sabi

Oribe dish cont.

Oribe dish

Flower vase box

Hanging flower vase

Guinomi cont.

Guinomi pics

Additional chawan pics

Good afternoon NMB, Just when I thought I was done selling, the wife and I decided to pull the trigger on our first trip to Japan. As a result I'm trimming even further to have as much fun money as possible for the adventure. I'm tentatively labeling this as part one, there may be more to come at a later date depending on how these go along with things I have listed for my other hobbies. I'll include a main picture of each item on this initial post and then photo dump below due to file size restrictions. --- First up is a Shino chawan by Kato Kageaki, the 12th head of the mainline Kato family who founded the first Mino kilns in the late 1500's. Their lineage and history is on full display here and it's everything you could want from a tea bowl of the style - thickly potted with generous dimensions, a beautiful milky glaze that stays white and does not lean pink like many modern Shino wares do. The motif of pine trees is expertly brushed and peeks through the glaze to beautiful effect. Measures 13.4cm at it's widest point on the hip and 8.7cm tall. In perfect condition with its original signed box, cloth and paperwork. $220 shipped to the USA, international buyers please contact me for a quote. --- Next, a sublime black Raku guinomi by one of the hottest up and comers working in the style, Satoru Omae. I've tried to capture it as best as possible, but the depth and nuance to this piece is truly something to behold. A fantastic display of the texture and color variation that made Koetsu's work so avant garde at the time, yet so classic when reflected on today. 99% of contemporary black Raku works come off as sterile and plastic, this is the 1%. A drizzly, autumnal vibe that can be felt before you even pick it up - a superb achievement. 8cm wide by 6cm tall, in perfect condition with its original signed box, cloth and paperwork. $180 shipped to the USA, international buyers please contact me for a quote. --- Moving on we have yet another different vessel type - for my money, nothing beats the unglazed wares of Bizen for a flower vase, and the classic form and colors of this hanging variant by Suehiro Koyama are a perfect example of why. This take on the tabimakura, or travelers pillow shape popular among unglazed wares has a cheerful yet unassuming vibe that beautifully compliments flowers without overpowering them. The same can be said for the rustic tones characteristic of Bizen, accented by a stunning orange flash front and center that gives the piece depth and life. Measures 14cm tall by 10cm wide in excellent condition with its original signed box and paperwork. $120 shipped to the USA, international buyers please contact me for a quote. --- The last one for today is a very unique antique Oribe piece, a mukozuke (serving dish) in the form of a bracken or fiddlehead fern. I've yet to come across another of this form and the design has always been a favorite of mine as a sign of spring (not to mention a tasty seasonal delicacy). It's draped in a classic blue/green glaze characteristic of style and the white base has a lovely crackle. One side is adorned with an iron brushed design of hanging persimmon, another Oribe classic. Likely a late Edo revival piece but exceptionally well executed with the charisma of the original wares. Measures 18cm long by 4cm high. Note that the foot on the "stem" has a piece missing from the center as shown, however it still sits perfectly level and judging by the clay patina, it appears to have happened either when fired or very early on in its life. Being an antique piece this does not come with a box, and being a humble table ware it's highly unlikely it was made with one originally. $160 shipped to the USA, international buyers please contact me for a quote. --- I'm happy entertain offers on multiple pieces and can combine shipping of course. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional pics and I'd be happy to help. Thanks for looking! 👺🙏

This is an absolutely fantastic water jar by one of the most talented western potters to take up the style. This piece in particular is very special having been made of Shigaraki clay, fired once in Japan for six days and again for three days when it returned to the US. Meg has been a pillar of the Women who Woodfire movement and has a natural gift for the process. Her bold forms and surfaces provide the ideal canvas for the natural molten ash glazes and have a beautifully unassuming and natural quality to them. For more info on her work, see: https://www.megbeaudoinceramics.com/ https://www.cavinmor...udoin-and-mike-weber https://ceramicartsn...ychology-to-Ceramics This jar is in perfect condition and measures 5" x 6.25". Like most western works, this does not come with a box and at some point that becomes a good thing, God knows I'm running out of room for them! I've been friends with Meg for a few years and got this piece for a steal as a result. I'm paying that forward here and dropping it even further at $200 shipped to the USA, international buyers please contact me for a quote. Please let me know if you have any questions, thanks for looking!

