Edo Furniture

School of Ogata Korin White Chrysanthemums 18th Century, Edo period. A two-panel Japanese screen. Ink, color, gofun and gold leaf on paper. Dimensions: H. 171 cm x W. 188 cm (67.5” x 74”) On this two-panel Japanese screen we see blooming chrysanthemums, a flower which embodies the essence of autumn in Japan. Here the traditional floral theme has been simplified and stylized. The bright colors and asymmetrical composition against the delicate gold leaf create a luxurious and ornate work of art. Its background, a strikingly patinated grid of gold leaf, denies any sense of place or time and imbues everything with an ethereal glow. The leaves and stems of the plants are nothing more than pools of mottled color and ink without any outline whatsoever. These are typical Rinpa adaptations of traditional ink painting methods; tarashikomi, or diluted washes of color blended while very wet, and mokkotsu, or “bonelessness,” which creates forms without exterior outlines. The relief work of the rounded flower petals has been obtained by the moriage process (a mixture based on ground shells modeled on the surface of the paper). On the lower right of the screen, the siganture “Hokyo Korin Jakumyo” and the “Hoshuku” seal can be read. Korin is Ogata Korin, famed for the Irises (Nezu Museum) and Red and White Plum Blossom (MOA Museum of Art) folding screens, both National Treasures. Korin worked in both Kyoto and Edo in the mid-Edo period. Korin was using the art name “Jakumyo” just after he received the Hokyo level, which was in 1701. This particular screen was published in May of 1961 in the Japanese Sansai Fine Art Magazine*. An in depth article accompanies the photograph of the screen and and a photograph of the signature and seal. This article devotes much of its body to discussing the moriage technique, how it enlivens the chrysanthemum flowers and Korin’s specific skill in using the technique. The article goes on to discuss the most famous works of Korin, utilizing this technique, which were known at the time. Specifically a two-panel screen held in the Honolulu Museum which was discovered in the store-house of Takahashi Soan. A two-panel screen pair which the Nakano family own. A two-panel screen pair with chrysanthemums in moriage in fan designs owned by the Nomura family. Also a small folding screen featuring chrysanthemums held in the Yamato Bunkakan. The article goes on to say that this particular two-fold screen came from the Nijo family. Korin is known to have had a strong connection with the aristocratic Nijo family. The article explains that Korin received a lot of favors from the Nijo family and that this screen would have been gifted to them. Since that time the Honolulu screen has been amended to ‘attributed to Ogata Korin’ and I do not know further details of the other 3 screens. Other Chrysanthemum screens...

"Pine Trees on the Seashore" A set of four sliding doors (Japanese fusuma). Ink, color, gold-leaf and gold-fleck on paper. Dimensions (total display si...

Obata Tosho (1812-1886) Snail, Wasp & Hollyhock Late Edo period, mid 19th Century Framed Japanese Painting. Ink and color on paper. Individually framed 19th century bird and flow...

Unkoku Toshuku (1722-1779) Crows and Pines A pair of six-panel Japanese Screens. Ink and gold leaf on paper. Dimensions: Each Screen: H. 170.5 cm x W. 375 cm Haha-cho or mynah birds, whose forms resemble crows in artwork, were commonly depicted in Japanese art. These types of paintings were originally modeled on paintings attributed to the 13th century Chinese painter Muqi (Mokkei), whose art was enormously influential in Japan. Crows only became a theme among Japanese artists from the later 1500s onward. They likely were inspired by these imported Chinese paintings of myna birds, which are not native to Japan, substituting the native species of crow instead.  The best known early examples of the depiction of Japanese crows are two Momoyama screen...

Obata Tosho (1812-1886) Mice & Millet Late Edo period, mid 19th Century Framed Japanese Painting. Ink and color on paper. Individually framed 19th century bird and flower paintin...

A pair of six-fold Japanese screens from the 17th century depicting a flock of cranes arriving at their wintering grounds. The expansive scene is heavily atmospheric. The cranes are...

Obata Tosho (1812-1886) Longhorn Beetle & Poppies. Late Edo period, mid 19th Century Framed Japanese Painting. Ink and color on paper. Individually framed 19th century bird and f...

