Shoki Imari

The 15th. of every month the Nara Antique Dealers auction takes place in Nara. It is a 4-6 hour event that sees the auctioning of hundreds of lots. This last Saturday these Shoki Imari soba chokos passed through. As a side note, even though they are now called soba chokos, in their time they were called chokus. They are from the beginning of the Shoki Imari period, putting them being made around 1620-1625. The date can be pinpointed to that window because they haven’t been bisqued. They were fired green. Work from this period is very rare.
Unbisqued ware is much more interesting than bisqued. It has a wilder feel to it. More pinholes, crawling, places where the glaze bunches or fails to adhere. The reasons for starting to bisque are mainly to get a more consistent product. If one is loading a wood kiln with thousands of pieces it is best to try to maximize results. The flip side is that the work loses some of its more uncontrollable aspects, aspects that are very interesting.
Some of the points that a collector would look for in work of this era is the gosu, a natural type of cobalt, is very impure and subtle. Later gosu was more highly refined and subsequently had a stronger color to it. There is debris from the kiln visible in the bottom of one of the chokos. It is something that says the ware was fired without saggers. One more point is the lack of “glassy-ness” of the glaze. The pressure in a wood kiln is much lower than a gas or other type of kiln. I believe this lack of pressure gives the glaze a quality that is softer.

Whether it’s newspaper clippings saved from the day that will “live in infamy” or uniforms worn by the brave sailors stationed at the Hawaiian base, Pearl Harbor collectibles have a significance that is difficult to overstate.

“There’s just nothing that compares to that instance in history,” says WorthPoint Worthologist Chris Hughes.

Japan’s stunning strike on the U.S. Navy’s fleet at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, sank or damaged 21 ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, destroyed 188 aircraft and claimed more than 2,400 lives. The attack—the deadliest ever committed by a foreign power on U.S. soil—also plunged the nation headfirst into World War II. Before the attack, Americans had expressed little support for joining the war, but the devastation on Pearl Harbor quickly changed public opinion.

Because of Pearl Harbor’s historical importance, memorabilia can be difficult to find. Hughes says that war posters—many carrying the rallying cry, “Remember Pearl Harbor”—provide one of the easier points of entry for new collectors. Stressing sacrifice and strength, these colorful works can be had for anywhere from $75 to $250.

Reproductions are common, so Hughes warns beginners to be wary of posters priced for much less.

Clippings from magazines or newspapers chronicling the attack are also more common. WorthPoint’s sister site, GoAntiques, has Newsweek magazine issues from both the day of the attack and the week after, as well as an edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin printed on the day of the attack. The site, however, cautions that the copy of the newspaper may be a reproduction.

(left) Newsweek’s prescient cover story; (right) Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s Dec. 7 front page

For more seasoned collectors, personal items seem to hold the greatest appeal.

During the 1940s, sailors at Pearl Harbor sported white, “Donald Duck” type hats adorned with ribbons listing the ship to which they were assigned. Collectors, says Hughes, will often collect those ribbons if they list a ship that was sunk at Pearl Harbor.
Purple Hearts awarded posthumously are also sought-after collectibles.

“To find a medal group that’s named to someone killed at Pearl Harbor, that’s a Holy Grail item to a medal collector,” says Hughes. “They’re out there. They exist, but they sell at a premium.”

Photos taken by military personnel and personal correspondence from those who served at Pearl Harbor are also highly valued.

Hughes says collecting Pearl Harbor memorabilia takes patience and perseverance. In addition to GoAntiques, he suggests attending militaria shows and digging around online for items.

“There are discussion groups on the Internet that are very welcoming to new collectors,” shares Hughes.

To find out what your Pearl Harbor items might be worth, check out worthopedia.com or Goantiques’ PriceMiner tool, which is available by subscription.

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

Here are a couple of inro that are going up for auction at the Kogirekai auction house in Kyoto on the 15th. and 16th. of this month.
The first one is a two compartment inro that comes with a box. The size is 3.5cm by 1.2cm by 5cm. The minimum price is 45,000 yen.
The second one is a small inro. It has a netsuke attached. The size is 3.8cm by 1.5cm by 5.5cm. There is a small scratch on it. The minimum price is 25,000 yen.

These items are coming up for auction at Kogirekai in Kyoto November 15th. and 16th.
The first item is a set of porcelain by Okura Japan. The set contains 10 types of items with a total of 38 pieces. 5 sets of cups and saucers among others. Minimum price is 1,200$
The next piece is a piece of Italian porcelain. The description says Bassano, Italy: the mark on the bottom is unclear. It is 84 cm. tall. The minimum price is 300$.
The last piece is a porcelain dog figure.　The description says Kiriyama it is 17cm by 13cm by 11cm. It comes with a box. The minimum price is 320$.

