JAPAN

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fUll sUiT of JapaNEsE aRMoUR

Japan Edo period 17th century Iron, lacquer, silk, wood, gold Provenance: Private collection Japan Exhibition: Mononofu Katchu. Mayfair London. 14th-15th May 2022 Price: 27.000 GBP

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

David Thatcher M.: + 44 (0) 7971955214 E.: davidt@davidthatcher.co.uk W: www.davidthatcher.co.uk

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An iron black lacquered 52 plate Kabuto (helmet) bearing the signature of Neo Masanobu of the Neo school. Features a black lacquered large three lame manju-jikoro (neck guard) laced in silk in the sugake style. Inner leather ukebari (liner) with fine hemp roped shinobi-no-o (helmet cord). Maedate (frontal crest device) of a sachi (dragon fish) with a giled copper kuwagata (stylized antlers). A black ressei iron lacquered Menpo (face mask) with a yak hair hige (moustache) connected to a gilded three lame suga (throat guard) laced in the sugake style. This armour features a very large fully matched Nodowa (secondary throat guard. The Dō (body) has a lacquered iron go-mai (five-section) construction in the mogami (horizontal) style. The Gessen (skirt) is made of seven sections of black lacquered lames and is laced in the sugake style. Ko-Gusoku (other parts) gilded medium size Chu- Sode (arm guards) of seven lames laced in the sugake style. The Kote and Haidate are of the shino style, the haidate being constructed of iyozane scales. Five lame Etchu-Shino-suneate (thigh guards) with kikko-gane (hexagonal knee guard). Supplied with a Yoroi-tate (armour display stand) and Yoroi-bitsu (armour travel storage box). Neo School: A group of armourers with little documentation but known to be based in Nara between the Momoyama and Tokugawa periods. Neo Masanobu was their best-known smith, being held in high regard for his 120 plate kabuto. Neo Masanobu (根尾正信), mid-Edo period, lived in Nara and in Kyôto. At the time Neo referred to the famous Neo valley of Mino province with the Ibukiyama (伊吹山) mountain range to the east where iron was extracted. Thus it was only natural that casters and smiths settled there and it is thought that Neo Masanobu was one of them.

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02

ŌTAGAKI RENGETSU (1791-1875)

Butterfly Painting and Poem Japan Late Edo period 1860s Ink on paper, with plain wooden box 107,5 cm (h)x 45,5 cm (w) #19.037 Price on request

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Galerie Kommoss M.:+49 177 6033 201 E.: info@galeriekommoss.com W: www.galeriekommoss.com

Ōtagaki Rengetsu is possibly the most famous female artist of the 19th Century in Japan, especially known for her excellent skills in calligraphy and pottery. She was born as illegitimate daughter of a samurai from the Tōdō family. Soon after her birth, she was adopted by Ōtagaki Mitsuhasa who worked at Chion’in, an important Jōdo (Pure Land) school temple in Kyōto. In 1798, having lost her mother and brother, she was sent to serve as a lady-in-waiting at Kameoka castle in Tanba where she was taught classical poetry, calligraphy and martial arts.

With only 33 years, she already went through some fateful years of her life with the loss of two husbands and all her five children. After that, she decided to shave her hair and take Buddhist vows, adopting the name Rengetsu (Lotus Moon). In that time, she lived together with her stepfather near Chion’in temple. After his death in 1832, Rengetsu began to make her extraordinary pottery which she usually inscribed with her own waka (31-syllable classical poetry) and sold to support herself. With her unique combination of pottery, calligraphy and poetry, Rengetsu gained large recognition during her lifetime far beyond the borders of Kyōto.

In this work, Rengetsu painted a small butterfly and wrote an elegant yet meaningful poem next to it:

うかれきて 花野の露に ねぶる也 こわたがゆめの こてふなるらん

Fluttering In a field of flowers and dew Now dozing away... In whose dream Is this butterfly?

Her poem and the motif of a butterfly is alluding to the existential thinking of the Chinese Daoist sage Zhuangzi, who is said to raise the question: "Am I a man who

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just dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly now dreaming he is a man?" Also in Japan, the motif of a butterfly is a symbol for beauty and the impermanence of life, it seems just natural that Rengetsu favored to paint it, especially in her last decade of life.

There are several known versions of this painting. One from a private collection in Zurich has been published in the catalog "Black Robe, White Mist: Art of the Japanese Buddhist Nun Rengetsu" by the National Gallery of Australia on page 79. That painting was dated to 1840s - 50s. A later version of a butterfly painting is in possession of the LA County Museum of Art. The LA version was made in year 1869 – according to the given age under Rengetsu’s signature.