Sold pending funds

This will likely be my last pottery sale for a while and I've saved one of the best for the occasion. Up for grabs today is a fantastic hanging flower vase by Tsuboshima Dohei. He studied under the eclectic and infamous Kawakita Handeishi and as his top student, took over the kiln in Mie prefecture after his mentors death. Iga ware is of course native to Mie and this is a sublime example of the style - flowing, emerald and olive green natural ash glaze contrasts beautifully with the scorched body. The areas toward the bottom of the show side were subject to particularly high heat in this case, which results in the ghostly white and gray color shift. This piece measures 13.5cm tall and I find its a perfect size to fit into any space while still having a fantastic presence on the wall. It includes it's signed box which I will add a pic of tomorrow. Bargain priced at $120 shipped to the USA, international buyers please contact me for a quote. Thanks for looking!

One and only drop to $125 in honor of the year of the dragon, which is my birth sign. 🐲

On hold.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays NMB! Up for grabs today is a stunning example of Ko-Iga ware displaying all of the features that made the style prized among tea masters. Likely dating from the early Edo period before the decline of the Iga kilns in the mid 1600's due to shifting aesthetic preferences. The slouchy yet strong form of this water jar is highlighted by the stark contrast between the the two main sides - the front being where the molten ash deposits have formed a galaxy of activity, and the back which would have laid face down in the kiln and is entirely scorched as a result. As the maker would have hoped, the weeks that this piece spent in the kiln took it's toll but stopped just short of rendering it unusable. Exceptionally large stone bursts (ishihaze) have made their way to the surface and many cracks have been left in their wake. The single most famous Iga mizusashi named Yaburebukuro (burst bag) has similar activity, but was completely split open. It was then lacquered to seal the gaping cracks and the rest is history. None of them go all the way through this jar and it does not leak a drop. This piece is further accented with a lattice stamp in multiple places, a common decoration among old Iga vessels and it remarkably retains its original lid (tomo buta). This is a rarity of any water jar with substantial age as they are often damaged and replaced with lacquer lids. This jar is heavy and organic and radiates strength in both form and firing like it were ripped straight from the earth. A truly fantastic example that would be the centerpiece in many a collection. In the spirit of the season I'm keeping my price low on this - asking $400 shipped to the USA via PayPal F&F only. I ask that any interested international parties contact me for a shipping quote. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional pics. Thanks for looking!

Sold pending funds.

I was thinking it might be 😉, at this point even the box would run a significant portion of the total price 😂. And I forgot to mention, payments could be divided into two installments if needed. I recently completed a sale with a buyer here using this method and it worked out well for both parties.

Final drop Black Friday sale on this one - $780 shipped USA / $810 international. This is valid through the weekend after which the tsuba will be withdrawn. I challenge you to find any Owari tsuba for sale at this level, let alone for this cheap. Someone is going to get a fantastic guard for a steal. Happy Thanksgiving!

Drop to $850 USA, $880 international 🙏👺

Pic of the ura, please let me know if you need additional images.

I'm already sure I'll regret this, but a major piece has come up in another hobby and I can't keep them all. As those who study and appreciate old iron know, Owari tsuba at this level don't surface often and this is a fantastic opportunity for one of our members to become its next caretaker. This tsuba compasses everything that is excellent about Owari guards. The motif is a strikingly bold and direct Matsukawabishi that has a beautifully martial feel. Not too heavy or clumsy, the amount of air in the design is just right. Measures 7.8cm round and 6.2mm thick, which is even across the plate. In my opinion, superior Owari tsuba tend to be those that are not dished towards the seppa dai and this one is no exception. Condition is perfect and it retains its original form, not having been shaved for a kozuka or kogai at any point. A custom box was lovingly made for it and is of course included. The former owner had placed it in late Muromachi, and another esteemed member here who has studied it thinks the same. I tend to lean towards early Momoyama given the design, but certainly splitting hairs either way - no doubt a pre-Edo example and one that coveys the aesthetic so highly prized by the bushi of the period. I was sure I had pics of the reverse side only to find out I didn't after it had already gotten dark. Will update the thread tomorrow accordingly. $930 shipped to the USA, $960 international. Payment to be made via PayPal F&F only. Thanks for looking!