Catalog: Archives: Regional Art: Asian (588)

One of two paintings currently offered by the highly sought after literati artist Fukuda Kodojin (1865-1944) featuring an erratic image of the full moon seen through bristling pine performed in thin ink on paper and enclosed in the original signed wooden box dated 1925. The brazen brushwork will rattle images of the subtleties of Japanese art, and yet the scene is at once calming. It is bordered in caramel cloth extended with soft brown, featuring bamboo knurl rollers and measures 13 by 59 inches (33 x 150 cm). Kodojins status as a poet, calligrapher and literati artist has reached legendary status. Born at a time of great change (4 years before the final fall of the Edo Government), he lived through the westernization of the Meiji, Taisho Democracy, and rise to Imperialism and defeat of the Showa era. He was self taught, part of a small group of artists existing outside conventional circles in pre-war Japan. He purposefully destroyed a large portion of his remaining work just before his death, leaving only that which must have met some personal criteria. For more on the life of this remarkable artist see the book Old Taoist (Addiss), or Unexplored Avenues of Japanese Painting. His work also was recently presented for exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and is part of the Hakutakuan collection among many others.

The dreamlike quality which gave Taisho period art its unique flavor is readily apparent in this sumptuous composition by Kido Soi featuring long tailed birds along a tumbling stream. Pigment on silk mounted on applied gold flake in a silk border with a red lacquer wooden frame consistent with the era. It is signed in gold, Shunyo, the name used by Kido Soi in his youth, placing the screen easily before 1930. The screen is 67.3 x 56-1/4 inches (171 x 143 cm) and is in fine condition.
Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Kido Soi (1899-1984) was born in Kyoto. He studied painting at the Kyoto Municipal School of Painting and under Yamamoto Shunkyo (1871-1933). His work was consistently accepted into the Teiten and Bunten National art exhibitions.

A fabulous bold design of crashing waves wraps about this balluster form by Miyanaga Tozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 26 cm (10 inches) diameter, 28 cm (11 inches) tall and in excellent condition. An unusual design and superb execution by this important artist. Miyanaga Tozan I (1868-1941) is one of the most important names in Kyoto ceramics. He was born in Ishikawa prefecture, and graduated from the (now) Tokyo University of Art. While a government employee, he represented Japan at Arts Expositions, and studied art in Europe before returning to Japan in 1902 to devote himself to the production of ceramics, with great emphasis on celadon, one of the most difficult of all ceramic wares. He was direct teacher or mentor to a number of prominent artists including Kitaoji Rosanjin and Arakawa Toyozo. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter who brought a refreshing variation of color and delicate touch to the porcelains they produced. The kiln is now in the third generation, run by his grandson.

A sprawl of chrysanthemum are delicately painted growing beneath the elegant curves of a Kanshi poem on this fine silk scroll by Kamisaka Sekka enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Pigment and ink on silk with silk border and black lacquered rollers. The scroll measures 11-1/2 x 73-1/2 inches (30 x 186 cm) and in fine condition. For more on this artist see the current exhibition at the Clark Center. For a very similar painting see Kindai no Rimpa, Kamizaka Sekka by Yanagihara (1981) plate 69 and for images of the seal and signature p. 306 fig 21 and page 311.
Sekka (1866-1942) is the godfather of 20th century Japanese design and the Rimpa revival. He was born in Kyoto in 1866, one of six siblings. From 1882 he began his artistic career, however did not take-off until visiting the Paris Expo in 1901, where he was exposed to Art Nuevo and Western industrial design concepts. He was adept as a painter and designer in an assortment of other media, working with various artisans to bring to life his ideas. He was employed as a teacher at the Kyoto Municipal School of Art, and was widely exhibited and prized throughout his career, which ended in retirement in 1938.

