The garden is not large, but this week it gave us a little of everything: a rose, strawberries, small watermelons, green tomatoes, cucumber flowers, and corn.
Read full journalFamily garden / Early summer
This is not a shop record or an old-object note. It is just a small record from our garden in Japan, where a few plants have been growing between cooking, laundry, school things, and ordinary family days.
The rose was the first thing that made the garden feel gentle. Nearby, strawberries stayed close to the soil, small watermelons grew under leaves, and green tomatoes gathered in a tight little group.
Nothing here is arranged like a perfect garden magazine. The soil is wet, the leaves overlap, and the paths are narrow. But this is the part I like: the garden belongs to real days, not to a showroom.
When something grows in the yard, even a small thing, it changes dinner and conversation. The children notice it. We check the color, the size, the insects, the weather. A plant gives the day one more reason to slow down.
Six small handmade figures appeared while I was unpacking an auction market box at home. They are light, imperfect, and full of quiet character.
Read full journalMarket Find / 6-piece set
They were mixed in with other old things, and I brought them home almost without thinking. Later, after the usual work of unpacking and sorting, a tiny village appeared on the table.
A person holding a broom. A small seated figure with red cloth. Two travelers wearing straw hats. A quiet woman beside a little sign made from wood and bark. Each piece feels as if it belongs to the same old countryside scene, but each one also has its own face.
Three bases have handwritten markings: 43.5.23, 43.5.26, and 43.10.19-20. They may refer to Showa 43, which would be 1968. I cannot confirm the maker or the exact place they came from, so I do not want to say more than the object itself tells me.
This set is not perfect. It has age wear, small marks, and delicate handmade parts. One or two heads feel slightly loose. I will pack the six pieces together with extra cushioning and a firm outer box before international shipping.
Market Find / Modern Collectible
This piece came home from last month's auction market with its original blue and black Studio Collection box. It is not an old Japanese craft object, but it has the same reason for staying on the table for a while: a strong shape, many small details, and a story that has to be read carefully.
Veronese Design is known for decorative sculptures and historical or mythological figures made for display. Comparable retail sources describe this product family as cold-cast resin with a bronzed and coloured finish: a way of giving a sculptural object a metallic look without treating it as solid bronze.
The scene follows the familiar image of Napoleon on a rearing horse. The pointing hand, the windblown cloak, the bicorne hat, and the rocky ground all push the object toward movement rather than still portraiture. It is dramatic, almost theatrical, and that is part of its charm.
I do not read this as an antique. The original packaging, current comparable retail information, and modern production style all point toward a modern collectible, likely from the 2000s or 2010s. That is an informed working judgement, not an independent dating certificate.
Condition also matters. The box has storage wear, and the figure shows small surface marks that are kept visible in the product photographs. The thin black reins are the part I would handle most carefully.
A dramatic Veronese Design Studio Collection piece came back from the auction market with its original box. The evidence points to a modern collectible rather than an antique, likely from the 2000s or 2010s, with cold-cast resin construction described by comparable retail sources.
One readable 卯三郎 mark, a small 四万温泉 label, and a form that feels closer to an older kokeshi tradition. They may have travelled through different places before meeting in one market lot. The exact makers remain open questions, so the evidence stays visible beside the story.
This 28 cm wooden doll has a quiet face, a black head section, and warm floral painting. The base carries a label and writing, but the maker, workshop, and exact origin remain unconfirmed. The listing keeps those clues visible without turning them into settled facts.
On market mornings, the table is never perfectly arranged. Bowls, trays, boxes, and folded cloth sit together for a little while before I begin cleaning and checking them one by one.
A small bowl can be very quiet. I first notice the rim, then the foot, then the small marks left by use. Those details matter more than making an old object look new.
Lacquer shows light in a gentle way. Small surface marks are not only flaws; they tell us how the tray was held, placed, used, and kept.
When a vessel is no longer used for sake, it can still hold a branch from the garden. This is one of the reasons I like old objects: they do not have to stay fixed in one role.
Wooden boxes are part of how objects are protected, stored, and remembered. Before listing one, I want to show the corners, the lid fit, the grain, and the marks from storage.
Some small objects do not need a grand explanation. They belong near coffee, notebooks, shelves, and ordinary rooms. Their value is in the feeling they quietly add.
Stoneware can feel closer to a small sculpture than a vessel. For this kind of piece, the photographs need to show texture, surface, and how it sits in a room.