These items are coming up for auction on November 15th. and 16th. in Kyoto.
The first item is a Korean teabowl. It doesn’t look to be exceptionally old. The minimum price is 10,000 yen. It measures 15 cm by 15 cm by 7.5.
The next item is a set of 10 underglaze bowls. They have a pattern that is called tako kara kusa, best described as a swirly pattern. They measure 7.5 cm by 7.5 cm by 1.3 cm. The minimum price is 5,000 yen.
The last piece is a framed advertising poster from the Cascade Beer company. It measures, with frame, 72 cm by 115 cm, and has a slight rip. The minimum bid is 35,000 yen.

This item was up for auction in March of 08 in Japan. It is a set of 5 cups from a kiln called the Akashi kiln listed at 3 inches by 3 inches by 2 inches. They don’t come with a box. The minimum price was 5,000 yen. They didn’t sell. Either someone wasn’t looking for that particular item or they were priced too high at the beginning.

This is an Oribe tea bowl from the Momoyama period, 1467-1603. It doesn’t have any chips or other defects. The box says Kohori Kishinan, previously known as Somei Masanori, see http://www.enshuryu.com/e-enshuryu.htm. I am unsure of the reading for his given name. Mr. Kohori was the 11th. head of the Enshu Ryu school of tea、see http://www.enshuryu.com/e-index.htm. He wrote the song on the lid of the box. Because of this lid the price for this bowl has gone way up. The lettering on the box lid is very nice.
I saw this bowl in Nara a couple of days ago. When it was brought into the room it reeked of sake. It hasn’t been used for a long time in a tea ceremony. In order to ready it for tea it was filled with sake and left overnight. The smell will take a couple of days to disappear.
I think the brush work and overall feeling is very nice. Usually this shape is one that I don’t get too excited about. This is one of the first bowls of this shape that is of this era that I have been able to handle extensively. The feel of the glaze is rough but has been softened by use over the 400-600 or so years since it has been made.
The book leaf is from a reference book on signatures. It shows the progression of signatures of Mr. Kohori from his earliest, in the upper left hand corner of the right side of the photocopy to the signature he used before his death in the lower right hand corner. The signature on the box lid, lower left hand corner, matches his last signature.

Greetings, all! I started out collecting Lladró Spanish porcelain, which quickly led me to other areas, including Asian porcelains. I started out with Chinese porcelains but quickly learned that the field of Japanese porcelains was more rewarding because it was somewhat easier to ascertain the correct origin and age of items than it is with Chinese porcelains.

My interest in Satsuma and Kutani porcelains also opened me to other areas in collecting what are called in the antiques trade “smalls” – primarily decorative items of a size small enough to display on furniture. My collection now includes a cloisonne on porcelain vase signed by 19th century artist Takeuchi Chubei (for which I paid the grand sum of $10 at an antique shop), a tixi lacquer covered box with alternating layers of red and black lacquer (for which I paid all of $8 in another antique shop), and an ivory blotter and pen with carved tiger motifs(for which I think I paid around $15).

My experiences in buying these items show another attractive aspect of collecting Japanese smalls: They are frequently vastly undervalued in the market because generalist dealers don’t know what they are nor have the eye to appreciate them. So collectors with a good eye can find some wonderful things out there! (Training the eye is, by the way, essential; there’s a lot of “junk Satsuma” and “junk Kutani” on the market, and it’s important to be able to tell the difference between that and finer stuff.)

any clues would be gratefully received

Hi, I’m Elise and I now live in Amsterdam. When I was in my twenties I lived in Japan for seven years. I wasn’t a geisha or anything like that. I led a rock and roll life as a music journalist and impresario. When all the glitter fell off my face and I decided to come down to Earth, I discovered that collecting Japanese treasures such as Arita pottery was more satisfying than, well, interviewing David Bowie.

Arita porcelain is an elaborate form of Japanese pottery dating back to the 1600s. I have four pieces in my collection, but this is one of my favorite pieces. No, it’s not four hundred years old. This one is an authorized reproduction from the Sixties.

It is shaped like a vase, but it is nearly as large as a flower pot. It has the crane as a good luck symbol and gold flourishes in squiggly lines on top. Gorgeous cobalt blue accents fill the bodies of the elegant birds. I came to this piece through the parents of a very dear boyfriend of long ago. Yujiro’s parents are pottery collectors who had shelves of Arita. The sentimental value of this piece brings tears to my eyes.

