Contemporary Japanese Imari Gilded Porcelain Sleeping Cat by Kisen Kiln

On offer is a truly impressive blue and white porcelain plate of Hizen ware, from Arita in Japan, circa mid to late-19th century. The plate was made by Kajiwara Kikujiro (菊次郎, the second Kiku son) and/or Kajiwara Kikusaburo (菊三郎, the third Kiku son who died in 1883) of the Kajiware Family Kiln of in Arita. It was decorated in a superb design with blue under-glaze, clearly out of a hand of a master. In a Classic Japanese composition that was popular in the Meiji Period, the plate displays a riot of auspicious elements, arranged still in a surprisingly harmonious manner. Anchoring the center of the design is an eagle perched on the branch of a blooming cherry tree, its talons clenching the bark and its wings about to open. The motion of the its immediate taking off is palpable. The trunk and the branches of the old cherry tree provide a spacial frame for the arrangement of large peonies with foliage, bundles of chrysanthemums, Chinese bell...

A delightful and amusing Japanese Imari study of a seated rabbit dating from the late Meiji period, early 20th century. The Rabbit, made in porcelain has a dis-proportionate head to ...

With cobalt blue decorated neck and base band. Large oval shaped panels on two sides featuring an amusing scene with rust tone and white foo lions in a river landscape looking back t...

A delightful Japanese attributed porcelain figure of a resting elephant with a young boy dating from the early 20th century. The hollow molded figure portrays a sleeping elephant, ly...

A rare set of three hand painted Imari porcelain graduated sized bowls with the same hand painted scenes and decoration on each. The large is 12 inches in diameter, with the medium 1...

A large Japanese lidded ceramic jar from the kiln of Onda Yaki, circa 2010. The stoneware jar impresses the viewer with a robust bulbous form. Its black body is nearly unglazed but exuberantly splashed with strokes of slip glazes of white, yellow and blue. The visual effect is wonderful that it appears traditional and contemporary at the same time. The tri-color glaze calls to mind the San-Cai from Chinese Tang dynasty, yet the application is akin to abstract painting on canvas. Onda Yaki also spelled as Onta Yaki also spelled Onta, is a type of Japanese pottery produced in and around the village of Onta in Oita Prefecture in Kyushu Island. It was founded in 1705. Closely associated with Mingei folk art, Onda ware was inscribed by the national government in 1995 as an Intangible Cultural Property Background from Pucker Gallery where the jar was exibited and purchased. "In his search for true folk pottery, the Japanese philosopher Soetsu Yanagi...

"Purple Dawn", a ceramic sculpture piece by Japanese potter Kiyoharu Ichino (1957-). Purchased from Touching Stone, Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2003. Tradition meets renovation, this sculptural piece with its slab like minimal shape draws the viewer into its mysterious shape that is reminiscent of a monument. Its surface, with the typical Tanba clay fired at very high temperature and completely free of glaze, radiates a subtle metallic sheen that is nearly in a shade of purple. This piece was purchased from Touching Stone, Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2003. Artist's bio from the gallery and the exhibition: "Kiyoharu Ichino was born in 1957 in Tachikui into an extended family steeped in pottery-making tradition. He learned all aspects of Tanba pottery since childhood. When he was twenty, he moved to Seto to study pottery under a master of Akatsu-yaki. Upon returning to Tachikui, he launched his career with the Tanba Group Kiln. In 1983, he established his own kiln and began showing in galleries all over Japan. His works have been selected repeatedly for the prestigious juried Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition sponsored by the Japan Crafts Association. In 1995, he was nominated to be a permanent member of The Japan Crafts Association, an honor bestowed to the most experienced and talented artists. Traditional Tanba pottery is fired unglazed at very high temperature in large wood-fueled kilns. Ichino uses both an anagama (hole kiln) and a noborigama (climbing kiln), burning almost a thousand bundles of wood over several days to bring out the unique personalities of Tanba clay, which is renowned for its rich texture and deep purplish brown colors. Many of his pieces show silvery fire-marks like swirling mists left by the wood fire. His pieces appear to be integral parts of the clay rather than separate objects made from it. To show the unique clay texture, he often includes seemingly unfinished edges in his designs, exposing the rough clay body. Despite the high level of sophistication and innovation, Ichino's works maintain a strong connection with the ancient Tanba pottery tradition. Ichino should be no stranger to many Santa Fe residents. His work has been exhibited both in Touching Stone Gallery and as part of a major exhibition in the New Mexico Museum of International Folk Art in 2006. About Tanba ware...

A ceramic square plate with white-celadon glaze by Japanese potter Yoshikawa Masamichi (1946-). The sharp-edged plate features a concaved center an...

A fine antique signed Japanese Imari porcelain bowl. In the form of a shaped bowl with a plum-like shape. Decorated throughout with exquisitely detailed painted or enameled dec...

A richly glazed ceramic sculptural slab in the shape of a centerpiece plate by Japanese ceramic artist Yoshikawa Masamichi (1946-). The highly abst...