Mingei Arts

This adorable little frog won’t hop away from you. Carved from coral and smoothly polished, he is carefully detailed and looks poised to hop right into your hand.  Set this carved coral frog on an appropriate shelf to bring a little cheer and a little nature into your world. This frog is dimensionally accurate, smooth [...]

Few symbols embody Feng Shui the way the three-legged toad does. And whether you call this little amphibian a wealth frog, money toad, lucky money frog, or three-legged prosperity toad doesn’t matter. What matters is that you display this delightful creature wherever you want wealth to find you. The toad shown in the images to [...]

Very Japanese in character, this beautiful, lacquered, deep rust hyotan gourd was shaped while growing to make a convenient sake flask, (tokkuri). This is an original piece from the Showa period (1926-1989). It has its original resin stopper, (developed around 1920’s), held into place by a braided cord. When traveling, hyotan, in an effort to [...]

This vintage altar tray was once used to present offerings to a deity within a Japanese Butsudan. The tray is made of Rosewood, and is a bit unusual, as it has been decorated with eight carved flying dragons and four carved bats. Shinto offering stands (sanbou) differ from Buddhist offering stands (keshoku) in that they [...]

Pictured is a beautiful set of rare Japanese handmade Fuchin from the 1900s, in excellent, original condition. They have a metal weight for the interior that is encased, (just like an egg,) with a wonderful braiding technique similar to the Haori-himo, which is a jacket tie, and delicate netting over the outer edges of the piece. [...]

The quality of stone appropriate for ink stones is found in only a few places. Although the ink stone was invented by the Chinese, in Japan, 90% of ink stones are made in Ogatsu, which is in the Miyagi prefecture in the northern part of Japan. The Japanese term for the best grades of slate [...]

A 1920s-30s Incense container in Mulberry wood for the tea ceremony. Simply beautiful, and beautifully simple in its execution. While this type of container will often be plain, as it is used during the warmer months in Japan, this special Kogo is inlaid with a 16-petal Chrysanthemum, (Kiku), which is the crest of Japan’s Imperial [...]

This vintage floor lamp (Andon) was specifically made for travel. It totally disassembles into three parts (legs, base holding the light bulb, and the washi paper shade). The top folds up like an umbrella, and with the other components, allows for portability. The base and legs are wood and the electrical parts have been replaced for safety [...]