Catalog (368)

Signed Late Edo Period 19th Century Japanese Noh Theater Mask of Ko-omote. This beautiful young woman is a very popular image in Japanese culture, and is sometimes used as an icon to represent Japan. A fine example of this type of mask rendered by a master carver, using cypress wood (Hinoki) and many layers of Gofun, crushed oyster shell lacquer. A very charming, hypnotic, well rendered image, with an Imperial purple tie . 8.25 inches (21cm) high x 5.25 inches (13.5) wide.

Early 19th Century Edo Period signed Japanese Ikebana flower arranging wall basket made of bamboo woven by the master, Mineko, with wonderful color and design. Wall baskets of this quality are hard to come by. 8.5 inches (21.5 cm)h x 3.5 inches (9 cm)w. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Japanese Musha Ningyo of Shoki the Demon Queller, made by Beishu. Beishu has Mukei Bunkazai status (Important Intangible Cultural Property). His Shoki shows great craftsmanship, with silk hair, glass eyes, gofun face and hands, with sumptuous silk brocade. This magnificent sculpture reaches the level of the master work of Beishu, whose work is found in museums and important collections of the Showa Period in Japan. Signed and dated 1960. 21 inches (53.25cm) high.

Set of Six Japanese Meiji Dynasty Imperial Portraits. Each painting is 59h x 24w inches, 150h x 61w cm.

Rare Edo Period Kokin-bina Style of Empress & Emperor. Minor wear, fading to textile, otherwise fine condition. A classic, very early example of a Dairi-bina Imperial Couple for the Hina-matsuri Girl's Day celebration. The Emperor and Empress are seated atop a woven ungenberi fronted dais. They are a very fine early example. The emperor is wearing a lacquered court cap and tail, holding a shaku scepter, the me-bina lady is wearing a spectacular crown, and has a fabulous painted fan. All formal court attire. Their presence evokes the period with their gorgeous faces and sumptuous brocade and accessories. They are a masterpiece of the art of Ningyo. 19h x 35.5w, 48h x 90w cm.

A prominent Japanese dealer is currently offering a Kawabata Gyokusho painting of similar size for $21,500. You can find this painting online. Kawabata Gyokusho is considered the last great representative of the Shijo school of Japanese painting. His work is quite delicate, making use of Japanese technique in a realistic manner. He had many pupils who later became well known. His paintings are in the permanent collections of many major museums, including Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, New York's Metropolitan Museum, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, Tokyo's National Museum, and London's Victoria and Albert Museum. This beautiful painting of his will make even the non-Japanese share the feeling that the Japanese have long had for Mount Fuji, that Fuji is a god and her surrounding waters and trees pay tribute to her. Silk Canvas. 48 x 20 inches, 122 x 50.5 cm, unmounted. cf. Nagatake Asano, Yukio Kobayashi, and Moritatsu Hosokawa, eds. Genshoku Meji Hyakunen Bijutsukan (Color Reproductions of Meiji Centennial Exhibition), Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1967; Serge Eliseev's La Peinture Contemporaine au Japon, Paris: E. de Boccard, 1923; Mosho Kawabata, ed. Gyokusho-o Iboku-shu (collection of Gyokusho's Paintings), Tokyo: Kogeisha, 1931; Kurashina Zuroku Kindai Nihonga (Catalog of Japanese-Style Paintings Owned by The Tokyo University of Arts), Tokyo: Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku, 1954; Arthur Morrison's The Painters of Japan, 2 volumes, London and Edinburgh: T.C. and E.C Jack, 1911; C.H. Mitchell's The Illustrated Books of the Nanga, Maruyama, Shijo, and other Related Schools of Japan: A Bibliography, Los Angeles: Dawson's Book Shop, 1972; Laurence P. Roberts' A Dictionary of Japanese Artists, New York, Weatherhill, 1976; and Naoteru Uyeno, ed. Japanese Arts and Crafts in the Meiji Era (English adaption by Richard Lane), Tokyo: Pan-Pacific Press, 1958. See also the following journals and serial publications: Kokka #7 (illustrated monthly journal of Oriental art), Tokyo: Kokkasha; Museum #202 (monthly publication of the Tokyo National Museum); Nihon no Bijutsu #17 (Japanese Art), Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, and Nara National Museum, eds., Tokyo: Shibundo; Nihon Bijutsu Zenshu volume 6 (Collection of Japanese Fine Art), 6 volumes, Tsuneo Fujita, ed., Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, 1969.

