Antique Japanese Oribe Pottery Ogata Kenzan Pitcher

Ogata Kenzan ( 尾形 乾山 1663-1743) Edo period Oribe glaze pottery pitcher water vessel with shrimp, or is it a lobster, signed.  6 1/2" tall. Base approx 5" wide  Excellent condition.  Signed

For Sale; $15,000 usd / obo + shipping & insurance.

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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

Japanese Edo period Matsuyama Gama Aode Kutani Double Gourds 松山窯 青で 九谷

Here's another one of my most recent auction acquisitions, a pair of Japanese Edo period Ao-de Kutani double gourd shaped vases from Matsuyama Gama, signed with the kaku seal of Matsuyama Kiln, 松山窯

Matsuyama Gama existed from 1848 to 1863.  In 1863 the name was changed to Matsuyama Okami Kiln.  Matsuyama ceased production in 1872.   The color and style of original Matsuyama Ao-de Kutani look like Yoshidaya Kutani which was the revival of Ko-kutani, aka old Kutani.

Matsuyama Gama mark:  松山窯

 This style of Kutani is referred to by a few different, but similar names,  often mistakenly called Ao Kutani, but the correct term is Ao de Kutani, Aote Kutani or Aode Kutani.

Ao-de Kutani uses four colored overglaze enamels: green, yellow, blue and purple to cover the surface of vessels. Ao-de Kutani is characterized by its deep green color. (Ao means blue in modern Japanese). Ao-de Kutani originated from Ko Kutani ware , which was produced between the mid-17th century and the early 18th century. About 120 years after the production of Ko Kutani ware stopped, Yoshidaya kiln revived the Ko Kutani style and produced aote Kutani in the early 19th century. After Yoshidaya kiln stopped production, aode Kutani was produced by Matsuyama Kiln from 1848 to 1863.

Matsuyama gama is well known as the ’good’ kiln which production was devoted at the beginning for the sole usage of the Han.

For Sale.  $4000 usd/obo  + shipping & insurance

Meiji Period Thousand Faces Satsuma Nikkozan Plate 日光山 薩摩焼

I'm super thrilled with my latest auction purchases this past week, among them this Meiji period Thousand Faces Satsuma plate marked Nikkozan , 日光山 and the bonus is that 100% of the proceeds of the auction went to a non profit charity to support an animal shelter..

It's my belief that Nikkozan marked Satsuma is likely among the rarest of Satsuma wares because a quick Google search reveals only a few examples, all of which were auctioned off several years ago by Bonham's and Christie's auction houses.  There are no other Nikkozan marked Satsumayaki listed in Google other than these few, and now my own post.

Doing a similar search in Japanese also netted less than a couple of links for Nikkozan Satsuma wares.

I'm rather perplexed why so many sites, particularly online auction sites, refer to this design of Rakan with Kannon and dragon, etc as "Thousand Faces".  I have yet to find any information whatsoever on the story behind this design and insofar as Japanese websites go, the term 1000 Faces in relation to Satsuma is non existent.   It is my belief that the name "Thousand Faces" when applicable to this design of Satsuma is a false one.   

Late Meiji Thousand Faces Satsuma Vase Signed Hotoda 保土田

   Meiji period Thousand Faces Satsuma vase,


















































The vase is signed Hotoda , aka Hodota &/or Hododa, etc thanks to the asshats at Gotheborg for perpetuating incorrect information , 保土田.  The correct spelling is HOTODA.  My estimate is that it's dated somewhere around the end of the Meiji period circa 1900 to perhaps early Taisho period 1916.

Hotoda was one of the last great master's of Satsuma during the Meiji period

.    The Thousand Faces design features Kannon, the Japanese Buddhist Bodhisattva of Compassion, aka Kwan Yin / Guanyin, a single male figure which I haven't identified as of this writing, and multiple rakan which are often erroneously referred to as arhat or lohan, and are commonly also referred to collectively as "immortals,  each of them of the same face, and a white dragon intertwines through them.  Rakan, Arhat & Lohan all mean the same thing, but only RAKAN is used in Japanese.  The other terms are Indian and Chinese.

  There are several variations of the Thousand Faces Satsuma design, as well as the Thousand Faces Kutani.  

the wooden stand ise Chinese late Qing Guanxu period to early Republic period.

For Sale:  $800 usd /obo + shipping & insurance

Yamahiro Pottery Heike Monogatari Ginger Jar by Hayashi Gyokko

  I picked up this Japanese porcelain ginger jar on eBay awhile back and have been intrigued by it ever since.

For me, one of the most fascinating parts of collecting Asian art and antiques is the enormous amount of history learned though researching individual pieces and this ginger jar is no exception.