A collection of huts glow softly huddled in the protection of towering rocks in this lovely winter landscape by Akamatsu Unrei (1893-1958) enclosed in the original signed wooden box dated 1928, which itself is in turn enclosed in a protective red lacquered wooden box (nijubako). A true master of the genre, Unrei was born in Osaka, and apprenticed under Koyama and later the famous Nanga-ka Himejima Chikugai. At a relatively young age he exceeded the talents of his forbearers, finding a new way of looking at Nanga all his own. His paintings were often submitted at the Bunten/Teiten national exhibitions. This is a truly wonderful painting, and my usual litany of words fails me. He has set the stage with a dark wash of gray across the horizon, the empty paddies, separated by snow covered paths, reflecting the dark sky. Brown leafless trees stretch out from the white ground interrupted by massive crags of stone, and tucked away in the shelter of all this is the soft pink warm walls of a village idling away the winter months in comfort. The delicate use of light color throughout the scene provides a much richer, deeper perspective than is normal. The scene is mounted in rich brocade embellished with vines, extended in beige brocade of similar pattern, and features solid ivory rollers. It measures 22 by 55 inches (56 x 140 cm) and is in perfect condition but for a small pale spot like a fingerprint in the mountain below the signature.

An extraordinary scene unravels in this raucous tumbling Literati scroll by Kyotos Shirakura Niho (b. 1896) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. An inscription in the box lid names the scene The Hermitage West of Kamo (River) called Taka-Ike-Kyo. A solitary man looks up from his reading toward open ground, his thatched hovel lost in a jumble of bamboo flanking the steep falls rushing white through the foliage. The vibrant work harkens to the radical Taisho period, when Nanga and Japanese art in general was at a peak of creativity. It is bordered in silvered-green silk and features large solid ivory rollers. The scroll is 22 by 85-1/2 inches (56 x 217 cm) and is in fine condition but for some light foxing which gets lost in the complexity of the scene. Niho was trained under Hatori Goro and Chikuson, and was often presented at the Teiten and Nihon Nanga Inten.

A trumpeting Chinese form by Miyanaga Tozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kiji Kodo Gata Kabin (Yellow Porcelain Vase in the Shape of Ancient bronze) and retaining the original Rosewood base. It is 12-1/2 inches (31 cm) tall plus the base, and in excellent condition.
Miyanaga Tozan I (1868-1941) is one of the most important names in Kyoto ceramics. He was born in Ishikawa prefecture, and graduated from the (now) Tokyo University of Art. While a government employee, he represented Japan at Arts Expositions, and studied art in Europe before returning to Japan in 1902 to devote himself to the production of ceramics, with great emphasis on celadon, one of the most difficult of all ceramic wares. He was direct teacher or mentor to a number of prominent artists including Kitaoji Rosanjin and Arakawa Toyozo. His kiln is now in the third generation, run by his grandson.

Verdant foliage of the Imperial Paulownia (Kiri) tree in crisp cobalt rises majestically on this tall vase by Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seika Kiri no Zu Kabin (Blue and White Vase with Paulownia Design). It is 30 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition, signed on the base.
The name Kozan was granted by Prince Yasui-no-Miya in 1851 in honor of the tea ware produced during the later Edo for the imperial Court by the tenth generation head of the Kyoto pottery family Miyagawa Chozo. The Kozan (Makuzu) kiln as we know it today was established in Yokohama in 1871 by the 11th generation head of the family where he reinvented the family business. He immediately set out on a journey which would propel the Kozan name to International Celebrity status, and send his wares throughout the globe. Pieces produced there were marked Kozan, or Makuzu, the official kiln name, or both. Although he had been running the daily operation since the late 19th century, the first son, Hanzan, succeeded as head of the kiln, in 1912, with the father officially retiring to spend more time on his own research and art. Kozan I dies in 1916. The kiln was run by Hanzan through the early Showa era, he officially taking the name Kozan II in 1917, after one year mourning for his fathers passing. Under Hanzan the kiln was commissioned for works to be presented to the Prince of Wales, the 25th wedding anniversary gift for the Taisho emperor and the Showa Emperors coronation gift. The kiln was completely destroyed in the bombing of Yokohama in 1945. For more on this illustrious family see Bridging East and West, Japanese Ceramics from the Kozan Studio by Kathleen Emerson-Dell.

