Antique Japanese Meiji Period Cobalt Blue Satsuma Vase Signed Hotoda 保土田 薩摩焼

Antique cobalt blue Satsuma vase   Meiji period   signed Hotoda ( 保土田 ).

The vase is a six sided panel vase standing 8" tall with an image of 8 Rakan & 3 little girls flanking Kannon. 
 
Rakan are legendary disciples of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Following his example, they attained enlightenment through their own efforts and they remain in the world to preserve the teachings of Buddha until the coming of the future Buddha, Maitreya.   Kannon is the Japanese name for the Buddhist bodhisattva Kwan Yin, aka Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara






The other side of the vase is a scene of 5 geisha and 3 hangyoku maiko (little girls bonded to the geisha house, in training to become geisha).

The vase is marked with the signature seal of Hotoda 保土田

  Hotoada was a well-known painter of Satsuma wares during the Meiji Period (1868-1912). 
The Hotoda mark is usually associated with some of the best quality wares to bear a Satsuma mark during the Meiji period. 


For Sale:  $3500 usd/ obo + shipping & insurance.

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Meiji Period Cobalt Blue Satsuma Painted Geisha Vase Marked Shozan 尚山

 Antique Japanese Meiji period cobalt blue Satsuma vase signed with the mark of Shozan / 尚山

This cobalt blue Satsuma vase is hand-painted with Geisha and a makyo child with Mount Fuji in the background.  The base is marked with the signature of Shozan. 尚山  It is late Meiji period, circa 1880s to 1900 and is approx 8 1/2" tall.  The reverse panel shows the landscape and water below Mt. Fuji.





Shozan mark: 尚山

It's worth mentioning that Gotheborg identifies the Shozan mark 尚山 as Shuzan 珠山 which are not only two entirely different and separate identities with completely different marks, but that the kanji for Sho & Shu are not even remotely similar nor are they interchangeable.   An overwhelming amount of the information contained therein that site is inaccurate.



 For Sale.  $100 usd / obo + shipping & insurance

TT Hand Paint Made in Japan Takito Satsuma Style Moriage Geisha Figurines

Last week I won an auction bid on a mixed lot lot of 14 pieces, among them were this pair of Satsuma style moriage geisha figurines, made by Takito.

They're marked with the TT double diamond logo & Hand Paint, Made in Japan and are circa somewhere between 1921 - 1941. ( Taisho period to Early Showa period.)

Takito was in business from 1880 to 1948.   Products prior to 1921 were marked Nippon.  There were no exports out of Japan from December, 1941 to 1945 due to sanctions during WWII.   From 1945 to 1948 Takito company products were marked "Made in Occupied Japan"

This particular pair are pre war era, circa 1920s- early1940s


For Sale $100 usd/obo + shipping & insurance

Unidentified Azuchi-Momoyama Period Japanese Kano School Painting

   I recently found an original Japanese Kano School painting in an antiques shop, and although the painting is unsigned and lacks any text or seals, I believe it to be from Azuchi-Momoyama Period , although it could very well be early Edo period, or even Meiji for that matter, since it's difficult to attribute this work to any particular Kano school painter since it is unsigned.

The painting was re-framed sometime between 1943 & 1955.  I know this because the framer's label marked "Boston Book and Art Shop, 12? Newbury Street, Boston 16, Mass", :on the back has a 2 digit US zipcode, 16, which was only used between 1943 to 1963, however, according to a photograph of Boston Book & Art Shop found in the MIT Libraries collection, they were on Boylston Street in 1955..   I also know that this painting was also framed prior to this framing job, because the work contains at least 2 different matte burns of different sizes, the other being smaller than the matte which was in this particular frame.

Unfortunately it has also been mounted on a thick card stock and not in a traditional Japanese way.  It is my belief that the work may have originally been part of a multi-panel work and that the signature was on a different panel, or that it was originally a larger work, mounted on a scroll and that the scroll was possibly in very poor condition with damage and that someone trimmed the work, mounted and framed the remaining undamaged portion, and that the signature was possibly lost, destroyed or trimmed off prior to framing, however, I believer the former is more likely the case given that the rocks and tree to the left would most likely continue both upward and to the left as part of a more complete scene.

I have been researching Kano school paintings extensively attempting to attribute this work to a specific artist, and it's enough to make my brain explode, therefore I temporarily give up, for now, because what I really need, is the advice and opinion of an expert on Japanese Kano School paintings.

This Japanese painting, painted in Kano-ha style, measures approximately 13¼" wide x 10⅞", is unevenly trimmed, & depicts a woman playing a stringed musical instrument to a mother and female child sitting beneath a pine tree.  The stringed instrument rests across the woman's lap.

Naturally I removed the painting from the frame, which I always do when acquiring art pieces.  If there's one thing I have a pet peeve about, it's mattes, cardboard backings and non-traditional mounting methods, so I always remove paintings from whatever frame they're in, and if possible, hope to remove the work from its existing mounting and have appropriate conservation methods applied by a professional conservator.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on who the artist is of this Japanese Kano School painting, please comment.  Thank you

pp20 est1000+

Satsuma Style Japanese Porcelain Mini Vases Made in Occupied Japan 1945 -1952

I just got this pair of Japanese porcelain Satsuma style mini vases made in Occupied Japan at a second hand resale shop.

 This type of Satsuma style mini vases are very common, and they're not valuable, so when I saw the $20 price tag I declined to purchase them until several days later when I got an email informing me that the dealer was having a half off sale, so I went there as soon as I could hoping they still had them.

Fortunately for me they did.   I like Geisha and women in traditional Japanese Kimono, so like these Satsuma style mini vases very much and think they make a great addition to my Japanese porcelain collection.