The jar depicts a Japanese Samurai mounted on a horse and has an inscription with two rakkan seals.

I am told by my friend Seth Lim of Singapore that the inscription is in reference to The Heike monogatari tale of a competition between Japanese Samurai commander Sasaki Takatsuna (佐々木 高綱, 1160 – December 8, 1214) riding a white horse and Samurai warrior Kajiwara Kagesue (梶原 景季, 1162 - February 6, 1200) on a black horse, racing to be the first to engage in battle at the 1184 battle of Uji (宇治川の戦). Takatsuna was first (高綱先陣).

 I believe that the Samurai on the jar is Kajiwara Kagesue since the horse on the jar is dark, even though not entirely black, but more brownish.

 Next to the inscription is a signature and
two rakkan seals that read 林 玉光 , Made by Hayashi Gyokko who was the artist that painted the scene on the vase.   A decal is applied to the vase and is then glazed over with a clear glaze.

The bottom is maker marked with the Kaku seal of Yamahiro Mfg Co. Seto, Aichi, Japan.

The seal reads 山弘陶苑, Yamahiro Toen, which translates as Yamahiro Pottery Studio.(or center).

The pseudo-quasi "expert" Gotheborg erroneously claims the mark says "Sanko Toen" which is not even remotely close.  It's flat out false.

The only thing they got right on this mark is Toen, but I suppose that's the be expected considering the source.




Fact is, the term Sanko is used when counting small objects and literally means 3 pieces, so how some pretentious fool came up with the BS about "porcelain in the big mountain" is beyond me.  Second, there is no character for any form of KO anywhere in the seal, so even though 山 sometimes does mean San, it's usually  at the END in Japanese porcelain marks as "zan", and when it's the first character, 山 is usually always YAMA.   If the seal said Sanko Toen, it would be written as 三 個陶苑 and would translate as 3 pieces pottery center.    It's understandable for someone to misread 山 as San, since several Japanese language characters have more than one meaning, and is an easy mistake to make, but there's no way possible to mistake 弘 as Ko.  It's not even remotely close...


Seals translated by Hung-Yueh Hsu, Taipai, Taiwan.

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

Fuku Marked Imari - Arita Yaki Sometsuke Sansui Kanshi Chuzara - 福 伊万里焼/有田焼 染付 山水 監視 中皿

Fuku marked Japanese Imari / Arita sometsuke sansui kanshi chuzara. 

This small blue & white (sometsuke 染付 ) Imari ( 伊万 ) plate (chuzara 中皿 ) is painted with a scene of a man rowing upstream in a river towards the mountains. (sansui 山水 )  It is octagon shaped and has a short poem ( kanshi 監視 ) that reads 述(?)溪 嵐山 清流遊筏.  Upstream ? Arashiyama, rafting on a clear stream?   The back of the plate is decorated in an underglaze blue, cash and comb pattern and is marked Fuku ( 福 ) the Japanese word for "good fortune".

Arashiyama, ( 嵐山 Storm Mountain) is Mount Arashi, across from the Ōi River on the Western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan.

I'm not certain of this Imari plate's age, but am guessing that it's Meiji period, although it could be earlier, or later.  I'll have to research this further so I can make an accurate determination.  

Inscription translated by my friend Hung-Yueh Hsu, Taipei, Taiwan.

Kutani Meizan Koro Tomobako 九谷明山香炉 供箱

  For the longest time, I wished that the Japanese porcelain pieces in my collection had their original wood box, called Tomobako, or Kyō-bako in Japanese, and although there are many Japanese porcelain pieces on the market in their original box, I decided to look around and see if I could find any Tomobako for sale.

  I found this one on an online auction site, and although it was part of a lot of mixed boxes of different kinds, I was only interested in the Japanese Tomobako, so I contacted the seller and asked if he would sell it to me without the others in the lot.  Fortunately for me he said yes.

  It is seal marked Kutani Meizan, 九谷明山.  The small seal in the upper right reads Kutaniyaki, 九谷焼.  The calligraphy in the center reads Koro, 香炉, the Japanese word for incense burner.   The calligraphy above the seal reads 明山造, Meizan zo. (Made by Meizan).

Now all I need is to find a Kutani Meizan Koro to go in this box, as well as more Tomobako and Japanese porcelain with their original Tomobako. :)

Thank you to my friend and neighbor Miho Takahashi for the calligraphy translation.

Large Japanese Porcelain Kutani Moriage Hotei Statue 九谷布袋

It seems I am once again blessed with good fortune.

       I never know what I'll find when I'm out hunting for Asian art and antiques. Call me obsessed, but I have this compulsion to do so as often as possible whenever I'm financially able to, even if it means scouring the shelves of a thrift store hoping to bring home something unique for super dirt cheap.

