1. A most engaging ink painting of a 'saru' (monkey) balancing atop a bamboo pole pulling up a small bamboo bucket on a cord. This arrangement of tethered simian depicts the main attraction of the 'Saruma Washi', the historical itinerant entertainer who passed through country villages with his well trained little beast. When their performance was completed, the saru was passed above the crowd so that the people could place their contributions in his bucket. The skill of the brushwork is excellent, but it is perhaps the composition and its reliance on void space that makes this painting most engaging. Signed Yanagihara. Circa 1910. With tomobako.

Measuring 74 ¾" long by 17" wide.

2. An ancient bifurcated pine, symbol of strength and endurance, beautifully rendered in ink on parchment. This inspired composition conveys both the power of the old tree and the continuity of its life force in elegant pine boughs. Executed in the adept brevity of spontaneous strokes of perfectly controlled ink on brush. Signed. Circa 1870. With tomobako.

Measuring 66 ½" long by 11" wide.

3. An antique Japanese calligraphy scroll. "Sosho" - grass writing (a fluid, continuous style). Taisho Period 1921-25. Signed Seigen Seion. Both Artist's seal and Owner's seal.

Measuring 73" long by 17" wide.

4. A Zen ink painting of remarkable brushwork and ink modulation of a Meditating Daruma. This comic study depicts a fierce Daruma with a somewhat annoyed expression at being disturbed during his meditation. Signed. Circa 1910-20.

Measuring 82" long by 23 ½" wide.

5. A captivating depiction of nine galloping horses executed in sumi ink, the work of which is obviously that of a most accomplished painter. With both spontaneity and skillful means, he has created a work of art that appears effortless in its execution, yet powerful in its impact. Ink on silk. Signed Sh?zan. Meiji Period (1867-1912).

Measuring 72 ½" long by 20 ¾" wide.

6. An Edo Period Japanese painting of a horse festival procession being led by horses with various elite members of the samurai caste (wearing swords) in attendance. Taiko drummers set the cadence while palanquins of ceremonial significance and an Abbot of the temple, are carried through the village streets. We see observers respectfully bow with hands folded as the procession passes by. Ink and gouache on parchment. Circa 1780.

Measuring 43 ¼" long by 23" wide.

7. An exquisitely painted antique Japanese colored ink painting of King Fisher and Lotus. The lotus, a long associated symbol of the teachings of the Buddha for its ability to thrive within murky waters and create the most exquisite of blossoms. The king fisher, a popular emblem of beauty for the wonderful raiment of its multicolored plumage. The artist has created a composition of harmony and an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence. Meiji Period.

Measuring 82 ½" long by 12" wide.

8. 'Lunar Hares'

Rabbits on a grassy knoll beneath the full moon, one can sense the quiet stillness of such a luminous night. One hare preens; the other listens for any would be intruder. Just as we see a man in the moon, the Japanese see a hare in the moon and it is the hare that keeps the moon disc clean and shining by rubbing it with horsetail reeds. According to legend, the white hare is fabulously old by 1000 years, perhaps our piebald hare is merely middle aged. Nihonga style, signed Keiseki. Circa 1920.

Measuring 75 ½" long by 19 ¾" wide.

9. A grimacing Daruma seated in his monk's mantle holding a hossu is being administered to by a young courtesan as she carefully cleans his ears. They are secluded by a privacy screen; however, a curious young apprentice peers from behind the end panel. The screen is painted with a classic literati landscape and a calligraphic inscription that reads like a poem:

"Sho Sho Kitsu Cha Ko"
Heavy hearted,
he has a cup of tea and goes.

This beautifully painted scroll is a satire of a more intimate side of the fierce patriarch of Zen Buddhism. Signed in seal form Dotsu.

Measuring 62 ¾" long by 16 ¼" wide.

10. Bold, Powerful, Spontaneous. 'Ryu' Dragon above, 'Ho' Phoenix below. Consummate calligraphy by the hand of an adept, symbols of both supreme male and female aspects of the universe, associated with the divine aspects of the emperor and empress. Consecrated in red seal by the hand of a child. Late Edo Period.

Measuring 76 ½" long by 17 ½" wide.

11. A large antique Japanese painting of a piebald cat resting beneath a bamboo grove, dreamy eyed he appears to be smiling as he watches the fluttering of a butterfly. This delightful work of art of gentle contentment employs the technique for perspective where the foreground is bolder with strong definition and the background softer and fades into the distance. The void space is essential to the integrity of the overall composition. Signed Sekkō.

Measuring 90 ½” long by 35” wide. 

12. A delightful painting inspired by the Zen tenets of spontaneity (living creatively in the moment) and the appreciation of the mundane simple pleasures of everyday life. Recognizing the Devine in this moment without searching for something beyond the relevance of the here and now. The calligraphic inscription, upper left celebrates course tea and simple rice as a feast appreciated by a guest. The bottom right refers to beauty and meaning in scholar's items. The calligraphy is skillful 'sosho' or grass writing where artistic license often obscures the possibility of literal translation. Meiji / Taisho Period.

Measuring 72" long by 22 ½" wide.