Catalog: Archives (589)

A halo surrounds the emaciated figure of a Rakan (Arhat or Arahat) seated atop a stone draped in billowing robes clutching a nyoi scepter in his bony left fist. The holy figure is chiseled and polished with extreme care and attention to detail. The detail in the carving is striking, as bamboo is notoriously hard and difficult to work. Setting it apart from most bamboo carving is a complex pattern of extremely fine chiseled texture throughout. It comes enclosed in a wooden box signed Raizan and dated Showa 16 (1941). It is 19.5 x 6.5 cm (7-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches) and in excellent condition.
The Sago is a decorative spoon used in preparation of Steeped tea. For more see the definitive book Tea of the Sages: The Art of Sencha, by Patricia J Graham (1998).
In Buddhist lore the Rakan is one who has broken the chain of re-birth and overcome the three poisons of desire, hatred and ignorance. It is a popular theme in both Chinese and Japanese art.

A young woman in rare western dress gazes across this early to mid 20th century Bijinga scroll signed Ikko (Furutani Fujio, b. 1891) enclosed in a period wooden box. Her bright western dress and short hair must have made quite an impression in conservative Japan. The silk painting is bordered in green brocade embellished with flowering vines, extended with beige and features bone rollers. The scroll measures 21-1/2 x 52-1/2 inches (54.5 x 133 cm), and is in fine condition. Fujio was born in Kyoto, and developed hiw approach to Nihonga under the tutelage of the great Yamamoto Shunkyo, and later became a member of the Nitten.

A delicate image of a Zari-gani fresh water shrimp by Oishi Junkyo enclosed in a period wooden box. The poem reads:
nanigotomo
naseba naratefu
kotono wa wo
Mune ni Kizamite
Ikite Kishiware.
Whatever happens, no matter the hardships and pain, Set it in your heart to live with Spirit! This little fellow looks up to the challenge, a stern look on his face and his dukes up, ready to battle giants. What a fitting image for this artist. Ink on silk in a fine brocade border with pottery rollers. It is 14 x 63 inches (36 x 160 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Junkyo’s life is a triumph over tragedy. Born into a low family, she was sent to a tea house where she became an apprentice Geisha. In a famous incident, the Tea House owner in a drunken rage murdered 5 of the Geisha, and cut off both of Junkyo’s arms. She survived. Becoming then a teller of stories and singer, she one day saw a bird feeding her young, and realized she could paint if she used her mouth to hold the brush. She enrolled into a studio, and became an accomplished painter in the Nihonga tradition. She then married and had two children, but later divorced, raising the two children alone. She became a nun, and opened a counseling/self-help center for the disabled. This was the war years, and the midst of Japans industrial revolution. Both mishaps in the machinations of industry and battle kept her half-way house filled with people in need. After the war she established a temple, and continued her philanthropic work.

A massive celebratory image of Tai (sea bream) by important 20th century artist Imai Keiju in superb mounting enclosed in a wooden box signed Gorei. These fish have attitude! Sea Bream are an auspicious image in Japan due to their name (Tai) which is a homonym with medetai (celebration). The pigment on silk image is framed in patterned brocades and features bone rollers. The scroll is 51-1/2 x 78 inches (130 x 199 cm). There are two white points on the silk where it appears the silk was once bent, perhaps before mounting (see close-up photos). The box reads Onshi Keiju Sensei Kyoto Okazai Hoshoji-cho Jidai Kessaku (Earlier Work by the honorable Keiju of Hosho-ji-cho Kyoto) and is signed Gorei.
Imai Keiju (1891-1967) was born in Mie prefecture and lived his life in Kansai, cultural heart of Japan. After graduating the Kyoto School of Art, he studied Maruyama School technique under his to-be father in law, the great Imao Keinen (1845-1924), from whom he received his name. However he was later separated, and in 1953 moved his studio back to his birthplace of Mie.
Wakabe Gorei (1918-1987) was a landscape artist born in Mie prefecture who studied first under Nishimura Goun, then Imai Keiju.

An incredible ivory netsuke of a Hannya devil mask with inlayed eyes. The detail in the Faust like features is absolutely superb. In this case I will let the photographs speak for us. Although not contemporary, this Netsuke dates from the mid 20th century. Due to certain features, we believe it was made in China prior to or during World War II, during Japans occupation (1932-1945). The, inlay in the eyes is consistent with this interpretation and the ivory appears to be of Indian origin. It is 1-1/2 inches (4 cm) long.