A lurid landscape spreads across two two-panel screens by Shirakura Niho signed and dated 1929. Two colorful scholars share a quiet moment in the shelter of a thatched hut. On first examination it appears nonsensical, a chaotic collection of dashes and dots, however the closer one examines the painting the more one realizes the detail and planning that went into the imagery, It is performed with ink on paper framed in dark mulberry frame and has been recently re-backed with forest green paper. Each panel is 37 x 67-1/2 inches (94 x 172 cm). Shirakura Niho (b. 1896), originally of Niigata, Studied under Hatta Goro and Tanabe Chikuson settling in Kyoto. He was consistently displayed at both the Teiten-Nitten National Exhibitions as well as the Nihon Nanga –In Ten. Like Yamada Shuho and Fukuda Kodojin, other well known individualistic artists of his generation, he was known for his very unique and easily discernable style.

An incredible amount of work went in to the burl-like lacquer finish of this early 20th century three-drawered calligraphy box. All surfaces excepting the bottom are covered in the unusual mottled finish known as wakasa, made by spattering on layers of various colored lacquers which are then rubbed down to a smooth, marbleized finish. Just when one thinks the artist has finished, the process is repeated. This small piece of furniture is the finest example of this technique we have come across. In testament to its high quality, the handles on the three small drawers are solid ivory. The top is removable to allow storage of an ink stone, paperweight and brushes, while the smaller drawers were made to hold stamps, brushes and paper. It measures 6-1/2 by 11-1/4 by 7-3/4 inches tall (29 x 17 x 20 cm tall), and is in excellent condition excepting a few small chips, one on the back left corner (see close-up photo), one on the front left corner bottom, and two on the lid edge.

A superb Landscape by Yano Tetsuzan dated the second month of 1924 enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The arched rooves of Chinese style pavilions rise in the placed waters under th shelter of precipitous verdant cliffs, trees in fall colors in the foreground setting the stage. Above a long verse in Kanshi signed Tetsuzan. Ink and pigment on silk in a dark blue-green satin border with ivory rollers (the rollers will be changed for export). The scroll is 54 x 193 cm (21-1/2 76 inches) and in overall excellent condition.
Yano Tetsuzan (1894-1975) was an important Nanga artist born in Ehime, a nephew (although nearly the same age) of also important artist Yano Kyoson. He studied under Komura Suiun from 1912 in Tokyo before moving to Osaka in 1918 where he studied under Tomioka Tessai while enrolled at the Osaka Art School. In 1920 he was first accepted into the Teiten national exhibition where he would later be often awarded. In 1921 he helped in the foundation of the Nihon Nanga-in art society. In many ways throughout the pre-war years he worked to modernize the Nanga genre, culminating in 1939 when, along with the aforementioned Kyoson, he would found the Kankonsha Salon to showcase modern Nanga. He would serve as a juror for the Shin-bunten and Nitten (where he had accumulated an astonishing 10 awards). He was also awarded at the Nangain-ten (first prize n 1921). He received the Osaka Prefectural Geijutsu-sho Artisan Award in 1953, as well as the Shijuhosho (Order of Cultural Merit with Purple Ribbon) in 1971. In his final years he helped to establish the Nihon Suiboku-ga Kyokai (Japanese Ink Painters Society). His 1942 work “Waves” is held in the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.