References: – Black Robe, White Mist: Art of the Japanese Buddhist Nun Rengetsu, National Gallery of Australia (2007), p. 79. – Goodall, Hollis; Singer, Robert T.: Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2014-2015, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Archives of Asian Art 66, no.2 (2016), p. 284. – Singer, Robert T.; Masatomo, Kawai (ed.): The Life of Animals in Japanese Art, Washington D.C.: National Gallery of Art (2019).

Collections: Tokyo National Museum, Metropolitan Museum, Harvard Art Museum, National Gallery of Australia, Miho Museum, LACMA Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and many more...

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03

ŌTAGAKI RENGETsU (1791-1875)

Eggplant Painting and Poem Japan Late Edo period 1860s Ink on paper, with plain wooden box 121,5 cm (h) x 46 cm (w) Inv. No. #21.010 Price on request

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Galerie Kommoss M.:+49 177 6033 201 E.: info@galeriekommoss.com W: www.galeriekommoss.com

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In this delicate and minimalistic artwork, the famous nun artist and poet Ōtagaki Rengetsu is presenting one of her most famous poems: the so-called eggplant poem. Despite her personal tragic life, with the loss of two husbands and all her children, the work exemplifies the subtle humor Rengetsu was able to maintain for herself as a Buddhist nun. In her poem, she links the image of two ripe eggplants with the Buddhist conception of a fulfilled and happy life. The poetic inscription in her fluent and elegant handwriting reads:

世の中に みのなりいでゝ おもふこと なすはめでたき ためし也けり

To rise in the world and achieve what one desires, therefore, eggplants are indeed a fortunate example.

Next to the poem, Rengetsu painted two Japanese eggplants in ink wash. The vegetables hint to the double meaning of the word ’nasu’ in the poem. Written only in phonetic hiragana syllables, the word could be understood as ’eggplant’ ( or ) or in its meaning as a verb ’to achieve’ or ’to accomplish’ ( or ).

Different versions of this painting and a discussion of the poem by Chiaki Ajioka have been published in: Black Robe, White Mist. Art of the Japanese Buddhist Nun Rengetsu, exhibition catalog, National Gallery of Australia (2007). Galerie Kommoss is also offering a hand-modeled lidded jar incised with the same poem (Inv. No. 19.033; see also Asian Art Society’s catalog No. XVIII, 03/2022).

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04

bizEN MizUsasHi CallEd “HimogasHira" (sWEET poTaTo HEad)

Bizen-ware Edo period 18th-19th century Awasebako (collector's storage box) dated Meiji 35 (1902) Price: 3.400 euros

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Galerie Mingei M.: + 33 (0)6 09 76 60 68 E.: mingei.arts.gallery@gmail.com W: www.mingei.gallery Bizen ware or Bizen-yaki (備前焼) is considered one of the Six Ancient Kilns (Rokkoyō) by the scholar Koyama Fujio (1900-1975). It experienced its peak during the Momoyama period of the 16th century. During the Edo period, the Ikeda lords of the Okayama domain continued to support the kilns and gave special privileges to families who operated them. The rustic quality of Bizen made it popular for use in the tea ceremony. Bizen is characterized by significant hardness due to high temperature firing; its earthen-like, reddish-brown color; absence of glaze, although it may contain traces of molten ash resembling glaze; and markings resulting from wood-burning kiln firing. Because of the clay composition, Bizen wares are fired slowly over a long period of time. Firings take place only once or twice a year, with the firing period lasting for 10–14 days. Red pine is used for firewood because the resin it contains helps to produce a high temperature fire. Thousands of logs might be used in a single firing. The finish is determined by how the potter controls the fire Most of the firing takes place in traditional climbing kilns with various chambers called noborigama, or in a tunnel kiln called anagama. The vessels are stacked and the flames flow through the stacks and around the individual vessels. During the course of the firing, the vessels can change colour from black to grey.

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05

sHioKaWa bUNRiN (1808-1877)

Hotaru (fireflies) Hanging scroll Signed: Kachiku rōjin Shio Bunrin (Shiokawa) Bunrin, old man Kachiku) and seal: Bunrin Japan Edo/Meiji period 19th century Ink and colour on silk Scroll: 170,5 cm (h) x 32 cm (w) Painting: 95 cm (h) x 30 cm (w) Price: 6.000 euros

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Gregg Baker Asian Art M.: + 44 (0) 20 7221 3533 E.: info@japanesescreens.com W: www.japanesescreens.com

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A silk kakemono (hanging scroll) painted in ink and colour with hotaru (fireflies) flying over the water’s surface at dusk on a summer evening.

