Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (247)

Museum quality Japanese kimono - uchikake wedding gown. The condition of this kimono is excellent, amazingly well preserved without damage or repair. The black area has different shades with a muddy black color, particularly on the sleeves and the middle section of kimono where the black gradually changes to white. The gown is thinly padded (silk wadding) throughout and feather light with very soft silk. The dimension: 50 1/2 inches sleeve to sleeve, 59 inches long...

Beautiful antique Kanzashi, Kogai Japanese hair pin with gold maki-e on tortoiseshell with identical design on both sides, 5 1/4 inches long.

The shape of this oval Japanese Arita dish derives from European forms. The combination of colors (Celadon and blue & white) is known to be produced from 1780 – 1820, a late Edo example. The dimensions: 7 1/2" x 6"

This type of fukusa is a cover placed over a gift at the time of a gift-giving ceremony such as the "Yui-noh" which is held prior to a wedding. The evergreen pine symbolizes the strength and devotion of men; the plum blossoms represent purity, subtle beauty and the inner strength of women. Bamboo is often used to describe the personality of men and women; for example, a person being as straight (honest) as bamboo could also mean flexible (bendable) to a large extent...

This unique antique Japanese vase with four handles has a creamy grayish colored body with crackles and numerous pinholes. A couple of crackles are missing (shown in the photo) at the foot. It is 11 1/2 inches tall, circa early 1900s.

There have been decorative textiles sewn into squares or rectangular shapes since the Edo period in Japan. The small squares are made for tea ceremonies; the medium to larger sized ones (called fukusa) are used to cover seasonal and ceremonial gifts. This old Chinese panel was acquired in Japan mixing into our fukusa collection.

A dragon and phoenix together symbolize the emperor and empress in China...

Old rodan and gotoku for Japanese tea room, heavy item made with beautiful craftmanship from the Meiji period (1868-1912). The rodan is placed in the cut out hole of the tea room. Inside the rodan, the gotoku stand is placed (shown upside down in our photos) in ash for kama or kettle.

The dimensions of copper rodan: 16"w x 16"w at the top (the rim is 2.5" wide) and 10" in heigth. The bottom is 11 1/2" x 11 1/2". Old iron stand, gotoku is , 9 3/4" across and 6 inches tall.

Beautiful Katazome stencil dye work on thick, lightweight, coarsely woven cotton. It is decorated with auspicious motives; crane and long-tailed turtle in the framework of sho-chiku-bai (pine, bamboo, plum blossoms), the symbols of longevity and happiness. Bamboos, canes and pines are hidden, actually all over here in the form of scrolls. Three rolls of 13.1/2" (width) x 123 1/4" (long), roughly 98cm wide x 313cm long...

A daimyo’s firefighting wool jacket with a Kiri-no-mon crest, chest protector baring the same crest. It has a silk liner decorated with old marble dye. Dated from late Edo period (1603-1868),

Japanese could not produce wool of their own during the Edo period. Totally depending on Nanban trading, wool was pretty rare and pricey commodity. The liner for this jacket is also unusual. This is our first and only antique marble dyed fabric ever...

Daimyo hikeshi shozoku: Samurai firefighter's wool jacket with a silk velvet collar; the crest and design are couched with gold leaf thread (wrapped around silk thread), chest protector and belt. Excellent, clean condition with some holes and damages in velvet collar. Late Edo period (1603-1868), 50" wide x 39" long, Chest protector, 25 1/4" long.

There were many fires during the Edo period (1603-1868)...

Breathtakingly beautiful Japanese silk wedding kimono gown, Meiji/Taisho period, lined with the contrasting color red, very soft silk. It has a beautiful, rich texture woven in a mixture of flat, diagonal and shusu satin ori (weave). Under the sun, you can see the diagonal lines of woven gold threads crossing inside (photo #5). Gowns made in the early Meiji period are not only shorter but the colors are darker with a combination of earth tones (Shibui) comparing to brighter modern gowns...

This type of fukusa is a cover placed over a gift at the time of a gift-giving ceremony such as "Yui-noh" which is prior to a wedding. It has a peaceful, ordinary outside view seen through an elegant blind (shown at the top) and a silk room divider (left side) which are both remainders of the Heian Court (794-1160). Cranes and plums represent longevity, harmony and women’s beauty along with their strength...

Old Kyoto Nishijin obi. This obi is one of the 5 favorite obis from my collection - we have over 200 obis. It is almost impossible to find a obi like this today. The owner of the store in Tokyo where this obi was purchased once said that single good obi was coming out from one household when they go out knocking on the doors in the old town. The store had gone through changes since and no longer carries antique textiles...

This is an antique fukusa, Japanese gift cover with cranes...

This is a large antique fukusa, Japanese gift cover, 34 inches long and 26 inches wide, without including the tassels. The lid of the wooden box (hiro buta) that carried gifts was often placed upside down to display the gifts. The length of the Fukusa may have been adjusted for the tray.

The design of this Fukusa is based on the old Japanese folk tale, Yoro(Yohro) Waterfall. The waterfall was known as the Fountain of Youth and instead of water falling, Sake wine was falling. Whoever d...

This is a beautiful old Chinese necklace made out of genuine natural corals. The color is salmon pink. Approx. 63.5cm (25 inches) long and weigh 66.3 grams. The measurements of the center coral are: 1.4cm x 1.7cm in diameter. Circa 1930.

Note: In our photos, orange/brown tone had shown up a little too strong and hid a pink tone.

Beautiful Kyoto Nishijin silk obi, decorated with flowers, ribbons and mirrors. Gold is genuine and used in two different methods; strips of gilt paper (machine cut) and gold leaf wrapped around the silk threads. Some gold leaf are natually missing from the strips of paper - this did not show up in most photos (see enlargement photo). This obi looks older (clean) than shown in the photos. Circa 1920-1940. Dimensions: 12 3/4" x 170"

Marked “Hichozan” and “made by Maru(circle mark) hei”. Hichozan was a large organization located in Kyushu, the southern island of Japan. The organization did not make any porcelain itself but had large workshops decorating blanks from other factories. Most of the blanks were made at Mikawachi where the Hirado kilns were located. They also ordered underglaze decorated wares that they could supply to their clients. These bowls fall into that category and were made for Hichozan, by the H...