A superb Sajigawa stone of deep olive patina, completely natural, on a carved rosewood base and enclosed in a fine old straight grain wood box. Notice the entirely natural arch growing between the two spires. This is incredibly rare and a fine prize. This would be considered a house shaped stone, reminiscent of a farm-house and its adjoining out-building, a covered passage between. Saji stones come from the Saji river in Tottori prefecture. This is 3 x 4-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches (8 x 12 x 9.5 cm) and is in excellent condition, the base signed by the carver.

At first glance this appears to simply be a large image of a burning tree, however, look again and find the tree like figure is in the from of two entwined lovers, flames leaping from their impassioned bodies. This was likely made as an exhibition work, as it certainly would be difficult to fit into even a large Japanese home. The piece is signed Yoneda Mio, (Yoneda Mionosuke), and likely dates from the 1930s. The canvas measures 49 x 61-1/2 inches (124 x 156 cm) the frame 52-1/2 by 65 inches (133 x 165 cm). Overall the painting is in good condition, with minor abrasions typical of age, the frame has sustained a great deal of damage.

Flames of red flash form the bird resurrected on the side of this large Cloisonne vase by the Ando company of Nagoya; Japan’s premier cloisonne studio. The color is hard to describe, seeming to be lit from within. A combination of wire and wireless design using gold wire with silver rim. Ando mark on base, the vase measures 37 cm (14-1/2 inches) tall, 32 cm (12-1/2 inches) diameter and is in excellent condition. It comes enclosed in a fine, custom made kiri-wood box.

A beautifully decorated lacquer box dating from the 1930s or 1940s enclosed in a signed wooden box. Inside silver flake on shiny black, outside what appears almost a matt finish, of dark soft orange-peel texture with brilliant designs in raised gold and silver maki-e wrapping around the edges. The artists signature can be discerned in the nashiji beneath. The storage box originally bore the title and signature in ink, which was later covered over with silver Maki-e (the original ink signature is still visible beneath). We have had it professionaly cleaned inside and out. It is roughly 8 x 10 x 5 inches (21 x 25 x 13 cm) and is in superb condition. Shimada Shunko (1910-1986) was active throughout the early to mid 20th century, and was displayed at the Nitten National Exhibition among others.

An exquisitely formed sometsuke porcelain by important Seto porcelain artist Kawamoto Rekitei (1894-1975) with raised patterns of grapes forming on the vine. The delicate shades of the steadily browning grape leaves is easily conveyed by the masters touch, each leaf carefully bordered in a raised border, the dark grapes slowly growing plump in the shadows. The vase is 9 inches (23 cm) tall, over 7 inches (18 cm) diameter. Rekitei was born in Aichi prefecture, home of Seto-yaki and a long standing important production center for Japanese Sometsuke porcelains. In 1914, at the very young age of 20, he received the top prize at then National Ceramics Exhibition (Tojiki Hin Hyou Kai and later (1922) received the gold prize at the Peace Exposition. His works were featured at the Paris, San Francisco and Chicago World Expositions. He was contracted by the Japanese government in 1948 to create a vase for presentation to President Truman, and his work graces the collection of the Imperial Household. In 1972 he was named an Important Cultural Property of Aichi Prefecture (Ken Shitei Mukei Bunkazai).

A superb elephant shaped incense burner by Miyanaga Tozan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seiji Zo Koro. Extreme clarity in the fine details, I will let the photos speak for themselves. It is 6 x 4 x 6 inches (15 x 10 x 15 cm) and in excellent condition. It comes with a pamphlet dated Showa 16 (1941) the last year of the artists life.
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.

A blossoming plum rises majestically on the simulated matt-metal finish of this cloisonné vase by the Ando studio marked on the base. The interior is a rich dark blue, the exterior flat orange peel textured metal gray with the flower laden branches rising up in moriage. It is 30.5 cm (12 inches) tall, 18.5 cm (7 inches) diameter and in fine condition, enclosed in a wooden box.