Shiokawa Bunrin (1808-1877). Also known as Zusho. Gō (art names): Chikusai, Kachikusai, Kibutsuan, Kibutsu Dōjin, Kibutsu Koji, Sensei, Tōsai, Unshō.

Bunrin lived in Kyoto, and studied under Okamoto Toyohiko (1773-1845), a leading Shijō School artist. He served as painter in attendance to the Yasui family for much of his career, and had many patrons among the £Kyoto aristocracy. Bunrin learned nanga (southern style) painting, and was also influenced by Western style painting. He founded the Jounsha art society in 1866 which served as an important source of support for Kyoto artists of all schools during the difficult period of transition of the Meiji Restoration.

Hotaru (fireflies) appear regularly in Bunrin’s work, and there are a series of paintings similar to the one here with fireflies over water which were produced by the Kyoto Shijō School at this time, perhaps the response to a large commission.

One possible inspiration for this painting could be an episode in chapter 45 of the Tales of Ise, ‘iku hotaru’ (‘fireflies in flight’). In this episode, a man has just been told that the woman who loved him has died without confessing her love. That evening as the fireflies come out, he sits and mourns.

A hanging scroll by the artist with a similar subject matter can be found in the collection of the British Museum, ‘Fireflies’ by Shiokawa Bunrin, ca. 1875.

A pair of folding screens by the artist with a similar subject matter can be found in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Gallery, Kansas City, dated 1875. Works by the artist are also held in the collections of: The Ashmolean, Oxford; Freer Gallery of Art, Washington; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Tokyo National Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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06

MaEda CHiKUbosai i (1876-1950)

Kake-hanakago [Hanging flower basket] Signed Chikubosai Madake bamboo Tomobako Hakogaki Koki 2604-nen, haru no hi, Koyo Kuse no sato, Chikubosai (This is made on a spring day in Showa 19 (1944), to celebrate the 2604th Imperial Year, Chikubōsai, in the village of Kuse where the Imperial Sun shines) 14,5 x 14 x 24 (h) cm Price on request

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Galerie Mingei M.: + 33 (0)6 09 76 60 68 E.: mingei.arts.gallery@gmail.com W: www.mingei.gallery Chikubōsai I was born in Kuse village, Hirai, Sakai City, Okasa. The village name Kuse literally means “Eternal generations” Maeda Chikubōsai I was one of the most important bamboo artists working in the first half of the 20th century. Late in the Taishō era (1912-1926), he made presentation baskets on behalf of the Imperial Household, for which he became famous.. Chikubōsai held a series of one-man exhibitions at the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tokyo from 1926 until the late 1930s. He was pivotal in promoting individual expression in the bamboo arts.

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sMall NoboRi WiTH daRUMa dolls

Japan Edo Period 19th century Cotton 160 cm (h) x 33 cm (w) Stock n°: 7980 Price: 800 euros

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Galerie Mingei M.: + 33 (0)6 09 76 60 68 E.: mingei.arts.gallery@gmail.com W: www.mingei.gallery Noboris are Japanese banners. They are long, narrow flags, tied to a pole with a counter-stem to keep the fabric straight. Originally, they were used to identify army units during the Sengoku period (1477-1573), known as the Warring Kingdoms period. However, later, noboris were used for commercial and religious purposes. The banner below is made of cotton and decorated by hand with the tsutsugaki technique. Once the designs were sketched with resist paste, the polychrome dyes were brushed onto the cloth.

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08

a RoCK CRYsTal spHERE oN a silvER dRaGoN

Signed: Gyokuryuken Sanmi Japan Meiji Period Late 19th century Height: 16,8 cm Provenance: Christie’s New York, 16 March 2021, lot 37. Price on request

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com

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This sculpture consists of a crystal sphere set on a finely cast and chiseled silver coiled dragon with an incised signature on the underside. The eyes are inlaid in shakudo, and the dragon’s eyes, teeth, and claws are embellished with guilt. The piece comes with a certificate from the Gemological Institute of America stating that the sphere is rock crystal

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09

KUJiRi KizETo ToKKURi

Sake bottle Ceramics from Seto (Mino region) Edo period 17th – 18th century 19 (h) x 9, 4 x 9, 4cm Price on request Awasebako