Pines and Cranes Anonymous. Kyoto Kano School. Late 17th/early 18th centuries, circa 1700. Pair of six-panel Japanese folding screens. Ink, gofun, pigment and gold leaf on paper. This bold composition presents two pine trees extending to the left and right across a gold leaf background. One tree is silhouetted against a green ground, golden clouds obscuring its true size, the other stretches across a stylized waterway. The pines are paired with Manchurian cranes with red crests and snow white plumage. Both have been highly auspicious motifs in East Asia since Chinese antiquity. Here the artist utilized fluid and instinctive ink brushstrokes to define the trunk, branches and tail feathers, in strong contrast to the precision and sharp angularity of the crane’s legs and beaks. The adoption of this vast metallic painting support required an unerring sense of design and composition, so that the negative space surrounding motifs could imply context for the otherwise floating pictorial elements. The brushwork detailing the trunks of the pines, the exaggerated dimensions of the pine trees and the strength and dynamism of the composition are all reminiscent of Kano Eitoku...

Birds & Flowers of the Seasons Pheasants & Plum in Snow Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888 Signature...

Phoenix and Peacocks. A pair of six-panel Japanese folding screens by Tsunetake Yotei (n.d.) First half of the 18th century. The signature reads 67 year old Tsunetake. The seals read: -Tsunetake no in, -Yotei, -Seishin Dimensions: Each screen – H. 69” x W. 149” (176 cm x 378 cm) A pair of Kano Grand Picture (Waga) screens depicting phoenix and peacocks rich with symbolic meaning. Dating to the first half of the 18th century, from the Kobikicho Kano school in Edo, this pair of folding...

Birds & flowers of the seasons Pheasants & plum in snow Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888 Signature...

Mori Tetsuzan (1775-1841) Pheasants and Cherry Blossoms Two-fold Japanese screen. Ink, color, gofun, gold and silver on paper. A two-fold Japanese bir...

Kano Naonobu (1607-1650) Plum Tree and Birds Six-fold Japanese Screen. Ink and slight color on paper. In this evocative ink work spread over a six-panel folding screen, we see the consummation of the elegance and refinement of the Edo Kano school. This 17th century screen is a rare surviving example of a large-scale bird and flower painting by Kano Naonobu, the younger brother of Kano Tanyu...

Birds & Flowers of the seasons Pheasants & Plum in Snow Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888 Signature...

Japanese Kano School Six Panel Screen: Landscape with Beautiful and Elegant Cranes near the River, with Pines and Sakura. Hand painted with mineral pigments and inks on vegetable pap...

Omori Soun (b. 1704) Chrysanthemums - One Hundred Flowers A Pair of Six-fold Japanese Screens. Ink, color, gofun and gold leaf on paper. Dating ...

Shioka Sorin (1781-1850) Flowers & Birds of the Four Seasons Pair of six-panel Japanese Screens. Ink, gofun and pigments on silk. Dimensions (each screen): H. 91.5cm x W. 285cm (3...

Horses Kano Tanshin Morimasa (1653-1718) Two-panel tea-ceremony Japanese screen or furosaki Ink on gold leaf, late 17th-early 18th century Measures: H 55 cm x W 182 cm The Kano school was closely aligned with the warrior class in Japan. The samurai, who lived in a closed and rigid hierarchical society established by the Shogunate, were drawn to the energy and freedom horses symbolize; Kano school artists commonly depicted the equine creatures as they are here, in unfettered and carefree family groups. China originally introduced horse paintings to Japan; the works typically focused on capturing the essence of horses in their various environments and often involved integrating human figures into the images. Kano Tanshin Morimasa (1653-1718) was the son of Kano Tanyu...

Obata Tosho (1812-1886) Grasshopper & Hibiscus. Late Edo period, mid 19th Century Framed Japanese Painting. Ink and color on paper. Individually framed 19th century bird and flow...

Obata Tosho (1812-1886) Spider & Morning Glory Late Edo period, mid 19th Century Framed Japanese Painting. Ink and color on paper. Individually framed 19th century bird and flowe...