  So today was the first day of school and with my daughter gone for the day, I decided to hit up a couple of shops I frequently visit, and, well, I wasn't counting on making any large dollar amount purchases and I hope I'm not going to regret doing so later when I'm sending out checks for my monthly household bills, etc since it appears I have exhausted my available spending funds for the next two weeks.

One of the shops I stopped at is an antiques store which I visit very often, at least once a month.  Today, as I entered the store, the owner, a 90+ year old woman, was just about to step outside.  We began talking, as we customarily do, and she started talking about this large stained glass window that was next to her leaning against the wall by the front door, and that she wants to move it to the other side of the store on the window sill.    I offered to move it for her, and as a result, it appears maybe I got a bargain price on this large Japanese Kutani Hotei statue.

Hotei ( 布袋 ) is one of the Japanese Shichifukujin 七福神 , The Seven Gods of Fortune, or in Western terms, Seven Lucky Gods.  Hotei is the fat and happy god of contentment, happiness, abundance and good health, also known as Budai or Pu-Tai in Chinese mythology and/or folklore, etc.  In Western culture, he is referred to as the Laughing Buddha even though he is not Buddha, albeit some Buddhist sects consider him to be an incarnation of Maitreya or Miroku Nyorai.

The base of the statue has an incised Kutani mark, 九谷, and is intricately decorated in a Satsuma moriage style.  He is approximately 14" tall and weighs at least 8 to 10 pounds I think.

After I finished moving the large stained glass window, there on the shelf in front of me was a large Satsuma temple vase, which I eagerly and excitedly oohed and aahed over until I saw the "Made in Japan" mark on the bottom.  Sure I liked the vase, but I felt perhaps it was not that old, so I decided perhaps I should not fork over $50 for it, and that's when I turned around and saw what looked like a Satsuma Hotei, yet when I picked it up for a closer look, realized that it was not Satsuma at all, but Satsuma style, because the clay was not an earthenware, nor was there the tell tale Satsuma crackled glaze.  At the time I couldn't even see the marking, because I didn't have my magnifying glass and my eyes are poor these days.   The owner of the shop also has bad eyes, so when she asked me if I could read or see the mark, my answer was "I think I see Made in.. it probably says Made in Japan", and it wasn't until I got home that I saw that it's actually a Kutani mark, 九谷.

  I put the Hotei statue down and browsed around her shop, picking up a 6 1/2" Satsuma vase with a Samurai decorated in moriage, and a small Chinese saucer with the Shou symbol for longevity, 壽.   After I placed them onto the counter, I went back to examine Hotei, hoping it was within my budget and I asked the owner, "how much is he?"   Her answer was "since you helped me, you tell me what it's worth to you".   I was hesitant, because I didn't want to sound cheap, although I'm certain she knows all too well that I'm always looking for bargains as I've haggled with her 90% of the time I have ever made a purchase from her, but also, at the same time, I knew I only had $40 in my pocket, so, without thinking of the other two items I also wanted, I said "I only have $40 in my pocket" to which she said "sold..  I'll give it to you for that price" which pleased me very much even though I knew I would be broke until I get paid again.

When I got to the counter to pay, that's when I realized I didn't have enough to pay for the other two items, however, she trusted that I would come back and pay, so allowed me to take them home on the promise that I would return, which of course I will, because I have known this woman for over a year now and have been in her store at least several dozen times, as well as see her around town in other shops, etc.. even at a local auctioneer's hall, so, and besides, she also knows my name and where I live, so yes, of course she trusts me.

I immediately began Googling around trying to determine how old this Kutani Hotei is, as well as its potential value, and I'm coming up with various possibilities for its age, from late Meiji to early Taisho, even early Showa, so my research is incomplete and its age remains uncertain at this time.

  As for value, well, that's a real crap shoot, because all I have to go by are eBay listings, and, well, sorry to say, but the majority of sellers on eBay don't know their freaking ass from their elbow, never mind the age and values of Japanese porcelain and antiques, etc.  They pretty much pull numbers out of thin air, like one particular delusional fool from Seattle who thinks her Kutani Hotei is worth $950 + shipping.   I say good luck with that as I laugh at how absurd her asking price is.  I have seen others ranging from $50 up to $300+, all with differences, none of them the size of this one, except the $950 one and another I found for $875, so who knows... Maybe it is worth that much, yet I seriously doubt that.   The majority of the Japanese Kutani Hotei figures and statues I saw selling online were all in the 6" to 8" range with the exception of 2, and none quite the same, although a little similar.  I am happy however that mine seems to be in far superior condition and detail than the ones I saw online.

Another major difference I noticed, is that most of those that are marked have the Kutani mark 九谷 painted in red while the marking on mine is incised into the clay.