Japanese woven bamboo five tiered basket emulating chinese style with whimsical lacquer overlay of scholar objects and buddhist objects, including a mirror with inscriptions, a plaque with the god of scholarship, a bird, seal with deer on top, water bucket with neolithic chinese designs, paste seal box, religious gong, a sun emblem, a split bamboo handle with tightly knotted with gold painted designs, all interior compartments in black lacquer...

A decidedly different version of this theme, a Festive carved wooden Tai (Red Snapper) fish with removable side for sashimi coated inside in gold with bone teeth and inlayed bone eyes. The craftsman ahs gone to great lengths to make this as realistic as possible, from the textures of the skin to the folds in the fins and coloring. Unusually, most dishes in this vein are one sided, however this is equally realistically carved on both sides...

Antique Japanese large lacquer document box decorated with a design of climbing clematis vines in full bloom. Gold maki-e lacquer with details in gold nishji lacquer on some of the leaves. All on a black lacquer ground. The sides of both the lid and body of the box are carved with a recessed area where reddish orange lacquer has been applied over a loose material, creating a woven texture. Hardware rings on the sides...

Antique Japanese lacquer suzuribako (calligraphy box) decorated with young pine shoots and a fruiting tachibana (wild orange) tree near a small stream. Gold maki-e lacquer on a dense gold nishiji ground. The underside of the lid has a continuing scene of the stream winding through rocks with sprouting bamboo in gold maki-e lacquer on a spars nishiji on black lacquer ground...

Antique Japanese small lacquer tebako (accessory box) decorated with a design of wildflowers that wraps around the sides of the box. Gold maki-e lacquer with fine detail and a mist of gold flecks on a black lacquer ground. The entire interior as well as the underside of the box is covered in a dense gold nishiji.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 1 1/4" H x 2" W x 2 3/4" L

Antique Japanese small lacquer tebako (accessory box) with image of a crane standing on the bank of a lake or stream. Looking up at the crane from the swirling water, is an ancient turtle. A pine tree and fruit tree grow on the hillside behind the crane. Fine gold maki-e lacquer with dense gold nishiji on a black lacquer ground. The interior of the box is entirely covered in gold nishiji. The rim of both the bottom and lid of the box is edged in silver...

Antique Japanese small lacquer tebako (accessory box). Rectangular form with rounded edges and decorated with Chrysanthemums on the lid. The whole box is covered inside and out with a dense gold nishiji background. The rim of both the lid and the body of the box are edged in bronze.

Edo Period (18th century)

Dimensions: 2 1/8" high x 3 5/8" long x 3 1/8" wide

A small antique Japanese Lacquer box with a scene of river, pampas and clouds. The interior has dense nashiji lacquer (fine gold flecks). Used to store incense.

Date: Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 4"long X 2.5" wide X 1" tall

Japanese lacquer suzuribako or calligraphy writing box. The box is wood with lacquer, gold gilt sprinkled lacquer, and inlaid shell on the lid, adorned with scrolling leaves, floral medallions and motifs of sparrows. The box interior is red lacquer with gold lacquer patterns. The inside box contains an attached inkstone, a brush, and a small brass water dropper. Underneath is a shallow compartment for the storage of calligraphy papers...

Japanese carved wood Natsume tea caddy, with high relief lacquer imagery of ripened peaches growing on a branch, and a flying hornet on the top of the lid in lacquer. The side of the box is signed with red lacquer cartouche.

Meiji period (1868-1912) c. 1900

Dimensions: 2 1/2" W x 2 3/4" H

A lacquer box decorated with a Rimpa style thatched house under blossoming tree by Kamisaka Sekka dating from the late Taisho period. It is 12.5 x 12.5 x 6 cm (5 x 5 x 2 inches) and is in excellent condition. An identical box which was part of the permanent collection of the Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute along with the original design sketch is visible on page 154 of the book Kamisaka Sekka: Rimpa Master - Pioneer of Modern Design published by the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art in 2003...

Japanese kogo, or incense container for tea ceremonies, in the form of a small bird with very fine maki-e or sprinkled gold lacquer exterior. Each feather of the bird is highly detailed in low relief maki-e lacquer. The pupils of the bird are done with very fine red lacquer for contrast. The interior of the box is finished in gold nashiji, sometimes called pear skin due to the resemblance to the Asian pear...

Japanese gold lacquer inro with five compartments, decorated in low relief landscape scene of lakeside mountains, cottages, pagodas, pine trees, and bridges in gold lacquer and accents of silver. The reverse side shows a tiny man in a boat traversing the waters. The inside compartments are covered with dense nashiji lacquer (fine gold flecks). Underneath the bottom compartment is an artist's signature with red chop...

Antique Japanese small kobako (incense box) with inside tray. The outside is decorated with a scene of a garden fence, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas and daisies in gold lacquer on a nashiji ground. The interior is covered in fine nashiji. The small tray stands on tiny feet and has a pavilion scene with twisted pines all in gold lacquer on a matching nashiji ground.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 4" high x 6" wide x 4" deep.

An exquisite antique Japanese large box made of keyaki (elm) wood burl and decorated with a design of a bamboo garden gate, tall grasses, chrysanthemum blossoms and the moon. Very high raised maki-e lacquer in gold and red with shell inlay. Tied with it's original tassel and with tomobako. Provenance: from a family living close to Kyoto's Imperial Palace.

Meiji Period (Mid 19th century)

Dimensions: 10 1/4" high x 10" wide x 12" deep.

Japanese Maki Lacquer double Cherry Blossom shape Box, Ca. Meiji 1868 - 1910, 1 5/8" high, 5 5/8" x 3 1/8" wide, low relief of double Gold and tarnished Silver design of Cherry flower pedals with multiple seeds lined up perfectly on the top, and one side shaded with silver leaf tarnished and the other side is in gold, low relief Pine trees with some shaded darker, some pure gold hidden here and there on the shaped sides, sparkled gold design inside the box and on the bottom...

Antique Japanese red lacquer trunk. Hardware is made of copper and ornately incised. Papered on the inside.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 14" high x 24" wide x 16 1/4" deep.

Sizable Japanese Edo period Buddhist traveling shrine (zushi) with black lacquered wood case and copper metalwork...