Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese (331)

Japanese Cloisonne Vase with a Yellow-Eyed Dragon on a Maroon Field. Baluster form with silver wire inlay. 9.5 inches, 24 cm.

Japanese Clay Figure of a Sino-Japanese War General on a White Horse. This would have been displayed in a Boys' Day festival in the late Meiji Period. Wonderfully painted with fine details. Height: 7.5 inches, 19 cm.

Sessho was a student of the legendary Tani Buncho. His paintings were collected and much appreciated by Emperor Meiji. He painted this gorgeous flower painting in a deliberately straightforward manner in order to take focus away from his superior technique and have you consider only the beauty of the subject. Silk Canvas and Mount. Mount: 72 x 25 inches, 182.5 x 63 cm. Painting: 44 x 20 inches, 112 x 50.5 cm. cf. 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; and Laurence P. Roberts' A Dictionary of Japanese Artists, New York, Weatherhill, 1976.

A small, arresting late 19th Century Japanese bronze sculpture of Yamauba, breast feeding Kintaro. The mythology is Kintaro was left is the forest by his father to save him from his enemies. He was found by Yamauba, the forest goddess, who nursed him to grow to become the Hercules of Japan. This charming bronze has wonderful detail. 4 inches (10cm) high x 3.25 inches (8.5cm) wide.

Japanese Edo Period Wood Carving of a Monkey on a Peach Tree. Originally housed in a Buddhist temple. Carved of poloma wood. Original pigments still exist, which is very unusual for the age. It is a wonderfully carved and captivating work of art. 23 x 9 inches, 58.5 x 23 cm.

A beautiful Satsuma vase by Kinkozan, the foremost artist of the 'Golden Age' of Satsuma during the Meiji Period. In ovoid form with gorgeous relief butterfly and flower designs and a central band with floral rosettes on black. Kinkozan mark on base. Height: 12.5 inches, 31.5 cm; Circumference: 25 inches, 63.5 cm.

Gorgeous Pair of Meiji Period Japanese Cloisonné Enamel Vases with Spectacular Phoenix and Cloud motif on a rich yellow ground. circa 1890. 6 inches (15cm) tall. From a widely renowned and published collection that has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and Japan Society. Pristine Condition.

Early Meiji Period (circa 1880) Japanese Empress Hina Ningyô (Girls Day Doll) She really has quite a regal presence. She wears wears the many layered Kimono of Royalty, featuring elaborate embroidery. She has a beautifully carved face, covered with Gofun (Oyster Shell Lacquer). Her fantastic crown is something special. 11.5 inches (29 cm) high and 12 inches (30.5 cm) wide. From a widely renowned and published collection that has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and Japan Society.

19th Century Meiji Period Japanese Black Lacquered Box with River, Bamboo, Flowers, and Fireflies. A gem of high quality with gorgeous fine details. 9.25 x 6.75 x 1.5 inches, 23.5 x 17 x 4 cm. Excellent Condition.

Meiji Period (circa 1900) Japanese Satsuma Vase. A very beautiful example of Satsuma ware, featuring a spectacular eagle on a pine tree, both Japanese symbols of dignity, in thick gold and color enamels on a cream field. A classically shaped vase with a rich image. 10 inches, 25.5 cm. From a widely renowned and published collection that has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and Japan Society.

18th Century Japanese Wood Carving of a Mythological Guardian Shishi and Peony. This carving is reminiscent of a carving at Nikko Shrine. It is unusual to find one with much of its paint still intact. Wonderfully carved and painted by a master. A fantastic addition for a collector. 31 inches (79 cm) long x 17.5 inches (44.5 cm) high. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Exceptional Gonin Bayashi Five Musician set for the Hina Matsuri (Girl's Day) celebration. Just a wonderful grouping: a chanter, flute player, two hand drummers and a floor drummer, each with an expressive and well-modeled face, finely carved fingers and hands in precise gestures for their individual instruments, sumptuous silk brocade costumes, short swords, silk fiber hair, and large inset glass eyes. They are of the finest quality. 7 inches, 18 cm tall.

Important Japanese Arita Charger with complex glazes, featuring a performance of Okina by a Noh actor set into an extraordinary design. Okina was traditionally performed for a royal audience. This piece was most likely made for royalty or aristocracy. There are many interesting motifs and intricate patterns in this wonderful work of art. Different from Noh and Kyogen, Okina is a performing art patterned after an ancient ritualistic ceremony. It is related to a folk ritual in which an ancient god brought blessings to the people, and was seen as a prayer for many descendants, peace and tranquility in the land, and bountiful harvests. 16.5 inches, 42cm. From a widely renowned and published collection that has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and Japan Society.

Japanese Meiji Period Blue and White Arita Porcelain Sculpture of Jo and Uba, an old and wrinkled couple who care for the pine trees and gather needles in Takasago, (based on a Noh play). Jo is depicted with a rake and Uba with a broom of twigs. This famous couple symbolizes Marital Love and Fidelity, and were created by Arita porcelain masters to bring marital bliss to a home. Male: 14.5 inches (37cm) high, Female: 13 inches (33cm) high.

Antique Japanese Linen Banner Commemorating the pivotal Kawanakajima War of the Sengoku Period, a period rich in samurai history. War ships are depicted bearing the crests of the Takeda, Maeda, and Kato clans. A vibrant and powerful piece of Japanese history. 70.5 x 30.5 inches, 179 x 77.5 cm.

Late 19th Century Japanese signed Noh theater Mask of Okame, the Goddess of Mirth, a very popular image in Japanese culture. A beautiful example of this type of mask done by a master carver, using Cypress wood (Hinoki) and many layers of Gofun, crushed oyster shell lacquer. A very charming and well rendered image. 8.25 inches (21cm) high x 5.25 inches (13.5) wide.

Antique Japanese Carpenter Reel, Sumi Tsubo, Ink Line. 9.25 x 3 inches, 23.5 x 8 cm. It is rare to see sumi tsubo (Japanese carpenter's reel or inkline used for layout) fully intact with all its parts, including line and original stick pin, like this one. The Japanese word for tools is Dogu, which was originally the word for an itinerant monk's belongings. It alludes to the spiritual value which craftsmen put on their tools. Japanese antique carpenter tools are now artifacts with history and beauty and lots of personality, and of course now make great decorative objects. In the West, there were no carpentry tools in which the ink well, marking thread, winding wheel, and stickpin were united into one piece. This tool played a pivotal role in the development of Japanese architecture. They are beautiful hand carved sculpture and works of art in their own right. From the collection of Irwin Hersey, renowned author on Asian and primitive art, and publisher of the Primitive Art Newsletter in the 1970s. Irwin Hersey was an advisor to museums and prominent collectors, and vetted pieces for many of the international tribal art fairs and Asian art fairs.

Japanese Bronze Sculpture of a Mermaid in a Whirlpool. An exquisite example by the important artist Isihara of the type of Japanese art that was having a major influence on Art Nouveau. A rare example of this artist's work. 9.5 inches (24 cm) long. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.