The Shishimai dance tradition is common throughout east Asia. A single, or sometimes a pair of dancers, don the costume and parade through the street biting people, especially children, on the head. This is believed to ward off misfortune and evil spirits, and make a child overcome fear. An incense burner by Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kozan in the shape of a shrouded Lion Dancer in vibrant colors enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ninsei-I Shishimai Gata Koro. The koro is 14 cm (roughly 5-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
The name Kozan was granted by Prince Yasui-no-Miya in 1851 in honor of the tea ware produced during the later Edo for the imperial Court by the tenth generation head of the Kyoto pottery family Miyagawa Chozo. The Kozan (Makuzu) kiln as we know it today was established in Yokohama in 1871 by the 11th generation head of the family where he reinvented the family business. He immediately set out on a journey which would propel the Kozan name to International Celebrity status, and send his wares throughout the globe. Pieces produced there were marked Kozan, or Makuzu, the official kiln name, or both. Although he had been running the daily operation since the late 19th century, the first son, Hanzan, succeeded as head of the kiln, in 1912, with the father officially retiring to spend more time on his own research and art. Kozan I dies in 1916. The kiln was run by Hanzan through the early Showa era, he officially taking the name Kozan II in 1917, after one year mourning for his fathers passing. Under Hanzan the kiln was commissioned for works to be presented to the Prince of Wales, the 25th wedding anniversary gift for the Taisho emperor and the Showa Emperors coronation gift. The kiln was completely destroyed in the bombing of Yokohama in 1945. For more on this illustrious family see Bridging East and West, Japanese Ceramics from the Kozan Studio by Kathleen Emerson-Dell.

A daunting image by radical Nihon Nanga-In member and founder of the Osaka Art College Yano Kyoson (1890-1965) dating from earlier in this influential artists career. Crisp white walls of a strangely elongated house perch on the edge of a dark forest reaching up to the rain washed sky. A single tree ripe with yellow leaves guards the entrance. The light color on silk image is bordered in lavender silk matching the leaden sky, extended with green cloth and features shimmering silvered-yellow ceramic rollers well suited to the color of the autumn leaves. The scroll is 13 x 56 inches (33 x 142.5 cm) and is in excellent condition, enclosed in a fine Kiri-wood box. Yano Kyoson was born in Ehime prefecture, on the Island of Shikoku, and studied under Nakamatsu Shunyo. He exhibited consistently with the Nihon Nanga-in, of which he was a founding member. He also was consistently presented at the Bunten and Teiten National Exhibition, where he served as a Juror, and later at the Nitten. His work is held in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo, as well as any number of important private collections.

A very unusual set of three scrolls depicting the women of Shimabara looking down with trepidation at a Fumi-e (a Christian symbol) before lotus enclosed in a wooden box titled Shizan Shimabara-me Sanpuku Tsui (Shizan, Women of Shimabara Three Scroll Set). The Fumi-e was a bronze or wood placard embellished with a Christian symbol upon which people were forced to step to prove that they were not Christians during the ban on Christianity throughout most of the Edo period. Any who refused to step on the image would be tortured or executed, often in horrific manner. Here the two graceful figures appear dressed in kimono bearing a leaf pattern with white scarves on their heads denoting purity. Interestingly the artist has juxtaposed the central image with its symbol of Christ on the cross against a background of ghostly white lotus flowers, traditional symbols of Buddhism. Each scroll is 64.5 x 208 cm (25-1/2 x 82 inches). There is faint scattered foxing, a soft wrinkle in the lotus on the central scroll, and some water stains up the left edge of the painting on the right. Likely an early work by Saito Shizan. Saito Shizan (1902-1963) was born in Shiga prefecture in 1902, and initially studied under Yamamoto Shunkyo in the modern Shijo style before entering the Kyoto Municipal University of Arts. He was accepted into the Teiten, Bunten and Nitten national exhibitions both pre and post war.
The Shimabara rebellion (1637-1638) was the largest uprising against the Feudal government during the Edo period. In response to oppressive taxation and anti-Christian policies by feudal lords sent to replace the former Christian Daimyo, Ronin and peasants rose up, eventually forming an army of combatants and non-combatants of around 37,000. They nearly seized two main fortresses before the Shogun sent an army of over 125,000 samurai against them. They retreated to Hara Castle on Shimabara, where they held out until April of that year, withstanding many mass assaults and bombardment by cannon of the Dutch seeking favor with the Shogunate. Eventually the castle fell, and all rebels were beheaded or crucified, their bodies piled inside the castle and burnt en-masse. On the Shimabara peninsula, most towns experienced a severe to total loss of population as a result of the rebellion. Japan severed ties with Portugal and expelled all missionaries. An existing ban on Christianity was then stringently enforced, and Christianity in Japan survived only underground. Except for the Dutch and a small contingent of Chinese merchants in Nagasaki, Japan then closed itself to the outside world for over 200 years. The Fumi-e became the dominant symbol of religious oppression, the ban on Christianity not officially lifted until 1871 (although the shogunate stopped executing Christians around the turn of the 19th century).