Autumn colors by Goto Shiro in thick pigment on silk in a superb patterned-silk frame with solid ivory rollers. It comes in the original signed wooden box with a Futo-maki rolling bar titled Yudonoyama Banshu (Late Autumn at Mt. Yudono). This is representational of Nihonga in the 1950s, a time when artists were seeking a new direction, breaking with the past and expanding the limits of the medium. It is 25-1/2 x 86 inches (65 x 218 cm) and in fine condition. Goto Shiro (1924－1992) was born in rugged Yamagata prefecture and studied under Maeda Seison, settling eventually in the mountainous region of Nagano. A member of the Nihon Bijutsu-in and much lauded at their exhibition, work by the artist is held in the Saku Municipal Museum of Modern Art.

An Art-Deco Revival vase by Nakajima Yasumi II enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Jundo Homan Kabin dated 1959. It is 8-1/2 inches (22 cm) tall and in fine condition.
The name of Nakajima first came to notice in 1908, when the first generation Yasumi (1877-1951) was awarded at the Senkatsu Kinen Exhibition. He was a consistent exhibitor with the Teiten-Nitten national exhibitions and was also quite active abroad, being prized at the 1931 Belgian Exposition and serving as juror for the Japanese submissions to the Paris Exposition in 1925 where he was subsequently prized. His work is held in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency and he served as mentor to a generation of young bronze artists. His son, Nakajima Yasumi II (1905-1986) created this piece in 1959.

A lobed form by Nakajima Yasumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall and in fine condition. The name of Nakajima first came to notice in 1908, when the first generation Yasumi (1877-1950) was awarded at the Senkatsu Kinen Exhibition. He was a consistent exhibitor with the Teiten-Nitten national exhibitions and was also quite active abroad, being prized at the 1931 Belgian Exposition and serving as juror for the Japanese submissions to the Paris Exposition in 1925 where he was subsequently prized. His work is held in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency as well as the V&A and he served as mentor to a generation of young bronze artists. His son, Nakajima Yasumi II (1905-1988) took the family name in 1951. Yasumi II graduated from the National Craft Institute of Sendai and was first exhibited in 1933 at the Export Crafts exhibition organized by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. He exhibited several times abroad including Paris and Buenos Aires. He was also consistently accepted in the Nitten exhibitions, garnering the Hokutosho there in 1952. In 1969 he received an honor as a person of merit in Crafts from Osaka prefecture.

Dusk puddles and drips among the thick textures of this mid-century oil by Yamada Eiji titled on back “Mori” (Forest). Oil on canvas, it is 18 x 24 inches (46 x 61 cm) and is in excellent condition, wrapped in a simple raw wood storage frame.
Yamada Eiji (1912-1985) was born in Fukuoka on the Southern main island of Kyushu and was accepted into the Nikkakai Ten exhibition in 1933 for the first time. The following year he was also accepted into the Dokuritsu Tenrankai for unaffiliated artists. He was awarded the Dokuritsu Sho Prize there in 1938. From 1953 to 1957 he lived and studied in Paris. Upon returning to Japan his entry into the Dokuritsu-ten won Special acclaim, and he began exhibiting more widely. In 1973 he once again went to France, where he also began holding exhibitions which would continue to his death in ’85. In 1986 a posthumous exhibition of his life work was held at the Fukuoka Municipal Museum.

A very unusual Kutani vase showing strong Art Deco influence, signed on the base and likely dating from the revival of that style seen in the 1950s. The white porcelain ground is decorated with four stylized tree trunks in overglaze enamels of white, black and various browns, with scattered gold flake between. The vase is 10 inches (25 cm) tall, 5 inches (12 cm) diameter and in excellent condition. Truly a rare find!

A spectacular orb hearkening to the Sputnick era created by Hasegawa Isamu and exhibited at the 11th Nitten in 1955, enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The circular form is cleft with two equal but opposite dimples, offering both a futuristic and archaic dimension. It is 38 cm (15 inches) Diameter and in excellent condition.
Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Hasegawa Isamu was born in 1925 in Kyoto, son of famed porcelain artist Hasegawa Hakuho. He studied under both his father and Kusube Yaichi from whom he may have received his propensity for form. He was first accepted into the Nitten in 1953, and exhibited there consistently garnering several awards. He received the Kyoto Shinbun Prize among others at the Kofukai Ten, and works were purchased by the Ministry of Foreign affairs as gifts to foreign dignitaries.