ChanoYu

[PietroParis]

Hi All,

 

Today I found the website of a shop named ChanoYu. They sell mainly Japanese pottery, but also a few tsuba. The descriptions of the items are rather minimal, but rich of pictures. They appear to offer free delivery (?) to Europe and US. What I find a bit puzzling is that the prices seem rather low - usually below 20000 JPY - even for signed and supposedly antique items (e.g., check the tea bowls). I am not really able to assess the quality of those pieces, but I am well aware that when something looks too good to be true, it often isn't... Does anybody here have any experience with this seller?

 

Cheers, Pietro

[TETSUGENDO]

Pietro,

 

I took a look at several different areas I'm familiar with, and this place doesn't look like its offering any 'Bargains".     For example, the tsuba are of little interest because they are: 1-undesirable types, 2-in extremely poor condition, 3-dubious...or any combination of the same, hence the low prices.    The Chinese ceramics are less desirable types priced at market value or slightly above.      I could go on but the story is, more of less, the same in the other categories I reviewed.     My advice would be to check the web for prices on any items  that catch your eye.     I'm afraid this is a case of "You get what you pay for"

 

Happy hunting.

           -S- 

[PietroParis]

Hi Steven,

 

Thanks a lot for taking the trouble to check the site! I was intrigued by a few antique chawan that seemed surprisingly affordable to me (e.g., this one, which was sold for 17900 JPY), but I don't know much about pottery, and it is of course possible that they are all of low quality. Anyway, "you get what you pay for" may be depressing, but it is still a notch above "you pay a fortune for fake stuff", which characterizes some of the online sellers discussed in this section...

 

Cheers, Pietro

[TETSUGENDO]

Pietro,

 

Thank You!     Since the piece you linked to was already sold the matter is meaningless.    As I suggested check items you like with a web search, then you'll have something to base a decision on.....odds are some values exist on the site.

 

Cheers,

    -S- 

[PietroParis]

I showed the site to a friend who has been collecting Mashiko ware for many years, and he is amazed by how cheap many pieces by top masters are. Of course this might mean that there are hidden surprises - of the "too good to be true" variety - which is why it would be interesting to find somebody who has actually bought something from this seller. Anyway, I will keep an eye on the site, and maybe try my luck if another old/antique Shino chawan like the one I had noticed goes on sale at an affordable price. Most of the bowls available now are Raku, which I would steer clear of for the reasons we discussed in another thread...

 

Cheers, Pietro

[PietroParis]

An update on this dealer:

 

I decided to give it a try and buy this chawan (picture from the dealer's site):

 

The maker is supposedly one Kato Kageaki, who died in 1972 and was the 12th of his line. The signature and overall style of the bowl looks consistent with others that I found online (e.g., this one).

 

My experience with the dealer was flawless: I ordered the bowl on Sunday evening (payment with PayPal); the package was shipped on Monday with EMS, and I received it on Friday morning, with no added fees. Box and bowl were separately wrapped (very carefully) in bubble-wrap and old newspaper, and everything looks exactly like in the pictures on the dealer's website. In summary, I cannot say if I found a great "bargain", but I definitely got what I was expecting, at a quite affordable price. I would say that the dealer is definitely worth keeping an eye on for those interested in pottery (not sure about the tsuba, though

 

Incidentally, another forum member has recently bought a cup from the same dealer, see this thread. I will also profit from the forum members' good will and ask for a translation of the calligraphy on the box (in the appropriate section).

 

Cheers, Pietro