkeys playing with crabs, a scene which highlights the theme of the main figure which seems to be the inquisitive nature of monkeys. Early Meiji Period (1868-1912), signed by the artist "Shunben" Size: 12" high x 8" wide x 14" deep.

Antique Japanese matching Katana (long) and Wakazashi (short) swords, from the Shinto Period (1579-1763). Both swords have a beautiful dark brown patina on the tang with visible laminar construction on the blades. The blades have been fully polished and have paper work from the NBRHK in Japan. Each sword comes with a matching bag for protection. Wonderful details including side knives and menuki. The tsuba on the Wakizashi is shakudo. The Tsuba on the Katana is made of iron with beautiful mixed ...