flea market

En Masse…Iron Teapots, Vincente Wolf and the Art of Grouped Displays

Jet lag always knocks me for a loop. Not so much physically – as a mom I have gotten used to sleep deprivation – but emotionally. The point of transition from my one life to my other is always a bit rocky. And invariably I forget each time that the previous change caused me any anxiety, imagining it to have been seamless. As I creakily fold myself back into my Tokyo routine, my husband reminds me of how discomfited I was upon arrival in New Jersey at the beginning of the summer. I find it hard to believe, but know it to be true and can even read the proof here. And so I know this state of “in between” shall also pass. My blog seems to share this schizophrenic life with me as I tend to write about that which is around me. Luckily, the wonderful Kawagoe shrine sale, held on the grounds of the Narita-san Betsu-in temple on the 28th of each month, welcomed me back with open arms. Filled to the brim with goodies like always, I was particularly struck by the proliferation of antique and vintage iron teapots.

Kawagoe is well known for its great metalwork antiques, although the best dealer of them has been supplanted by new bathrooms, arguably a reasonable trade-off although I wish they had relocated him elsewhere in the market. If anyone has seen him (the guy that was always in the front corner), please let me know!

The iron braziers and kettle stands are lovely in their own right.

You can always count on finding teapots at Kawagoe – this photo was taken last October and I could easily add more from other previous visits. Not sure who the red superhero guys are….

Whenever I see vintage Japanese teapots I think immediately of designer Vincente Wolf, one of the great masters of display, especially of weaving in Asian artifacts to his interiors. His love of travel permeates his work as does his photographer’s eye. In addition to 30+ years as a designer, he also has a showroom with an eponymous furniture line, antiques and decorative objects from around the world and a blog. He was the designer who showed me early on that a mass grouping of similar objects will always trump a scattered display. His are so successful because they activate his otherwise pure and spare rooms, creating unexpected focal points. The vignette below, from an apartment he designed featured in a 1995 Metropolitan Home, was a keeper in my inspiration files. As I left to live in Hong Kong less that two years later, it was highly influential to my own collecting habits.

In more recent designs, Wolf tends to mount individual objects on simple metal stands to great effect. For sale at the VW Home showroom, Wolf has ingeniously hung similar Chinese water vessels on stands.

Kawagoe yielded more items than just teapots that reminded me of Wolf’s designs. Also having great visual impact possibilities were these spool thread gears. Lying in the box they don’t look all that impressive, but mounted on stands or hung on a wall they would be stunning.

Wolf uses a pair of large gears hung on the wall in this room…

…and often uses other kinds of antique discs to make truly effective tableaux.

Another great accent are these roof tile caps found regularly at Kawagoe…

…and elsewhere.

They would look great displayed in a similar fashion to these finials.

Throughout his designs he uses all kinds of objects grouped together, from Buddhist stupas like these on the table…

…to Victorian door knockers shaped like hands elegantly arranged on a tray.

And while I have never seen Vincente Wolf use them in a display (although they certainly do look great en masse), there were also many small Japanese fishing floats for sale at Kawagoe this past weekend. Which of course brings me to my next order of business…

As for my previous identify this post, there were 4 correct answers! The item pictured is a kenzan used in the Japanese art of flower arranging called ikebana. In English we would call it a frog! Since I don’t know how to use that blogger give-away random selector, you will have to trust me as I do it the old-fashioned way and put the four names in a hat and choose one. (Rustling noise of paper) And the winner of a pair of small glass fishing floats is Julie Fukuda! Thanks everyone for your great guesses!

Having just taken a break from this post to skype with my best friend back in the States, I am reminded, by contrast, of how easy we modern-day expatriates actually have it. Instantaneous email, cheap telephone rates – through our computers we can shrink the world to the size of a pea. I think about the adventurers who left their homes through the centuries, not knowing if they would ever return or see family and friends again. For all of my whining above, I know that will never be an issue and that through my writing I am getting to share moments in my life and inspirations with those I love even when they may be far away.

Image credits: 1-4, 7, 10-11, 15-18. me, 5. Metropolitan Home November/December 1995, photo credit: Simon Watson, 6. via VW Home, 8-9, 12-13. via Vincente Wolf’s blog, 14. Metropolitan Home December 2007, photo credit: Vincente Wolf.