Marvelous and Rare Sakura Porcelain Head Doll of a an American Baby Girl, with Bisque arms and legs. Her clothes are all original. An absolute must for the serious doll collector. She has a wonderful presence and a beautiful face. Sakura dolls were the first attempt by Japanese doll companies to imitate western porcelain doll making techniques, mainly for export purpose. Shinoda and Morimura are the most famous manufacturing companies. This doll is very distinctive, with big black eyes and black straight bobbed hair. They were nick-named 'Sakura Bisque' or 'Sakura Doll' for the cherry blossoms (the national flower of Japan) and were a great hit all over the world. This doll is very distinctive, with big black eyes and black straight bobbed hair. Height: 10 inches, 25.5 cm.

Okutani Shuseki (1871-1936) was born in Osaka and lived in Kyoto for most of his life. His artistic lineage is among the very best. He, along with Yamamoto Shunkyo and others, studied under Mori Kansai, who was the pupil and adopted son-in-law of Mori Tetsuzan, who was one of Maruyama Okyo's best pupils. Like all painters of the Mori family school, Shuseki's nature paintings are remarkable for their unsentimental naturalism, showing his keen interest in the essence of nature. He won prizes at numerous exhibitions and founded his own art school. 21 x 8.5 inches, 53 x 21.5 cm. cf. Ekkehard May and Daniel McKee's Haiku & Haiga, Amsterdam, Hotei, 2006.

Japanese Needle Work Rozashi Technique Embroidery of the Interior of Asakusa Temple. Rozashi is embroidery using silk canvas and silk thread. A picture is created and outlined on the canvas and comes alive with the thread and stitching. The difference between Rozashi and other forms of embroidery is the use of the silk canvas called "Ro". The "Ro" is a special, uniquely woven fabric. Common embroidery stitching technique utilizes threading through holes but Rozashi stitching must always be straight and can never be diagonal. This is an amazing masterwork, inspired by an Eisho Narazaki (1864-1936) wood block print. Frame: 22 x 17 inches, 56 x 43 cm; Embroidered Panel: 17.5 x 12.75 inches, 44.5 x 32.5 cm.

A superb bronze casting of a Rooster on a Commonwealth Drum. It is of the finest quality, a master work of the art of Japanese bronze metal art. The Rooster on a drum is a popular image for the New Years Geon Festival. 11 inches, 28 cm tall. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Rooster and Hen Sculpture, wonderfully and finely detailed bronze over white metal with accents of red lacquer. This Art Nouveau pair is from a London collection. Japanese Art Nouvaeu flourished in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th Century. The Rooster and Hen is a popular subject in Japanese art. Symbolic of Yin and Yang, male and female. Rooster: 8 inches, 20.5 cm tall. Hen: 4.5 inches, 11.5 cm tall. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Japanese Cloisonne Vase with elaborate flowers on silver wire over red enamel with foil design. A striking, elaborate work of art and a treasure of exquisite beauty and excellent detail. Height: 12.5 inches, 32 cm.

This is a fine early Deco-style Japanese cloisonne box with a gorgeous multi-fan and wave design, silver rims and a fabric lining, attributed to Akatsuki. 4 x 3 x 1.75 inches, 10 x 7.5 x 4.5 cm. From an old Virginia Estate

19th Century Kyodai (Japanese Mirror Chests) of this size are rare. Well constructed of a very fine mulberry and pine. Japanese antique mirror boxes like these are honestly undervalued and underpriced. They are the last bargains in the Japanese antique world, relative to their true worth and rare beauty. We strongly suggest buying one now, as we really don't expect this to be the case for too much longer. 38 x 19 x 10 inches, 96 x 48 x 25 cm. Excellent Condition.

Very rare Japanese comic demon Buaku Kyogen mask dating from the Edo Period, the golden age of Noh Drama. The Buaku mask is a Kyogen version of the Noh Beshimi. Kyogen were short, humorous skits performed between Noh acts to lighten the mood. The heavily knit brows and wide leering grimace are wonderful characteristics of this mask. It is covered in layered colored gofun (oyster shell lacquer), with hair painted with thin lines of ink over the top. It is brilliantly carved, accentuating the depth of his eye sockets, and adding a sense of drama. 8.25 x 6.5 inches, 21 x 16.5 cm.

Late 18th Century Gonin-Bayashi, Five Japanese Musicians displayed on a Hina stand. This set was made as an addition to those Ningyo already displayed on a tiered stand. They imitate a Noh orchestra. This set has very finely carved faces, covered with burnished Gofun. Because of their size and age, these are highly desired by collectors. Average height of figures is 4 inches (10 cm).

Japanese Edo Period Rare Large Pair of Girl's Day Festival Palace Guardians. They have all of their accessories and they are presented on wonderful stands. Their faces are carved of wood with amazing features. An extraordinary work of Ningyo Artistry. Height: 18 inches, 46 cm.

Rare Japanese Okimono Pair of Bronze Silverised Patina Fighting Cocks. Fine dramatic sculptures that are amazing and can be positioned in endless ways. They feature very natural details and action. Heights: 10.5 and 8 inches, 27 and 20.5 cm.