This is an Edo period chawan by Japans greatest Poet Rengetsu Ōtagaki ( 1791 - 1875 ).

It shows a poem of herself, tastefully carved onto the tea bowl. The chawan has a wild and rough look and an aesthetic kintsugi ( gold repair ). A tasteful woodbox is also included.

Size: 2.4'' height, 4.3'' width.

Ōtagaki Rengetsu was a Buddhist nun who is widely regarded to have been one of the greatest Japanese poets of the 19th century...

Seated Yakushi Nyorai (Healing Buddha), the centrally placed hands holding a large medicine jar, sculpted in relief from sandstone. Mid-Edo Period ca. 1750. Very minor old loss...

Hiroshi Yoshida
Three Little Islands, 1930.
Bears the jizuri seal in the upper left margin, indicating self-printing by the artist. Also signed in pencil.
Size: Oban. Approximately 15.50 x 10.25 inches.
Condition: Excellent.

Highlighting our trip back to the years of change in the sixties and seventies is this masterpiece by Miyashita Zenji exhibited in 1972. The box is titled Ban, Shizukana Kukan no Tame ni (Basin, For a Quiet Space) and signed Zenji-saku, dated inside Showa 47 (1972) with a notation stating this piece was displayed at the 2nd Gendai Nihon Shinjin Sakka Ten (2nd Modern Japanese New Artists Exhibition). The piece is 43 x 51 x 21 cm (17 x 20 x 8 inches) and weighs 16 kgs (35 pounds) plus the box...

Gorinto (5-tiered stupa) sculpted from a single piece of brownish basalt. Late-Muromachi Period ca. 1550. Very minor old loss.

Height: 49 cm
Width: 16 cm
Depth: 16 cm

The gorinto is a uniquely Japanese style of stupa comprising five geometric forms, which correspond (from bottom) to earth, water, fire, wind, and ethereal space...

Sculpture of Shomen Kongo, standing with 6 arms, holding ghanta and sword, bow and arrow, halberd and chakra. Shomen Kongo protects against demons and diseases. Wood stained black, with metal parts. Japan, Edo period, shortly after 1800.
H ca. 11 inches.
Sword missing, few traces of usage. All in all very good condition.

Small shrine holding the image of the Buddha Dainichi Nyorai, sitting on a lotus base, before a circular mandorla. Doors decorated on the inside with an exquisitely painted motif of star-shaped flowers. Wood decorated in mineral colors and gold. Very high quality. Thin metal for mandorla and crown. Japan, Edo period, 18th century.
H of case ca. 5 inches.
Most of the crown missing, some traces of usage but all in all in excellent condition.

Standing Jizo Bosatsu, the right hand holding a shakujo (crozier) and the left a hoju (sacred jewel), sculpted in high relief from a gray-brown sedimentary stone. Clearly dated to the 16th year of the Genroku Era (1703), mid-Edo Period. Very minor old loss...

Very small shrine holding the figure of Dakiniten riding a white (or silver) fox. Dakiniten is worshiped at the Toyokawa Inari temples. The zushi is on the inside encased behind a glass pane, surrounded by painted treasure symbols. These kind of zushi are sold at the temple to the patrons and other visitors. Polychromed wood with abundant gold and silver Japan, dated Taisho 13 (1924).
H of case ca. 4 inches...

A thin roughly textured plate by avant garde Yagi Kazuo titled cryptically Nanbanzara (The Southern Barbarians Plate) and enclosed in a fine Shiho Kiri-wood box endorsed by his son Yagi Akira. It is 10 inches (26 cm) diameter and in fine condition.
Volumes have been written about pioneering artist Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) and I am sure he needs no introduction. His birth on Independence Day seems to have been a portent of things to come...

Small shrine containing the figure of the sitting 11 headed Kannon, holding a flask in his left hand, his head crowned with the 10 heads of the different Buddhist deities, including Amida. He is sitting on a lotus throne that holds inside the figure of a reclining lion. The back of the zushi has a small moveable segment (now glued shut) that is supposed to reveal something in the base of the Kannon...

Spectacular 19th Century Japanese Bamboo Ikebana Basket. A real masterpiece. 39.5 inches (100cm) tall, 11 inches (28cm) wide.

Two gorinto standing side by side, a bonji (Sanskrit character) symbolizing Amida Buddha placed centrally between them, sculpted in low relief from basalt. Early-Edo Period ca. 1625. Minor old loss.

Height: 60.5 cm
Width: 36.5 cm
Depth: 16.5 cm

The gorinto is a uniquely Japanese style of stupa comprising five geometric forms, which correspond (from bottom) to earth, water, fire, wind, and ethereal space...

Small shrine with a wooden sculpture of Jizo, standing with a jewel in one hand (which are missing), his staff (which is missing) in the other. Here he is represented as Danda Jizo, assisting those who are suffering in hell and saving small children from the wheel of rebirth. The paintings on the doors show naked children chased by demons in hell. Polychromed wood with delicate details. Metal madorla...

Seated Jizo Bosatsu, the right hand holding a shakujo (crozier) and the left a hoju (sacred jewel), sculpted in low relief from basalt. Momoyama/early-Edo Period ca. 1600. Minor old loss, with softening of the lines and contours overall.

Height: 35.5 cm
Width: 23 cm
Depth: 11.5 cm

Sculpted with a tapered base for insertion directly into the ground, this stone requires a wall or other form of lateral support if displayed indoors. If placed outdoors, it can be inserted easily into the gr...

Standing Jizo Bosatsu, the right hand holding a shakujo (crozier) and the left a hoju (sacred jewel), sculpted in shallow relief from basalt. Momoyama/early-Edo Period ca. 1600. Minor old loss.

Height: 30 cm
Width: 20.5 cm
Depth: 8.5 cm

Set of three Japanese blue and white porcelain choko. Alternating panels of bamboo and flower decoration. Three friends of winter roundel inside cups. Patterned bands inside rim and above foot. Good condition with minor "flea bites" to rims. Each about 2 7/8 inches (7.3 cm) high and about 3 3/8 inches (8.57 cm) diameter.

This is Katsugi dyed with an indigo plant of the Edo era. This is made with high-quality hemp. The whole is dyed in Katazome. The part of the hem is drawn in Tsutsukaki. A rich family used Katsugi at the time of ceremonial occasion. This type of Katsugi was used in a part of Yamagata mainly. Jyofu-hemp Edo Katsugi often generally has heavy damage, but this item does not have damage at all.The width of Katazome is 13cm. There are several places of a few thin stains. Please enjoy bright indigo...