Sep 1, 2011 By tokyojinja in Expat Life, Glass, Interior Design, Metals, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets Tags: antique teapots, display, flea market, Japanese glass floats, Kawagoe, shrine sale, Vincente Wolf

Finally Found…The Perfect Vintage Japanese Milk Glass Lamp

Finally, something accomplished and not just thought about! I have long admired the vintage milk glass lamps popular in Japan from the early part of the 20th century through the post-WW II era, with their peak of production and design from the 1920s-1940s. While quite similar to their counterparts in America and Europe, the Japanese fixtures have extra details that you don’t find elsewhere, meant to approximate earlier lamps with metal mounts. The added charm of the Asian motifs make these glass lamps particularly collectible and as they are rarely seen outside of Japan, a unique addition to one’s decor.

I have a small open bottom fixture hanging in my guest room here in Tokyo as a reading lamp, since there is not really room for a proper night table. I would also like to find one for the ceiling in my newly renovated bathroom at our beach house in New Jersey, albeit much larger.

These open bottom hanging glass shades are the most common, adorned with metal, plastic or bamboo detailing…

or sometimes frosted insets, raised molded glass patterns or a combination of any and all of the above.

Less common, but still frequently seen are the closed variety, particularly this globular shape, often embellished with a hanging tassel.

Here’s another charming example.

A specialized dealer at the Antique Jamboree had an incredible collection of globe fixtures. There is a special summer Jamboree this year from July 22-24. See the “Shrine Sale” tab at the top of the blog for more details.

Even more spectacular and unusual were these porcelain sockets and fittings. I had occasionally seen the white ones, but never before the blue and white. They seem like the kind of perfect antique detail designer Michael Smith would add to an interior project.

In addition to fixtures that hang from cords, there are also some that have a stiff metal bar. A pair of these would look perfect hanging over a kitchen island.

I debated about buying this unusual long shaped fixture. It had a nautical feel that might have been right for the beach house bathroom, but seemed too long and narrow for the space.

I loved this pair of sconces but couldn’t think of a place to put them

I never did make it back to the fantastic shop The Teardrop Club…

…or Rakuda in Nishi-Ogikubo.

In the end, I decided the detailing on the fixtures was at odds with the simplicity of the bathroom. I also had the realization that the low ceiling might not accommodate a hanging fixture. Luckily, the glass globes can also have fixed ceiling mounts. I thought about giving up and just buying a new fixture, but in my heart I wanted the vintage charm of an older fixture (even with the hassles of re-wiring) versus a sparkling brand new one from the excellent reproduction companies like Schoolhouse Electric Co. or even the mainstream home catalogs. The answer, I decided, was a simpler more “schoolhouse” shape with a ceiling mount.

So the winner came from Kanarusha Antiques. They had long been holding another glass shade for me, waiting on finding the proper vintage fittings. So often the glass globes are available, but not the lamp socket attachments, and I didn’t want to count on anything in the US actually being the proper size. I was never sure the other shade was perfect – it seemed too small and insignificant -so last Friday I stopped by and they had this beauty! I dug through a crate of vintage socket fittings they had just received, found this well patinated metal ceiling fitting and married it to the shade. Perfect!

A dear friend sent me this photo of a tenugui she had purchased just before leaving Japan last year. Tenugui are thin cotton towels, usually a standard size, printed with absolutely anything and used for just about everything. They probably deserve a post of their own! I had never seen this one and got a great laugh from it. She has framed it and some others for a unique art display. Make sure to note the discontinued Lee Jofa fabric covering the chairs that we tracked down from an old 2003 issue of House Beautiful.

The lamp photos were taken over the course of the year at numerous shrine sales and different antique shows, illustrating their high level of availabilty. Keep your eyes open!

May 29, 2011 By tokyojinja in Antique Shows, Glass, Lighting, Renovation and Decoration Report, Shop Talk, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets Tags: bathroom renovation, flea market, Heiwajima, Jamboree, Kanarusha, light fixtures, lighting, milk glass, Nishi-Ogikubo, shrine sale, Tomioka Hachimangu

Gokokuji Temple…a Bit of a Shrine Sale Puzzle

To help out all my Sunday church-going readers I have been wanting to report favorably on the second Saturday of the month shrine sale at Gokoku-ji. I don’t have it on my “official” shrine sale page because I don’t like to recommend anything that might be disappointing and while it has been good in the past, I tend to find it unreliable now, both in terms of schedule and quality/quantity of dealers and merchandise. Today wasn’t much different from that assessment – only about a dozen vendors. Now, we all know that Nogi Shrine only ever has about that many dealers at best, but they are all top quality. The goods today were more junk shop and imports from China than real antiques, so if you live in the nearby Mejiro neighborhood or on the Yurakucho line, it might be worth stopping by. I am not sure I would have anyone travel there, although that being said, it only took me 15 minutes driving from my house on the Shuto.