An incredible hand painted Taisho period bijin scroll signed Hakuho; so lifelike it looks to be a photograph. An angelic, Kimono clad beauty pauses to gaze out the garden window. One arm resting on the sill, she tranquilly stares past the hanging lantern and bamboo close at hand, her beautiful almond eyes fixed on the distance, she appears to be looking not at the garden, but at her own world. A colorful comb decorates her full hair while a pendant dangles from a kanzashi above her ear. A colorful obi holds her black kimono over the flower patterned under kimono. This arresting scene is intricately detailed, down to the tarnish on the lantern and individual threads running through the reed blind. The scene is mounted in creamy brocade embossed with vines, extended top and bottom in beige and ending in lacquered wooden rollers. The scroll has been meticulously restored and remounted and measures 21-1/2 inches (54cm) by 79 inches (2 m) and comes in a wooden box.

An incredible carved bamboo vase of warriors making their way through forested crags whipped by roiling mist cut from a single piece of bamboo and signed on the base Omikuni Sakata Shiori Yamaguchi Moritsugu Saku :Made by Yamaguchi Moritsugu of Shiori, Sakata, Omi Province (Modern day Maibara Shiga Prefecture on the North-Eastern shore of Lake Biwa). It is 35.5 cm (14 inches) tall and in overall excellent condition, enclosed in an old wooden box.
Possibly the image of Okuninushi and his five warrior kami (deities) created in a contest with his sister. They were present when he was forced to give up his lordship of the great reed plain, and sequester himself to the world of the unseen.

Heavy pigment forms a spectral scene of a dark stone lantern viewed through the spring laden branches of maples, a dove taking flight in the fore. Anyone who has visited Japan will know the haunting sense these monoliths produce. The painting is performed in thick pigment on applied silver-leaf, signed Taisho (Okada Taisho, b. 1888). The screen is signed in the lower right corner, and measures150 x 151 cm (59 inches by 5 feet). It is in fine condition, with only minor abrasions from handling.
Taisho was a Kyoto artist trained under Yamamoto Shunkyo. He was displayed at the Bunten National Exhibition. He was well travelled, Living in Europe for three years, and travelled very unusual places for his time such as India, Siberia, and South America as well as the South Pacific.

An early work featuring white walls in Autumn foliage by Kitamura Seigyu enclosed in the original signed double wooden box. The box appears to be titled HakuryuJi no yu (evening around Hakuryuji). There are many places named Hakuryuji in Japan, so it is difficult ot be specific, but near his home of Hokkaido, and a place he would have passed through is a Hakuryuji in mountainous and rural Akita prefecture. This work is performed with pigment and powdered silver on silk, and dates from very early in his career, likely around 1920. The scroll is 26 x 86 inches (66 x 218 cm). There is some minor foxing consistent throughout. The scene is mounted in lavender tinged bronze brocade of superb quality and features large ivory rollers (they will need to be changed if shipped outside Japan).
Kitagami Seigyu (1891-1970) was born in Hakodate, Hokaido. He came to Kyoto to study under his uncle Kitamura Shunzan, then under Takeuchi Seiho. He Exhibited and was prized with the Bunten/Teiten National Exhibitions.