A long handled bronze mirror Kagami-e decorated with a representation of the Great Buddha of Kamakura, Dai Butsu Kamakura, set against a nashiji style ground suggestive of small billowing clouds. The handle terminating with a representation of a Temple Bell. The mirror is a so-called Makyo or magic mirror, when a strong light source at a certain angle is placed in front of the mirror an image of the Buddha Amida is projected (see last image). This mirror dates to the middle of the 19th cen...

Incense burner in lacquer, hexagonal and curved shaped, decorated with hira and takamaki-e in gold and silver lacquer on a nashi-ji background, peonies along the banks of a river and a mount. The lid has a cruciform opening.
A mon is affixed to one side of the diffuser. It is the mon of the family Ōkubo (大久保氏)a family belonging to the Fudai-Daimyo house (the vassals of the Tokugawa family).
The head of the family was created Daimyo by the Tokugawa family in 1684. From 1725...

A high quality "Porcelain for Palaces" type Arita dish with foliate rim in Imari export style decorated in the full Imari five colour palette principally with Irises, Peonies and Chrysanthemums, with Fence-work and Plum trees and a central motif of Peonies. The reverse decorated with flowering Plum and Rock peonies and an Artemesia leaf. For a set of thirteen dishes with the same pattern in the Royal Collection see C&J : Ayers, J., 2016. Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of H...

A bowl and accompanying saucer or stand both with slightly everted lips. Decorated in a combination of underglaze blue with enamels, iron red and green, with gilding. A truncated version of the gosai palette, a three rather than the full five colour palette, which would have included in addition yellow and aubergine coloured over-glaze enamels. The design is composed of a series of contrasting narrow bands of geometric diaper with Matsu and Kiku inclusions in the lozenge shaped cells and band...

An unusual low bowl with the primary subject of a Minogame, a symbol of longevity, decorated in somenishikide style in underglaze blue with additional enamels. The three Lobate reserves outlined in underglaze blue with yellow enamels framing an iron red ground inset with an auspicious minogame set against an iron red diaper ground. Each reserve divided by a stylised symmetric floral arrangement of a Poppy flower surrounded with foliage in underglaze blue and gilt detailing. The interior decorate...

Shonai obi (sash) hand-woven of cotton for warps and paper yarn for wefts. It is made in Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku district. It is dyed with vegetable indigo and has beautiful tassels in both ends. In excellent condition except for a few tiny stains. The first half of the 20th century. 29cm x 3m56cm

Choi Sung Jae (born 1962) is the most widely exhibited Korean ceramic artist, in international galleries and in the permanent collections of major museums, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, the Peabody Essex Museum, and many others. He is a master of white slip buncheong ceramics, a style revered and imitated by Japanese artists for centuries. This lovely Pond with Geese and Reeds is a fine example of his work. This is an anci...

The three porcelain plates by Kim Ki Chang aka Unbo (1913 - 2001) that we offer here on our website are the only ceramics by the revered master that we have seen offered for sale. They were all acquired from the same collection and are sublime examples of his unique style. This one is on a tall attached porcelain pedestal. Don't miss this rare opportunity to acquire a piece in this lustrous medium by one of Korea's most famous artists. Rooster and Plum Blossoms: 13.5 inches (34.5 cm) wide, 5.5 i...

The three porcelain plates by Kim Ki Chang aka Unbo (1913 - 2001) that we offer here on our website are the only ceramics by the revered master that we have seen offered for sale. They were all acquired from the same collection and are sublime examples of his unique style. Don't miss this rare opportunity to acquire a piece in this lustrous medium by one of Korea's most famous artists. Lotus Blossoms, Ducks, and Fish: 14 inches (35.5 cm) wide, 2 inches (4 cm) deep with lipped rim. This image is ...

The three porcelain plates by Kim Ki Chang aka Unbo (1913 - 2001) that we offer here on our website are the only ceramics by the revered master that we have seen offered for sale. They were all acquired from the same collection and are sublime examples of his unique style. Don't miss this rare opportunity to acquire a piece in this lustrous medium by one of Korea's most famous artists. Village Along the Mountain River: 14 inches (35.5 cm) wide, 1.5 inches (4 cm) deep. In Korea, a rendering of a ...

A swollen sail shape in graduations of color by Miyashita Zenji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaze no Deban (Cue the Wind, or Wind in the Sails, if you like). It is 20 x 21 x 28 cm (8x 8-1/2 x 11 inches) and in excellent condition. It retains the original Shifuku and Shiori.
Miyashita Zenji (1939-2012) was born into the family of potter Miyashita Zenju, and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art under Kiyomizu Kyubei and Kusube Yaichi. Starting with the most ...

Japanese antique small Buddhist zushi shrine in the form of a lotus blossom enclosing a tiny figure of Buddha Amitābha. Also known simply as Amida Buddha, he stands on a lotus blossom, floating on swirling clouds. His hands are in vitarka mudra, also known as Raikō gesture of welcoming souls to Paradise (Jōdō or Sukhavati in Sanskrit). Amitābha (which means Infinite or Immeasurable light) is much loved for his gentle wisdom and his all accepting nature. Carved of wood and intricately dec...

Antique Japanese ceramic bizen ware sculpture of Ebisu and Daikoku, two of the most popular of the Lucky Gods. Diakoku, who is usually pictured standing on top of bales of rice, instead stands on top of a large ball. He is shown carrying a lucky mallet (Uchide no Kozuchi) and a bag of treasure which is thrown over his shoulder. He is the protector of agriculture, farmers, and rice merchants. Standing to his left on the side of the large ball is Ebisu, the protector of fish, fisheries, seafood...

Japanese Antique woven fruit basket with bent bamboo handle. Woven of split bamboo with a wide and rounded hexagonal, squat form with low walls. The body of the basket is woven with two layers, a wider weave on the outside, and a layer of very thin strips of bamboo in a finer pattern on the inside. The handle and the rim of the basket are made of whole stocks of bent bamboo. The basket is woven with a low foot and has a signature on the underside.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)