Just because it wasn’t the best market doesn’t mean there weren’t things to be found. My subconscious has been making itself heard lately by pointing me towards medium-sized unusually shaped Imari plates. I think it wants them for first course or lunch settings. I have been resisting, on the grounds that I don’t need them, but today brought two examples.

The first was eye-catching, but…

… it was the second set that was breathtaking.

If you do go and the market turns out to be lousy or unexpectedly cancelled, the Temple complex, situated up on a hill and surrounded by substantial grounds, is beautiful and well-worth visiting. Built in 1681 by the 5th Tokugawa Shogun at the request of his mother, it has survived earthquakes, fires, and WWII, and the main temple is designated an important cultural property of Japan. Today they had a special flower arranging exhibit on the grounds and in the main sanctuary. Take note of the unusually colored sudare.

Unfortunately for me, my practical conscious mind ruled out and I didn’t buy that second set of plates. I am now mooning over the photo at home, so if anyone sees them tomorrow or next week at a different market, please feel free to let me know!

May 14, 2011 By tokyojinja in Porcelain and Pottery, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets Tags: flea market, imari, japanese antiques, porcelain, shrine sale, sudare

Kawagoe Shrine Sale Never Disappoints

Thursday was the 28th of the month which means that it is time for the Kawagoe shrine sale. We have had a lot of rainy 28ths lately, so it was lovely to wake to a warm sunshiny day. I went with every intention of not buying anything (ha!), which of course proved to be an impossible task. The market felt a bit quieter than usual, but there were plenty of Tokyo folks there.

The theme of the day was clearly baskets…

I was dying for these amazing huge winnower baskets, imaging them hung on a wall in the den of a country house. I know I’ve seen a recent photo of a similar basket display, but can’t remember where. When I do, I’ll add it in here.

Addendum: I didn’t find the photo I was thinking of, but I did find this one with a symmetrical display of Vietnamese fishing hats…

and this one from The Bootstrap Project (more on that in a later post) of handmade Zambian baskets displayed asymetrically.

These baskets would be perfect in a bathroom with one closed holding extra toilet paper and the other open with extra towels.

I didn’t buy any baskets, having just found this one last week. It is just perfect for holding magazines.

But there were some things I couldn’t resist…

I have a weakness for Japanese bellflowers, so this katagami stencil came home with me.

A couple of Tokyo friends got lucky and bought big Japanese fishing floats from this dealer. I got a bunch of small rolling pin or roller floats, all slightly different in shape and size, but roughly around five inches long. I figure I can’t get my big floats back to the US anytime soon, but a handful of these in a basket in the bathroom might do!

Speaking of the bathroom, I thought this kashigata looked like a sand dollar and a starfish and would be perfect to display alongside the bowls of the real things collected by the girls.

Gorgeous shape and color, but it was the glass screw top that sold me!

Is it a stool or a table? Either! This was my favorite find of the day.

Remember this post from a couple of days ago? Patina over perfection…antiques with flaws can be very affordable. I didn’t need this big Seto pot, but it was a lovely one, fishbowl style with a finished and glazed interior. At first glance a 30,000yen (about $300) piece…

…at second glance, this repair brought the price down to 10% of that. For 3000yen ($30) it came home with me.

Friends scored big time too. The sake jug on the left came home with M, as her birthday present. I was so happy to find it after another friend got the one on the right last October.

M got this amazing roof tile cap from Nagano too.

And these 3 smaller inban hibachi (transfer printed charcoal brazier), probably from tobacco sets.

Another friend bought these gorgeous late-Edo period covered bowls. I want to research the unusual painted pattern as I know I have seen it in a museum collection somewhere. Just so modern!

We finished with our usual post-antiquing repast. Indian food! Their keema curry is super-delish!