Birds and flowers of the four seasons Early to mid-19th century Ink, pigment and gofun on silk Unidentified artist Signature: S...

This 18th century "Kano school" six-panel screen is truly special. The author is unknown, but his singular genius in portraying these cranes near the water creates an emotion that ca...

Samurai on horseback and by boat from the famous battle of Menpei Japanese folding screen six-panel of "Tosa School" painted with mineral pigments on vegetable on golden silk , earl...

Paravento a sei pannelli di scuola giapponese Kano: paesaggio con bellissime ed eleganti gru vicino al fiume, con alberi di pino e sakura. Dipinto a mano con pigmenti minerali ed inc...

Folding screen depicting a landscape by a painter of the Rinpa school, early 19th century. Six panels painted in ink on gold leaf and "gofun" on vegetable paper. Rinpa is one of the ...

This 18th century six-panel screen is truly special. The author is unknown, but his singular genius in portraying dozens of chrysanthemum flowers created with the white of the "gofun...

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

Dimensions (Each screen): H. 176 cm x W. 378 cm (69’’ x 149’’) This pair of Japanese folding screens depict blossoming plum trees amongst young pines. They are designed to capture t...

Six-panel folding screen depicting the famous legend of Hikaru Genji, a nobleman of extraordinary grace and beauty, and his gallant adventures at court. The novel Genji Monogatari, w...

Anonymous Late 17th Century Battle of Ichi-no-tani & Yashima Dimensions: Each Screen: H. 175 cm x W. 385 cm (69” x 151.5”) This pair of Japanese screens depict two significant battles from the Genpei War (1180–85), as recounted in the Tale of the Heike, a semi-historical epic chronicling the conflict between rival clans for control of Japan, written in the early 1200s. Each screen portrays a single battle through a series of small episodes, framed by gold clouds, landscape elements, and architectural features. True to the style of many screens inspired by The Tale of the Heike, the scenes are rendered in lavish colors and gold, downplaying the brutality of the warfare. Although based on real events, these narratives often glorified and romanticized the heroic feats of the warriors. Viewers at the time would have been familiar with the story’s details, leading to a proliferation of paintings on folding screens inspired by this theme from the late Muromachi to the early Edo periods. On the right screen, we see the Minamoto’s attack on the Taira, who have retreated from the capital, Kyoto, toward the sea. The central building represents the temporary Taira headquarters, where Taira soldiers are holding the young Emperor Antoku. The Minamoto plan to launch a surprise attack from the rear after descending the steep cliff known as Ichi-no-tani, depicted at the top center. This scene highlights the tactical brilliance of Minamoto commander Yoshitsune and the courage of his men. The left screen captures moments from the Battle of Yashima...

Hawks on plum and pine Soga Nichokuan (active circa 1625-1660) Pair of six-fold screens. Ink, mineral pigments, gofun, gold and speckled gold l...

A two-fold Japanese screen by the Rimpa school artist Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828), Japan, 19th century, Edo period. This small Japanese folding screen pai...

Three Friends of Winter Nakajima Raisho (1796-1871) Late Edo period, circa 1850 Ink and gold leaf on paper. This is a double-sided Japanese Furosaki or tea-ceremony screen from the mid 19th century; bamboo and plum on the front, young pines the back. It by Nakajima Raisho, a master painter of the Maruyama school in the late Edo and early Meiji periods. In this work Raisho combines exquisite ink brushwork with large open spaces of brilliant gold-leaf to inspire the viewers imagination. Rather than naturalism, he is searching for the phycological impression of the motifs, resulting in abstraction and stylization. His simplification of the motifs the result of looking to capture the inner nature of the objects. This art motif is known as Sho Chiku Bai, or the Three Friends of Winter. Evergreen pine connotes steadfastness, bamboo suggests both strength and flexibility, while plum blossoms unfurling on snow-laden branches imply hardiness. Combined, this trio is emblematic of Japanese new year. Chinese literati were the first to group the three plants together due to their noble characteristics. Like these resilient plants flowering so beautifully in winter, it was expected of the scholar-gentleman to cultivate a strong character with which he would be able to show the same degree of perseverance and steadfastness even during times of adverse conditions. The screen would have been placed near the hearth of a room used for the Japanese tea ceremony, shielding the fire from draughts and also forming a stimulating and decorative backdrop behind the tea utensils. It would have been used in the Hatsugama, or first tea-ceremony of the new year. Nakajima Raisho (1796-1871) originally studied under Watanabe Nangaku before entering the school of Maruyama Ozui. He was the highest ranking Maruyama school painter at the end of the Edo period and was known as one of the ‘Four Heian Families’ along with Kishi...

