The exterior of this handsome Japanese Arita porcelain bowl is wonderfully decorated with allover randomly arranged roundels hand painted in underglaze blue and soft overglaze enamels on a clear white ground. Ca. 1850-1875. This bowl is unusual inasmuch as it was decorated in classic heirloom shonsui style but was done so with vivid polychrome enamels and gilt in addition to the more typical underglaze blue designs...

This heavily-potted and molded Hizen Arita porcelain charger in octagonal form is decorated with thick overglaze enamels and sits atop a high combed foot rim. Early Meiji period, ca.1870. The reverse is signed in overglaze red enamel “Hichozan Shinpo Sei” (Made by Hichozan Shinpo)...

This deep oversized Japanese Imari blue and white porcelain charger (“sometsuke ozara”) is decorated with a hand painted “meijin karakusa” design around a central medallion of shochikubai (pine, plum and bamboo). Edo period, early 19th century. The classic meijin karakusa design, which is one variation of the scrolling vine pattern, is in the form of delicate denticulate leaves and little m-shaped curls...

This diminutive hardwood display stand with silver mounts has been decorated overall with gold makie lacquer landscape decoration. Meiji period (1868-1912). The stand, which is made entirely of keyaki wood, has developed a rich mellow patina resulting from time. Keyaki, the most expensive of Japanese hardwoods, has a beautiful dense grain and is sturdy and long-lasting, requiring little maintenance...

Beautifully crafted cast brass or light bronze coffee pot with high relief decoration of a crane amid rough sea waves and two rabbits staring up at a crescent moon. An unidentified signature is impressed on the base. Meiji period (1868-1912). The handle is stylized, and there is a hinged cap on the top of the spout and a removable cover with finial. The crane, a symbol of long life and venerable old age, flies above the rough seas beneath a stylized cloud...

This fine pair of early 20th century Japanese silver napkin rings, which are contained in their original box, are incised with figures of Okame and Daruma and ornamented with gold and shakudo inlays using the numone-zogan technique. Numone-zogan is sometimes classified as an overlay or an onlay technique as opposed to an inlay one inasmuch as there are no grooves cut for the inlaid metals...

This unusual sixteen-sided underglaze blue and white Japanese Arita porcelain (“sometsuke”) dish is boldly hand painted in Shonsui style with horseman roundels within a geometric border. Meiji period (1868-1912), possibly earlier. There is a small two-character mark painted in underglaze blue on the bottom of this stoutly potted plate...

This large and heavy Japanese Arita sometsuke (blue and white porcelain) charger with foliate rim is hand painted with lush cobalt blue reserves containing landscape scenes and flowers on a ground of linear designs and geometric patterns. Mid-19th century. Its depth actually makes it a huge shallow bowl. On the reverse are more simply drawn floral scrolls. Underglaze blue lines encircle the foot, which appears to contain three spur marks...

The interior of this large footed brown lacquer bowl (“takatsuki”) is superbly decorated with the plumes of autumn grasses finely hand painted in gold makie lacquer. Meiji/Taisho period. The simple brown lacquer exterior is completely undecorated. Pampas grass (“susuki”) is one of the Seven Grasses of Autumn...

Three standing Japanese ladies-in-waiting Girl’s Day Festival (“Hina matsuri”) dolls on black lacquer base with six-panel gold folding screen. Meiji period. Their expressive faces have several layers of gofun, with delicately painted hairlines, eyelashes and eyebrows. Their mouths are open, showing teeth and tongue, and they have inset glass eyes. There are signatures on the wood stems of their removable heads...

This striking Japanese Arita sometsuke (blue and white porcelain) tokkuri (sake bottle) in bulbous form with elongated neck was hand painted in underglaze cobalt blue and dates to the Meiji period, 19th century. The ovoid body is freely decorated with landscape scenes between a neck covered with tako-karakusa (octopus vine) scrolls and a band of rectangular “jurinmon” lappets surrounding the base. Heavily potted, the glazed base is recessed, and the high foot rim is unglazed and encircled by...

This simple four case black lacquer inro has a leathery sharkskin-like texture which is decorated with etched designs of scrolling vines (karakusa). Meiji period (1868-1912). Plain black lacquer interior. The ojime consists of a simple mottled turquoise glass bead. Inro are small Japanese containers made in several sections which are fitted on top of each other so perfectly that the joints are hardly noticeable. They required great skill to craft. They were carried on the right hip, suspended fr...