Apr 30, 2011 By tokyojinja in Glass, Porcelain and Pottery, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets Tags: baskets, flea market, glass bottles, japanese antiques, Japanese glass floats, kashigata, katagami, porcelain, Seto, shrine sale

A Little Bit of Tat is a Good Thing…Tips on Antiquing with Kids

Let’s say you have been bitten by the antiquing bug, but the rest of your family is unsure about your hobby. Here is some advice about turning that time into a shared family activity. While the photos and some of the items are geared towards shrine sales here in Japan, the tips would hold true for antique shopping anywhere else in the world as well. Realistically, flea markets and large group shops filled with mid-low level antiques are the right places for kids, not pricey provenanced antique stores. But hey, everyone has to start somewhere!

Here is my basic advice on antiquing with kids. Please feel free to send me comments and ideas that work for you!

1. Give each child a small but reasonable sum of money to spend, whether it be their allowance or money specifically for that day. Set guidelines (no candy, for instance) or have them create a shopping list in advance (small animals to add to their doll house scene, for instance). Then try to let go of controlling their purchases. The key here is that they need to be truly interested and feel like they are in charge of what they buy.

2. Like adults, kids are interested in what they know. Over time, help each child to start a collection and help them to become educated about what they like. Get reference materials at their reading level or go to museum exhibits when possible.

3. Use imagination to speculate about what and how things were used in the past, their meanings, their histories and discover new uses for them. Talk about an item’s cultural significance.

4. Have kids shop for gifts. If you love to hunt for antiques and collectibles, then they can always look for gifts for you. Gifts for friends are always fun, especially mementos of time abroad for those of us who are expats. A unique and authentic sayonara (good-bye) present for a friend who is moving is a perfect thing to find at a shrine sale.

5. Add in the life and math lessons. Make kids inquire about prices, test their courage by bargaining and calculate change.

6. Manners, manners, manners. While the requisite bow in addition to the thank you is for those in Japan only, completing a transaction with grace and gratitude is important anywhere. And being respectful of breakables – ask before touching – is crucial.

Now I know there are those of you out there who are reading this saying “You went antiquing with GIRLS – that is easy”. To pre-empt those comments, I decided to test drive a shrine sale with two boys, aged 9 and 11, the sons of my college roommate who is visiting this week. We traveled to Takahata Fudo, a big Buddhist temple in the western suburbs of Tokyo. In addition to the shrine sale held on the 3rd Sunday of the month, Takahata Fudo boasts a 5 story pagoda, an excellent yakisoba (fried noodles) seller and an active schedule of events.

The boys were lukewarm but willing as we set out. My girls dove in, knowing what to expect, while the boys cased the scene slowly. A sure-fire hit? There are always dealers selling war mementos or weapons or tools of some sort, sure to engage any boy’s interest. Machete anyone?

Everyone was interested in vintage coins. Collecting stamps and coins feels like it has gone out of style, so I think that means it is ready for a come-back. There is no “funner” way to learn about geography!

Postcards, old photos and other ephemera are one of the cheapest and most varied of all collectibles.

We made up stories about these folks…Note the connection with the girl doing nihon buyo (Japanese traditional dance) in the black and white photo here, and the purchase of a fan up above.

The first vintage thing I ever collected were these alphabet “language of flowers” postcards from the turn of the century. I still love them and they hang in my daughter’s room now. Ask my elder daughter what gift she’d love to find for me most and she’ll tell you “a letter my mom doesn’t have”. I often find her procrastinating on her homework, trolling eBay for them. Nothing makes me prouder!

Old toys, geodes and rocks, marbles, buttons, the list of what interests a child is endless and the most fascinating tend to be tiny and cheap, perfect for their budget and your decorating scheme. Remember, a little bit of tat is always a good thing!

Just be sure to avoid the life-sized Godzilla at all costs. Perhaps a size rule is in order before heading out! (I was avoiding it so much that I forgot to take a photo!)

How do I know I triumphed? Nobody was anxious to leave, everyone spent their money with great joy, and the younger boy asked if “this fair was on all week,” hoping to return. And the moms got some goodies too!

While tips on shopping for antiques with kids was easy, shopping for antiques with husbands will have to be a later post…

Feb 20, 2011 By tokyojinja in Expat Life, Kids, Shrine Sales and Flea Markets Tags: antiquing with kids, flea market, shrine sale, Takahata Fudo

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