Tani Bunchu (1823-1876) Tiger and Dragon A pair of six-panel Japanese screens. Ink on paper. In this grand pair of Japanese Ryuko-zu screens the tiger crouches low to the ground, ...

Poppies & Butterflies Ink, pigment and gofun on silk Igarashi Chikusa (1774-1844) Signature: Chikusa Ran Zen Upper Seal: Ran Shuzen Lower Seal: Kyoho Dimensions: Scroll: H. 68” x W. 18” (172cm x 45cm) Image: H. 38.5’’ x W. 12.5’’ (98cm x 32cm) This composition shows elegant images of poppies and the butterflies that are inevitably drawn to them. It captures a momentary glimpse into a world both visually dazzling and startlingly realistic. The painting is infused with sensitivity and attention to seasonal change and weather conditions. The thin and fragile poppies are beautifully depicted with brilliant colors and the butterflies are similarly infused with life. The painting is on silk which requires extremely precise painting skills as no element once painted can be removed. Poppies were a favorite subject of Rinpa school artists through the ages. Originally they were somewhat abstracted but by the age of Sakai Hoitsu...

Antique Edo period Echizen kilns tsubo jar, circa 17th/18th century. Coil built with reddish iron oxide clay and buff colored ash glaze. Large Echizen jars were famous in their time ...

A set of 5 Japanese floral paintings from the 18th century. Each painted with mineral pigments directly applied to gold leaf. They were originally designed to be mounted on the leave...

A six-panel Japanese folding screen from the leading Maruyama-Shijo artist Okamoto Toyohiko (1773-1845). Simply featuring three deer and a few sprigs of foliage on a sumptuous gold-leaf background this work emphasizes naturalistic expression and a masterful use of negative space. Reduced to its most basic elements, the blank spaces inspire imagination and evoke the smells, sounds and even the weather of the scene. Whilst deer are traditionally depicted in association with autumn, here the green growth on the tops of the foliage indicates the season of spring. The work references Maruyama Okyo’s two-panel deer screen...

Japanese six-panel screen of the famous "Tosa school" made by an anonymous artist of the mid-18th century, work painted in the classic way with colored pigments and inks on vegetable...

Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677) Tiger and Dragon Early Edo Period, Circa 1650 A Pair of Six-fold Japanese Screens. Ink and slight color on paper. Dimensions: Each screen: H. 171 cm x W. 380 cm (67.5’’ x 149.5’’) In this pair of early Edo period Japanese screens a group of tigers prowl in a bamboo grove whipped with fierce wind, while a dragon claws through clouds and mist. The dragon embodies elemental qualities - looming out of the mist, the coils of its body disappearing in the clouds. The dragon is calling for rain, symbolizing spring which is considered the fountain of life. On the other side, the tigers calls for the wind, symbolizing autumn which is considered the end of life. Tigers were familiar motifs within Japanese art from ancient times though the animals were imaginary to the people in the 17th century. While dragons and tigers are usually associated as sacred and ferocious, in this painting, both animals have rather amusing expressions. The tigers appear to glare at the dragon with cat-like eyes, and the look on the swirling dragon’s face appears almost affectionate - lending a playful flair to an otherwise magnificent theme. The tiger and dragon are cosmological symbols of the balancing forces in the world. Screens such as this were originally meant to express the fluctuating nature of the world. For Japanese in the early Edo period, they likely suggested the powers of the cosmos. In Japan the tiger and dragon motif was originally absorbed into the circles of Zen monasteries before spreading into the secular world. The theme especially appealed to the military classes with the Kano school, the official painters to the Shogun and the samurai, being the leading contributors. The painter of this pair of screens, Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677), was closely patronized by the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. In his later years he worked with Kano school artists...