Arita porcelain is named after a town on the Japanese island of Kyushu. It is also known as Imari ware because that’s the nearby port from where it was shipped to Europe. The Japanese porcelain industry started there after Japan invaded Korea and brought back Korean artisans. One of the artisans, Yi Sam-p’young, discovered a source of special white kaolin clay near Arita in 1616. Today he is enshrined in Japan as the “father” of Arita pottery.

Arita ware contains blue and white glazes similar to Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain. Arita designs flourish with cranes and other migratory birds and carp (the lucky fish), plus many scenes of daily life. Classic blue-and-white Arita ware was discovered by agents for the Dutch East India Company. Other styles soon emerged with elaborate and densely pattered designs, brilliant colors and gold trim. These were reserved for the Samurai class and export to Europe.

The popularity of imported Arita ware inspired artisans in Holland to expand their own industry, including the famous Delft blue-and-white pottery that often imitated of Chinese and Japanese designs.

I also collect Bizen (yaki) pottery, but I consider Arita ware to be very special because of my personal connection to a Japanese family that taught me about it. What’s ironic is that I now live in the land of Delft blue. When I visit museums I can see first-hand how the Dutch were influenced by the Japanese and compare these two artistic styles through the ages. If you’re thinking that pottery brought me to Europe, it’s not that simple. Yet life is funny in the way you come full

At the start of World War II, equipment issued to troops by the Japanese Army typically was based on European designs. As the war progressed, material shortages became extreme and the Japanese took many measures to minimize the use of metal in any form. Metal features such as buckles on packs, helmets and other equipment were replaced by cloth or rubberized leather.

The Army officer’s frame pack shown here is an early war issue of a German design. It features metal roller buckles and rivets. The interior is lined with canvas and has the previous owner’s name (Hiroshi Zaki) painted inside the flap. The pack’s construction and workmanship is of high quality, in stark contrast to later mass production versions made of thin canvas sewn with cloth tie closures.

The approximate value of this item is $275-$350. Packs and other equipment for officers are of higher quality than equipment for enlisted personnel.

WWII Museum: Pacific Front Exhibit
945 Magazine, New Orleans LA
Adult Admission $14
Student Admission $8
Child $6

Though I have been to the WWII Museum numerous times, I never visited the Pacific Front Exhibit. There is so much to read and hear that it takes hours to get through the first half of the museum. I just never had the time! This visit I made sure to explore this exhibit and was not disappointed. When entering the hall you are humbled by the enlarged photos of soldiers, leading you to a large map. Labeled the Pacific War 1941-1945 a 6-minute overview, the map lights up and takes you through the entire Pacific Front. Visually stunning, the multimedia presentation guides the viewer through this very confusing conflict utilizing news and radio clips. In that six minutes I learned more about the Pacific Front in WWII than I had in all of my past history classes. My grandfather fought in the Coast Guard and my father owns a map marking all the battles he attended in the Pacific. The presentation at the Museum helped me to understand where my grandfather had been and why he fought there. Before they were lines on a map, but now I can see the struggle behind the lines. The exhibit gave me an opportunity to understand my grandfather’s life, even though he just recently passed away.

The Pacific Front is exceptional because it brings a very confusing set of events to life. As in the European Front, there is great collection of oral histories. From an African American female nurse to Japanese Americans, the oral histories express the full experience of the war, home and abroad. I was unaware of the massive segregation in WWII, for even blood was labeled by race. The exhibit also illustrates the fervent racism against the Japanese. One stretch of wall is covered in propaganda posters from both Japan and America. Both sides used stereotypes to transmit the message that the other side were monsters, ready to destroy the values of their society. It is ironic that both sides utilized the same type of propaganda campaign. It is too easy during war to see the enemy as less than human, a lesson still not learned today. Large graphics and charts help the visitor to personalize the events. Each important battle is documented, so you better have a few hours to truly experience and learn from the exhibit. The exhibit ends with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A short film replays the horror of those events. The exhibit treats the bombings with reverence. Instead of quickly over viewing these events, the museum pays its respects to those who suffered and died in America’s march to victory. The Pacific Front is a humbling experience. It serves as a reminder to younger generations that freedom is not free and war is not to be glorified, but understood and respected.

Here is an Imperial Japanese Army battle flag that I got from a WWII 77th Division veteran who fought in the Pacific Theater. He “liberated” the flag from a soldier on the island Cebu. I’ve never had the kanji translated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The gentleman in the picture holding the flag is the the vet. He was a wonderful person to talk with.

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.