Brood Paintings

A set of three paintings of ink and watercolor on silk mounted within brocade borders as scrolls by Watanabe Seitei (1851-1918). This is a very rare an...

Kikukawa Eizan (1787-1867) Dated 1810-1820. The text is about thing happening between lovers. Shunga Print Nicely framed Additional information: Material: Paper Region of Origin: Ja...

Rare set of four Japanese Showa period door panels known as Fusuma in Japanese architecture. Similar to a Shoji room divider but made of an opaque materia...

An absolutely charming pair of Japanese Tosa School six-panel folding screens painted with the "One Hundred Boys at Play" motif, featuring a multitude...

Cherry Blossoms Kano Sanrakuki (1898-1981) Showa period, circa 1930 2-panel Japanese Screen Color, gofun and gold leaf on paper Against a backdrop of gold-leafed ground, the lichen covered trunk and branches of the life-sized cherry blossom tree reach out and beyond the confines of the pictorial surface. The overall composition has a feeling of flatness which draws emphasis to the surface and the three-dimensionality of the cherry blossoms. Painstakingly built-up layers of thickly applied shell-white gofun detail the voluminous blossoms and cover large areas of this tour-de-force of Japanese Nihonga painting. By simplifying the background, minimizing the number of colors and depicting the blossoms with such heavy relief, the artist has emphasized the stunning presence of the cherry tree. The type of tree depicted is the Yae-Zakura; a double-layered type of cherry blossom famed for its beauty and strength. When we think of Japanese cherry blossoms, the first thing that comes to mind is Somei Yoshino variety, which has a single flower with five almost white petals. This type is fragile and easily blown away by strong wind or rain. Most of the double-flowered cherry blossoms begin to bloom when the Somei-Yoshino falls, and the flowering period lasts longer than that of the Somei-Yoshino. Kano Sanrakuki originally studied painting at the Kyoto City Arts and Crafts School under the tutelage of Yamamoto Shunkyo...

Ishizaki Koyo (1884-1947) Wagtail & Chrysanthemum Early 20th century Folding screen in two-panels. Ink, pigments and gofun on gold leaf. Sign: Koyo Seal: Koyo This ...

Deer under maples Late Taisho period, circa 1925-1930 Pair of two-panel screens. Ink and pigment on silk. Signature: Goho Seal: Goho A pair of two-fold Japanese silk screens...

Anonymous Summer willow and sparrows Taisho period, circa 1920 Framed painting. Mineral pigments, mica, gold, ink and gofun on silk Dimensions (framed): H. 98 cm x W. 135 cm x D...

Spectacular 19th century Japanese late Edo period six-panel byobu screen depicting Yoshitsune and Benkei, two heroes of Japanese folklore. Crafted in ink and natural color pigments on mulberry paper with thick gold leaf borders on each panel. The character Yoshitsune is seated under a blossoming cherry tree in full armor holding a fan. The warrior priest or monk Benkei is depicted kneeling on a leopard skin...

Kano Osanobu (狩野養信) Osanobu Kano (born August 18, 1796; died June 12, 1846) was the ninth painter of the Kobikicho Kano School in the Edo period. His common name was Shozaburo. His father was Naganobu KANO, and Tadanobu KANO was his son. His Go (pen name) was Osanobu Seisenin, Kaishinsai, and Gyokusen. Brief Personal History He was born the eldest son of Naganobu ISENIN during the Edo period. He was first sent to serve at Edo Castle at the age of 15, and it appears that he was apparently pushed by his father to perform various public tasks for the Kanon School. He kept a diary for 36 years, starting from the day before he first went into service at Edo Castle until the day before he died. The diary is entitles "Official Service Diary" (it consists of 52 volumes that are maintained at the Tokyo National Museum, and 4 volumes that are separately maintained at the different families), and have become the focus of a lot of attention in recent years for the detailed information they present on the daily life and work of a prestigious official painter. The reading of the characters of his name was originally "Takenobu"; however, with the birth of the first son of the Shongun Ieyoshi TOKUGAWA in 1813, whose name was Takechiyo, having a sylable with the same pronunciation of "Take"was deemed to be inappropriate, and was therefore changed to "Osanobu". Because Takenobu died the following year, after which he was referred to as Gyokujuin, Osanobu changed his pen name Gyokusen he had used until that point to Seisenin, in order to avoid using the same Chinese charcter pronounced alike. In 1819, he attained the second highest rank for a Buddhist priest, Hogen, and assumed the role of head of the family after his father passed away in 1828. In 1834 he attained the highest rank for a Buddhist priest, Hoin. He oversaw the rennovation of the wall paintings of Nishinomaru Palace of Edo Castle from 1838 to 1839, and Honmaru Palace of it from 1844 to 1846. It is thought that Osanobu later died due to the fatigue...

Iwase Hirotaka (1808-1877) Koi and Water Plants Hanging scroll, ink, color, gold wash and gold flecks on silk Inscription: Hirotaka Seal: Ille...

Tanaka Tessen (b.1890) Dahlias and Roosters Taisho period, circa 1920 Framed painting. Mineral pigments and ink on silk. Dimensions (framed): H. 159 cm x W. 97 cm x D. 2.5 cm (62.5” x 38” x 1”) An ornate and complex composition in which the artist explores almost the entire painting surface. The coloration is bold and evocative and the tinted silk ground recreates the warm golden glow of sunset. Soft, luminous brushwork details the black feathers of the roosters, which seem to cloud and blur in counterpoint to the sharper points of the eyes and beaks. Their brilliant red combs balance the composition, echoing the rich burgundy hues of the dahlias; the flowers exquisite and lifelike. Dahlias were an exotic subject favored by painters of the Taisho era. The painting belongs to the school of Kyoto Nihonga, exemplifying the principles of decorative elegance and consumate brush technique with which it was intimately associated. Painters of the time relied on the Shijo school method, basing the forms of the composition from life sketches. Sometimes they were then integrated with elements derived from Chinese bird and flower...