Floral scene of a "Rimpa School" garden with polychrome chrysanthemum flowers. Six-panel screen painted with pigments on golden rice paper of good size and well preserved. Bold color...

Kishi Renzan (1804-1859) Tigers Pair of six-panel Japanese screens. Ink and gold-leaf on paper. In this monochromatic pair of six-fold Japanese screens painted on gold-leaf, Kishi Renzan has created a breathtaking composition of a family of tigers. The screens are filled with a sense of drama which is conveyed by both the subject matter and the wet, expressive brushwork. The running mountain stream and the towering waterfall allude to refreshment during the summer months and we feel the tiger families familiarity and security within their environment. Renzan’s master, Kishi Ganku...

Anonymous Late 17th century Puppy & Kittens A six-panel Japanese screen. Ink, color, gofun, gold-leaf and gold-fleck on paper. A medium sized late 17th century Japanese screen fe...

Anonymous Kano school artist 17th century "Karako Asobi: Chinese Children at Play" A two-panel Japanese Furosaki screen. Ink, pigment, gofun and gold-leaf on paper. This small Japanese Karako folding screen vividly depicts various games played by children wearing wearing elaborate Chinese T'ang dynasty costumes. They are dressed in plumed and tasseled hats, ornate jackets, baggy pants, and cloth slippers typical of T'ang period Chinese court dress. The children are depicted pulling a younger child along in a cart, carrying another child as if an important official, riding a wooden horse, leading a puppy and carrying a tethered bird. Executed in fine-quality pigments on gold leaf, the detail, variety and size of the figures is noteworthy. Also notable is the size of this screen itself, which denotes it as a Furosaki screen. A Furosaki screen is part of the equipment used for the Japanese tea-ceremony. It is traditionally placed on tatami mats behind the brazier highlighting the utensils and providing a focal point. Karako is a Japanese term used in art with the depiction of Chinese children playing...

Books and Scholars’ Accouterments; Chaekgeori Second half of the 19th century Korean framed panel. Ink and color on paper. This Korean Chaekgeori...

This exceptional Moegi Odoshi Nimai-Dou Gusoku (Green Laced Armour), crafted in the 17th century, exemplifies the pinnacle of Edo-period samurai armor design and craftsmanship. Made ...

Refined work by a painter from the first half of the 19th century, from the landscape of the "Rinpa" school by a painter from the end of the 18th century, the Rinpa school. Six panels painted in ink on gold leaf and "gofun" on vegetable paper. The flowers are made with the "gofun" technique, natural or pigmented white oyster powder. Rinpa is one of the major historical schools of Japanese painting. The style was consolidated by the brothers Ogata Korin (1658–1716) and Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743). This folding screen has a very clean design that leaves plenty of room for the beautiful golden landscape. It comes flat and you can easily hang it with our hooks. Lucio Morini...

This exquisite Tetsusabiji Uchidashi Gomai Dou Gusoku (Five-Plate Russet Iron Embossed Cuirass Armor), crafted in the 18th century, exemplifies the pinnacle of Edo-period samurai arm...

Japanese two-panel screen: ink painting of Palm Trees on paper, Edo period (1787) beautiful painting of Japanese windmill palm trees. Ink paint...

