Japanese art and antiques

Japanese Bronze Sculptures, Bone Carvings and Lacquerware

Discover the refined aesthetics of Japan, from masterfully carved 19th-century bone carvings and bronze sculptures to rare lacquerware from the Edo and Meiji periods. Every piece has been carefully selected for its authenticity, artistic craftsmanship and historical significance.

Japanese wooden folk art

Explore our Japanese Kokeshi Collection for individually catalogued wooden dolls, maker details and regional carving traditions.

Japanese Ivory Art, Netsuke and Material Identification

Japanese ivory art belongs to the wider history of miniature sculpture and netsuke carving. Netsuke were small toggles used to secure a suspended container to a kimono’s obi. Carvers worked in wood, ivory, bone, porcelain, lacquer and metal. The term netsuke identifies the object’s function; the material is recorded separately. The Bowers Museum’s netsuke catalogue explains this practical role and documents a Japanese wooden Komainu carving dated to the nineteenth–twentieth century.

For objects in our gallery, consult the individual material description and examination record. Carving technique, surface structure, condition and marks are considered together when assessing material, period and workshop tradition. Our object examination protocol explains how microscopic and UV examination contribute to that assessment.