Antique Vietnamese silver and copper inlay bronze censer incense burner with stand, 19th century, Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam.

A compressed bulbous body raised on three short cabriole legs rising to a waisted neck under a galleried rim.

The exterior is inlaid with silver wire with three figures of peasants in the field carrying garden tools, and silver inlaid bands of bamboo branches separate the figures.

The bronze circular stand is supported by three scroll-form feet. The rim is inl...

An antique Japanese Kotansu (personal storage chest) made of Kiri (Paulownia) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. 2 sliding doors with vertical slats opens to a shelf with 3 small drawers. 3 drawers below the doors for additional storage. All original hand forged iron hardware. Urushi lacquer frame and front outline with natural wood drawers and door panels. Originally used as a storage chest for books and small items. It would make a beautiful side chest in any room decor.

Age: Meiji Era...

Deceptively simple and notoriously difficult to apply with the calligrapher’s brush in one fluid, arching stroke; the symbol of the ensō has long been associated with strength, elegance, and the simultaneous being and non-being of the universe. A closed ensō (such as the one featured here) is more closely associated with the idea of transcendent perfection, while an open ensō represents movement, fluidity, and attainment in the corporeal world. Though the monk who created this piece, Hasega...

An antique Japanese Kotansu (personal storage chest) made of Kiri (Paulownia) wood. All original patina and bronze hardware including the Warabite style handles and the Chrysanthemum incised lock plates. A configuration of 3 large drawers and 2 smaller side by side drawers provides for organization and storage. Constructed using straight dovetail joinery and hardened wooden nails. It would work well as a side chest or a bedside nightstand.

Age: Late Meiji/Taisho (1910-1920)

Dime...

Three Chinese 20th century yixing teapots wit enamel decorations. size around 7cm to 8cm. Teapots in good conditions except very small chipped at inside the lid. Free from any repair.

An antique Japanese Isho Tansu (kimono storage chest) made entirely of Kiri (Paulownia) wood. All original bronze hardware and Oxblood red Urushi lacquer finish. Drawer lock plates have an unusual stylized insect-like incised design with fine stimple work accents and handles in the Warabite style. True dovetail joinery and hardened wooden nails were used in the making of this chest.

Age: Late Meiji (1900-1910)

Dimensions: 35 1/4" Wide by 40 1/2" High by 16 5/8" Deep

Four volumes of sample books of mingei textiles which are all natural dye and handwoven from Aomori to Kagoshima prefecture. Some are designated as intangible national assets, however some haven't been woven anymore now, and some are reproduced. They include precious bast fibers such as fuji-fu (wisteria), shina-fu, kuzu-fu and so on. They also have natural dye textiles such as shikon-zome, akane-zome, indigo dye Arimatsu Narumi shibori, tsumugi and so on. Published in 1965, 3 volumes and a supp...

Antique small Hirado ware figure of a boar. Made of porcelain and glazed white with great detail and charming expression. Hirado ware was first developed in the village of Mikawachi located in the area of Kyushu which was, along with neighboring islands, controlled by the Hirado daimyo. Initially Hirado ware was made exclusively for the daimyo's use. Later, Hirado ware found it's way west through Japan's trade with the Dutch East Indian Company.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)
...

An antique Japanese Ikebana bamboo basket in a cylindrical form mimicking a Gourd. It was woven in a vertical stitch pattern juxtapose a visually lesser diagonal weave. The artist used the thin and medium bamboo strips to contrast and undulate texture and movement within the basket. The base forms a hexagonal circle with a six point star pattern at the bottom.

Age: Meiji Era (1900-1910)Dimensions: 6 1/4 Diameter by 19 1/4" High

An antique Japanese Jizai Kagi fish hearth hook made of bamboo and wood. Hand carved wooden fish. All original patina built-up over years of use and display. A wonderful work of Mingei art.

Age: Late Meiji (1890-1900)

Dimensions: 13 1/4" Long by 2 1/4" Wide by an adjustable 55 1/2" to 82 1/2" High

Chinese Republic period Yixing stoneware tripod censer with compressed globular form body and upright handles on two sides decorated in relief around the circumference with two four-clawed dragons chasing a pearl encircled with circular form shou characters. A pair of bats chasing a similar flaming pearl is on the back. A ruyi border encircles the top shoulder below an upright neck. The three cabriole legs extend from animal head masks. A square four-character incised mark reading “Fan Fu Chou...

Chinese Qing dynasty rectangular form rosewood footstool or stand with four square legs connected by hump-back stretchers. 19th century. A nearly identical piece described as hongmu is illustrated as lot 6500 of Bonham’s 14 October 2014 auction in San Francisco. 24 3/4" long x 11 1/2" wide x 5” high; weight: 9 lb. Very good, solid overall condition. There is a small amount of shrinkage evident at one side of the top floating panel. From the collection of a former American expatriate to Ho...

This rare little gem is made by Morihiro Hosokawa (b. 1938) who served as the prime minister of Japan from 1993 to 1994.

He is also the head of the Kumamoto-Hosokawa clan, one of the noble families of Japan.
The clan was descended from the Seiwa Genji, a branch of the Minamoto clan, and ultimately from Emperor Seiwa (850 – 881) himself.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, also claimed descent from this lineage.

Morihiro Hosokawa s...

Kiyoshi Saito
Siamese Cat (2) (Early Cat)
Date: ca. 1940s-50s.
Paper size: Approximately 23.675 x 18 inches.
Image size: Approximately 19 x 14 inches.
Sealed but not signed.
Self-published by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Laid down to board. Wrinkling. Stain at lower margin.
Note: In the last image, I show this print paired with another cat (our Saito 026). These cats also appear together in another Saito design known as "Ca...

An antique Japanese corbel apprentice sample of a Shishi made and hand carved from one solid block of Keyaki (Zelkova) wood. Beautiful art sculpture that resonates the Japanese and Buddhist spirit. It would also make a wonderful plinth.

Age: Edo Period (1800-1850)

Dimensions: 9 3/4" Wide by 13 1/2" High by 8 3/4" Deep

Antique Japanese cloisonné vase decorated with various types of blooming chrysanthemums from a large white variety to purple then small red and yellow flowers. The ground is a deep blue. The interior and bottom are covered in green enamel.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 7 1/4" high x 3" wide

A Korean soapstone box that has a square section carved out for the ink pad plus space to store soapstone seals. The box is cut out of one block of red soapstone measuring about 4 3/4"w x 3 5/8"d x 3"h. The red block is marbled with white and gray grains and spots. The top of the box is inlaid with the Chinese character for double happiness. The condition is very good with no repairs. There are some small chips from use, and the largest loss is to the side of one of the feet. There is also ...

A lidded Japanese ewer for serving saki or wine. The white porcelain pot is decorated with cobalt blue and then foliage and friezes were applied using red, green, and gold enamels. The cover has a flattened knob, and is decorated so as to match the body of the vessel. The kettle's body measures about 5 1/2"h x 6"d (with handle 7 1/2"h)(with spout 7 3/4"w), and dates to the second half of the Edo Period. The condition of the ewer is very good with no damage or repairs. The gold enamel decorati...