A highly important Japanese export lacquer cabinet with depiction of the Dutch East India Company tradepost Deshima and the annual Dutch delegation on its way to the Shogun in Edo Edo period, circa 1660-1680 H. 88 x W. 100.5 x D. 54 cm This cabinet includes a later European japanned stand, but also a modern powder-coated steel frame. The latter can be designed and added to your specific needs. The sides and front of the rectangular two-door cabinet are embellished in gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e on a black roiro lacquer ground with a continuous design. The two doors depict a long procession of numerous figures travelling on foot and horseback along buildings and a pagoda into a mountainous landscape. This is the annual court journey, Hofreis, of the Dutch from Nagasaki to the Shogun’s court in Edo. Three horseback riders are dressed as Dutch merchants and a fourth figure, probably het Opperhoofd, is seen inside a palanquin, norimon. Just about to cross the bridge, two men are carrying a cabinet like the present one. Many Japanese figures on either side of the procession are engaged in various activities; some play musical instruments on board of small boats, others are fishing; figures inside buildings are depicted playing go, and farmers are tending to their rice paddocks. The upper part of the right door shows a large mansion, probably the local daimyo’s castle, with men kneeling before a man in the central courtyard. The court journey fits in with the foreign policy of the shogunate which accorded a role to the VOC alongside China, Korea, and the Ryukyu Islands who also had to pay tribute. However, the VOC employees were traders, having low status in Japan’s social hierarchy, and they were received with less deference than were the state embassies from Korea and the Ryukyu Islands. Nevertheless, the contacts with the Dutch were a welcome source of information to the Shogun about Europe and European science and technology. The left side of the cabinet depicts, in mirror image, a rare view of the artificial fan-shaped Deshima Island, the trading post for the Dutch in Japan. The island, where the Dutch flag flies, is surrounded by small Japanese boats and an anchored three-masted fluyt (cargo ship), flying Dutch flags, with on the stern the VOC monogram. On the bottom right a busy street of Nagasaki is shown, bordered by shops and leading up to the stone bridge. On the island the trees are beautifully painted, two cows can be seen, and the flagpole, all in very fine detail. Dutchmen and enslaved Malay are visible outside the buildings and two Japanese figures, probably guards, sit in a small hut in the centre. A maximum of fifteen to twenty Dutchmen lived on the island at any time and soldiers or women were not allowed. Restrictions on Deshima were tight, and the merchants were only allowed to leave the island by special permission. The Opperhoofd had to be replaced every year, and each new Opperhoofd had to make a court journey to pay tribute, present gifts, and to obtain permission to Margaret Barclay eep on trading. In the distance, many birds fly above the hills and a four-story pagoda can be seen. The right side of the cabinet is painted with other horse riders and their retinue journeying through mountains. The pair of doors to the front open to reveal ten rectangular drawers. The drawers are decorated with scenes of birds in flight and landscapes with trees and plants. The reverse of the left door with two thatched buildings, one with a ladder, underneath a camelia tree with large blooms; the right door with a three-story pagoda nestled among trees and both doors with a flying phoenix, ho-oo bird. The cabinet, with elaborately engraved gilt copper mounts, hinges, lock plates and brass handles, is raised on an 18th-century English japanned wood stand. A pair of large cabinets...

Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654) “Falcon” Wall panel, ink and light color on paper. Upper seal: Mitani Lower seal: Toshuku Dimensions: Each 118.5 cm x 51 cm x 2 cm (46.5” x 20” x .75”) Individual falcon paintings by Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654), an early artist of the Unkoku School. Founded by Unkoku Togan (1547–1618), a master of the Momoyama period, the Unkoku school enjoyed long lasting patronage in southern Japan. Togan was a retainer of the Mori family in present day Yamaguchi prefecture. Members of the school considered themselves to be in the artistic lineage of Sesshu Toyo...

Kano School painting of horses in stabile, with a monkey. Mineral pigments on mulberry paper with silk brocade border.

A six-fold Japanese screen by Tosa Mitsusuke (1675-1710), Japan 17th-18th century, Edo period. The signature reads Shoroku-i ge Tosa sa Konoe Shogen Mit...

Rimpa School painting featuring cascading chrysanthemums as well as cockscombs, summer wild flowers, and a climbing morning glory vine. Beautifully executed, fine painting in mineral...

A rare Japanese export lacquer medical instrument box Edo-period, 1650-1700 L. 19 x W. 6 x H. 8.5 cm This unconventionally shaped lacquer b...

Edo-Period Lacquerware Chest 19th-century This exquisite chest, inspired by Hasami-Bako travel trunks, is a striking example of Japanese lacquerware. The hiramaki-e technique—applie...

With snow-covered willow tree, garden stone and winter berries. Right panels have spring flowers and a view of hills in the distance (likely the Higashiyama Hills painted in Kyoto by...

A mid-sized six panel screen. Edo period (c. 1800) painting of a landscape features a temple on the mountain top, a river with fishermen emerging from gold...