Antique Japanese Valuables Hidden in Plain Sight

Not so long ago, it was common knowledge that one could find very old, and rare, antiques being sold in some Japanese street markets for a meager sum. Times change however, and today the value of Japanese antiques has skyrocketed. Instead of being a 'bargain' that an enthusiast or small time collector could easily afford, collecting any antique Japanese items is often a costly affair.


Still, the ever-increasing value of various items has ended up fueling the desire to unearth an antique Japanese piece that had perhaps been overlooked.


Searching for Japanese Antiques Anywhere and Everywhere


Ironically, that is the selfsame reason why there undoubtedly still are rare antique Japanese items that could be worth a lot but are simply unnoticed.


Very often, the first ports of call end up being antique shops. To a certain degree this does make sense, but nowadays many antique shops actually have their inventory professionally valued. Of course, this is the very basis of finding antique Japanese valuables that are hidden in plain sight - looking at those pieces which experts haven't had the chance to view.


For this reason, auctions that are run without having Japanese antiques valued beforehand are a treasure trove of opportunity. Many a time an unwitting seller has put up an antique piece that turned out to be extremely rare.

Technorati : Antique Japanese

Del.icio.us : Antique Japanese

Zooomr : Antique Japanese

Flickr : Antique Japanese

Antique Japanese Pottery: Collecting the Pre-ceramic Ancient Past

Age, naturally, plays a factor in the value of any Japanese antiques to collectors. More than that however, there are multiple questions regarding the quality, past owners, aesthetic beauty, and so on that can also influence the ‘prestige’ in which a given item of antique Japanese pottery is held.

Surprising as it might be, just because some antique Japanese vases or other earthenware hail from a period that pre-dates ceramic, it does not mean that they lack in beauty. Admittedly, the oldest pieces that go all the way back to the Neolithic times may have been crude, but as time passed, the art of potters in Japan grew by leaps and bounds.

Periods of Antique Japanese Pottery Before Ceramics

Right after the Neolithic, in the Mesolithic, it was the time of the Jomon pottery period. Named after its very recognizable coil-made clay structure, the Jomon antique Japanese pottery items gradually incorporated more artistic elements into their designs.

For about 10,000 years, the Jomon period continued to make steady progress in terms of the antique Japanese vases and other Japanese antiques that were produced.

Eventually, the Jomon culture itself was displaced by the Yayoi, which brought with it entirely new advances in style, patterning, design, and even manufacture. Notably, they used the potters wheel instead of just making each piece by hand.

Most of the antique Japanese pottery from this period is very simple in decorative motifs. Antique Japanese vases that have patterns involving geometric designs were particularly popular, as were other Japanese antiques that had practical applications.

After some time, even the Yayoi faded away, and from there on out, South Korean potters bringing over their own advancements, as well as the steady Chinese influence, became ever more common. In short, it set the scene for the day when porcelain would eventually be discovered by one of the Korean potters in Japan.

Due to the relative rarity and age of the old (non-porcelain) antique Japanese pottery pieces, they normally tend to be pretty valuable. Even the not so aesthetically pleasing Yayoi Japanese antiques are much sought after.

If you’re a collector, you should definitely be able to identify and differentiate between these pieces, and their more modern counterparts. After all, due to their value, if you ever stumble across antique Japanese vases or other earthenware that hails from the Yayoi or Jomon periods, you’ll want to grab it up immediately.