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Galerie Mingei M.: + 33 (0)6 09 76 60 68 E.: mingei.arts.gallery@gmail.com W: www.mingei.gallery The Kujiri kiln in the Mino region was active between the end of the 16th century and the 18th century. Ki Seto ware, yellow-toned ceramic ware made from fine, white clay covered with iron-ash glazes in the Mino area in central Honshu, Japan, from the late Muromachi period (1338–1573) onward. Ki Seto (“Yellow Seto”) is divided into two main types: a glossy chartreuse yellow (guinomi-de, or kikuzara-de), fired at a relatively high temperature, and a soft dull-glazed pure yellow (ayame-de, or aburage-de), fired at low heat. The fine Ki Seto wares of the late Muromachi period are believed to have been produced at such kiln sites as Kujiri, Gotomaki, Jorinji, and Akasaba, where tenmoku glazed bowls were also produced. Later, in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1574–1600), the intensity of Ki Seto’s yellow deepened, achieving the great warmth of tone for which it is known. In addition to tea utensils, various types of plates, bowls, and flower vases were made. A type of decorated ware known as tampan was especially popular with tea cult devotees. Tampan was painted with pictorial designs executed in a pale-green copper glaze.

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10

a suiteki aNd Hikka iN THE foRM of a fisH

China Ming dynasty 17th century Gilt bronze, wood base 5,5 cm x 10,5 cm x 5 cm Price: 4.500 euros

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Gregg Baker Asian Art M.: + 44 (0) 20 7221 3533 E.: info@japanesescreens.com W: www.japanesescreens.com A gilt bronze suiteki (water dropper) and hikka (brush stand) in the form of a fish, on a wood base

A Japanese awasebako (fitted wood box) inscribed: Koi kata hikka (brush stand in the form of carp)

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11

iGa MizUsasHi

Japan Earley Edo period (1603-1868) Height: 13 cm Diam.: 16 cm Price on request

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Kitsune gallery M.: + 32 476 87 85 69 E.: arie.vos@kitsune.be W: www.kitsunegaroo.com An Iga yaki mizusashi (water jar for the tea ceremony produced at Iga, a small castle town in the mountains of Mie prefecture (central Japan). Iga is well known as a producer of tea ceremony wares. The mizusashi illustrated here dates back to the early Edo-period (1603-1868) – the golden age. It epitomises the Japanese aesthetic of “wabi sabi” with its rustic appearance.

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NETsUKE CHEsTNUT WiTH MoNKEY

Japan 19th century Carved chestnut Height: 3 cm Price on request

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Kitsune gallery M.: + 32 476 87 85 69 E.: arie.vos@kitsune.be W: www.kitsunegaroo.com This 19th century Japanese Tamba school boxwood netsuke in the form of a monkey emerging from a chestnut is carved in the manner of Toyomasa. The monkey has inlaid eyes. One of the himotoshi (cordrunner holes) is at the back and one underneath (of larger size).

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13

YaMaTo YasUo (b. 1933)

Hagi Incense Case in Shape of an Eggplant Japan 20th century Glazed stoneware, comes with inscribed, signed and sealed wooden box. 4,5 cm (h) x 8 cm (w) x 4,8 cm (Diam) Inv. No. #A.47 Price: 600 euros

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Galerie Kommoss M.:+49 177 6033 201 E.: info@galeriekommoss.com W: www.galeriekommoss.com Yamato is one of the most famous names in Japanese Hagi pottery and Yasuo is acknowledged to be one of the best working in this style. Yasuo was awarded many prizes throughout his career. Even now, approaching a high age, he is still working at the same location, where he used to play with clay from his earliest childhood years. The here presented work is a kōgō, a lidded container originally created for holding pieces of fragrant wood for the Japanese tea ceremony. The container can serve many other purposes as well.

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Yasuo used the typical Hagi-style red-colored, rough clay, which is covered with a thick, milky and partly greenish glaze. The kōgō is shaped in a simple yet striking and creative form of an eggplant. In Japanese culture the eggplant is a popular summer dish and regarded as a lucky symbol since the ripe fruits exemplify prosperity. Also, the Japanese name for eggplant, nasu, bears a double meaning: Written with Chinese characters ( or ), the word refers to the vegetable itself. However, written in a different way (なす or 成す), the word can be understood as a verb, meaning ’to achieve’ or ’to accomplish’ .

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NETsUKE sENNiN

Japan 18th century Carved wood Height: 7,5 cm Price on request

ObJeCt PReSenteD by:

Kitsune gallery M.: + 32 476 87 85 69 E.: arie.vos@kitsune.be W: www.kitsunegaroo.com A Japanese 18th century netsuke study of a sennin (Chinese immortal) delicately carved in wood. The sennin is dressed in a traditional Yomogi hermit garment partly made of leaves, tied to the back with a rope. He is bearing a basket filled with biwa fruit. We found an illustration from the Ressen Dzu San depicting a sennin with a plate full of fruit (biwa?) and goes by the name of “Shyuchu”. This netsuke is in excellent condition, one of the himotoshi is naturally formed through the fold of his robe.

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