This is an amusing brown pottery teapot in the shape of a Tanuki – a legendary Japanese creature. (See Footnote). The teapot measures 3 3/5 “in diameter and is 3” high. The body is molded into the Tanuki shape. On the sides it has a relief design of a running boy on one side and a bucket and cup on the other. There are two pottery rings attached to the top of the teapot near the lid.. The handle of the teapot was broken off cleanly in transit to us...

This fascinating little dark brown pottery bell is made from lava material. It is known as "Asozan-Yaki". It is made in the shape of the face of Okame, the Goddess of Mirth. On the inside there is a small pebble or seed inside the piece that creates the rattle effect. The bell has two vertical strings of Kanji characters on the back. These translate as:

(Asozan ware)...

This handsome kogo was apparently made for use as a matchbox as one of the sides has diagonal roughing to use for striking the matches, The kogo has an ivory white base - with an underglaze design of pine trees and Mt. Fuji The kogo measures 3 ¾” long by 2 7/8” wide by 1 5/8” deep. It is in excellent condition – there are two tiny frit/chips on the inside rim – not visible when the cover is on the box. . We date it to the late Meiji period, circa 1885-1910.

This is a fascinating Japanese pottery vase with a dark brown - almost purple drip glaze. On opposite sides of the vase there are underglaze blue and white dragons drawn with fine details. Then, the potter used superb control by allowing the thick purple/brown overglaze to just reach the dragon designs and only slightly drip small sections onto the dragons underneath. This must have required a masterful control of glazing in the kiln to keep the dragons so visible...

This is a very handsome set of five shallow bowls dishes with an interesting design of four fish in a circle. The fish – two in pale green and two is pale purple - are chasing after sprays of purple and green flowers with yellow tendrils sticking out at all angles. A larger spray of these purple and green flowers is in the center of each bowl and there are two on the bottom rims of the bowls...

This is one of the most unusual pieces in our collection. We have absolutely no idea whether it is of Chinese or Japanese origin. The heavy coat of kiln grit on the base has us leaning towards it being from an early Japanese kiln. It is an elaborate stand in the form of a group of intertwined ceramic tree limbs. These have been colored with thick overglaze enamel in a medium chocolate brown base glaze with both yellow and orange highlights...

This is an old chawan with an unusual colored base glaze of a greenish yellow glaze. It is decorated on the sides with underglaze green leaves and blue bunches of grapes. The upper border is an underglaze cobalt blue band that has a slight drip effect on the bottom edge. The glaze has a rough texture with tiny bits of grit in the glazing.

Overall condition is good – the top rim has two 1” stable hairlines and some rim frits...

This is a fine pair of Kyo-Yaki tea bowls (Chawan) with an overglaze enamel design of very colorful flowers. Each Chawan has a large red flower on one side that is surrounded with medium green leaves. (I have no idea as to the type of flower – horticulture is not my specialty – I am guessing that they are peonies.). The rest of the sides of the cups have a dappled golden yellow design. The interior of the cups has a soft tan swirled design made with brush strokes in various directions...

This is a Japanese tea bowl - chawan - that has a very thick dark to medium brown glaze on the exterior done in a streaky hare's fur tenmoku glaze. The foot and the base are unglazed. The interior of the chawan is greyish white - almost dirty white - glaze with hints of pink.

There was some thought that this could be a piece from the Song dynasty, China, 12th-13th century...

This is an interesting paid of two small hand molded bowls (mukozuke)with finger marks all over the bowls to give a dimpled effect. In the center of each is an underglaze blue design of a basket of flowers. Though similar in design and shape, one is larger than the other. The larger bowl measures 4 1/2” diameter at the top by 2” deep and a base that is 3 ½” diameter. The smaller of the two bowls measures 4 3/8” diameter at the top by 1 ¾” deep by 3 ¼” diameter at the base. They a...

This square Oribe dish has an interesting design of curly cues in the four corners. On the right upper quadrant there are two lines with three round circles - not sure what they might represent.

The lower left corner has the classic thick Oribe enamel glaze that starts on the rim as a mustard color - then flows into a medium granular green - and then into the thickest granular blue. There are even hints of red in this thick corner glaze.

The dish measures 5 1/4" square and is ...

This is a fine mid Edo period Kyo-Yaki covered round box. It is decorated with overglaze enamel designs in greens, yellow, blue and a reddish orange. There is a band of ovals in underglaze blue at the top rim of the box. At the base there is another band of underglaze decoration consisting of a series of different height vertical lines under a wide blue line.

The domed lid has a design of floral designs in six reserves and – in the center – the Kanji mark FUKU, meaning good fortune...