Japanese Fine Art

 Welcome to our website for Japanese art. We would like to invite you to discover our collection of fine antique works of art, ranging from screen paintings and hanging scroll to traditional ceramics, elegant lacquer works, exceptional sculptures and intricately woven bamboo flower baskets. All of our objects are unique masterpieces carefully selected by the gallerist and art historian Dr. Fabian Alexander Kommoss for their historical significance and outstanding quality. Galerie Kommoss is a leading gallery for fine Japanese art in Europe.

Why Japanese Art?

Refined elegance and astonishing craftsmanship on one side, and rough, coarse-looking ceramics that seem to have been created by nature itself on the other, the wide spectrum of Japanese art is fascinating and never monotonous. In fact, the opposite is true: Whether you look at the more popular and immediately appealing images of a Hokusai, the serene beauty of Japanese Buddhist sculpture, or the often complex aesthetic programs of traditional tea culture, the deeper you delve into the complex images, often subtly imbued with metaphorical meaning or humor, the more exciting it gets. What makes Japanese art so attractive to us is its pervasive characteristic of understanding the natural world as a source of spiritual insight and an instructive mirror of human emotion.

Fujiwara Yū: Legacy of a National Treasure

We are pleased to present a selection of outstanding ceramic works by Fujiwara Yū (1932–2001), one of the most important Japanese potters of the 20th century and a designated Living National Treasure for Bizen ware. As the son of Fujiwara Kei, he played a central role in the revival of Bizen ceramics after the Second World War. Rooted in the aesthetics of the Momoyama period, his work is known for its powerful presence, minimalist form, and nuanced firing effects. At the heart of this exhibition stands a rare and powerful Bizen fresh water jar, praised and certified by tea master Hisada Sōya XII of the Omotesenke tea tradition — a true master piece within Fujiwara’s oeuvre.

Object of the Month

We are pleased to present this impressive large open-work freestyle bamboo basket made by Hayakawa Shōkosai III. The Hayakawa family is considered the founding fathers of modern bamboo art in Japan, as Hayakawa Shōkosai I (1815-1897) is said to have been the first to sign his works in 1856. His fifth son, Shōkosai III, took over the family business after the early death of his elder brother, Shōkosai II, in 1905. Experts agree that he may have played the most important role in "expanding the expressive possibilities of bamboo, departing much further from Chinese models than his father." (Earle 2018, 17) With his flexible, organic style, he exerted an immense influence on later bamboo art.