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With over 3,000 items in our inventory and new containers from China and
Japan arriving every few months, Shogun's Gallery has something for just
about every taste and budget. Our goal is personal service, so we don't have a "shopping cart" connected to our
site. Just email or call us and we will assist you in finding just the
item you are looking for, arranging for payment and shipping.
The pieces at Shogun's are restored - not refinished - promoting authenticity
and paying homage to the original craftsmen. While a purist when it comes
to restoration, Jim does not discourage mixing the very distinct Japanese
and Chinese furniture styles with each other and with contemporary and other
styles of furnishings and decor.
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Our Japanese collection includes Edo and Meiji period tansu chests of every
size and configuration, bronze hibachi, usubata, bamboo ikebana baskets, imari
and other ceramic ware, lacquer ware, kimono, obi sash, woodblock prints, iron
teapots, handcrafted mingei items and many other accessory pieces.
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When thinking about identifying antique Japanese furniture, it is helpful to
imagine sitting on a
two and a half-inch thick rice mat known as a tatami.
From this low-seated position most daily activities
occur - eating, writing and
grooming. As a result, tables are low (12-13 inches) and chests, known as
tansu,
sit directly on the floor.
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Our Chinese
collection includes Qing Dynasty furniture, including altar, tea, mah jong and
side tables, wardrobes, beds, benches, stools and more. Our ceramic plates
and bowls, wedding baskets, architectural carvings, stone statues and unusual
accent pieces will inspire your imagination.
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In contrast to the utility
and asymmetry of the Japanese pieces, Chinese furnishings from this time period
are both decorative
and symmetrical. Unlike the floor-oriented designs of
the Japanese, Chinese furnishings are higher off the ground,
reflecting their
use of pounded earth or stone floors which were able to support heavy legged
items.
The Chinese used chairs and thus their tables, chests and desks
were higher than those of the Japanese. Furniture in China was produced
primarily for the upper class with an emphasis on intricate
craftsmanship,
artistry and decoration. Carvings, mitered tenons and lacquer are examples
of ways in
which decoration was used to personalize the Chinese pieces. In
Japan, the furniture was made
to serve a larger middle class which made the use
of lap joints and straight lines a more practical approach.
However, in
both countries the rarity of the wood distinguished the value of the furniture.
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Unlike
the indigenous wood (elm, cedar, cypress) used in most Japanese furniture,
the Chinese preferred the use of dark exotic hardwoods from southern China as well
as
Burma, Thailand and Indonesia. Although the Japanese pieces were
primarily unfinished, the Chinese would apply black lacquer to indigenous elm
wood in an effort to mimic the imported wood they preferred. Red lacquer
was also commonly
applied to symbolize joy and prosperity.
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In bringing
Japanese and Chinese antique furnishings to Portland, we have found a multitude
of
everyday uses for these unique pieces of history. A Chinese wardrobe
can serve as an artistic focal
point in a room while doubling as a television or
stereo cabinet. A Japanese hibachi can be turned
into a coffee table and a
kimono becomes wall art. Because of the wide range of sizes and styles of
tansu the uses are seemingly endless - from end table to desk organizer to
bookcase. Shying away from
reproductions, our furnishings average 120 years old. The pieces - from
sword
chests to ginger jars - provide a window into Japanese and Chinese culture
and history, while at the
same time bringing with them the potential to serve
many modern functions in a unique and beautiful way. Page Updated 02/25/2011 |
GALLERY