The antique market in Kyoto

Those from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland going to Japan to search for treasure
Due to cultural origins, there have been many collectors of Chinese cultural relics in Japan since ancient times. In particular, Japanese families with a long history have a large stock of Chinese paintings and antiques. Antique shops in Japan originally had a fair amount of Chinese art. But after years of extensive search by Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland operators, good quality items are rare. It is even harder to find good Chinese antiques in Japan these days. Even in the 1960s, tea sets and wood handicrafts commissioned by Japan and manufactured by China have become antiques over time. Because its material material has the wood of Chinese characteristic such as acid branch, ju wood, be collected by Taiwan and inland industry widely, regard as Chinese antique to sell.
Taiwanese not only collect Chinese antiques, but also Japanese antiques with a more Japanese flavor. There are many shops selling “Harmony” antiques in Taiwan, so many Taiwanese businessmen go to Japan to find treasures. There are even practitioners who send their wives to Japan to look for goods and then mail them to Taiwan. This kind of store often parcels mailbox successively delivered, often make peers see the envy.
As for mainlanders coming to Japan, they are mainly looking for Chinese antiques. Because of Japan’s history of aggression against China in the past, many Chinese people reject Japanese antiques. But the Japanese antique iron pot is an exception, because the iron pot is also suitable for the Chinese tea ceremony, if the iron pot is carved on the surface of Chinese characters and landscape, you can not see the Japanese taste, more popular in the mainland. So there are mainland companies to Japan and Taiwan to buy iron pot, more many Taiwan companies will be brought to the mainland to sell iron pot.
The search for treasure in Japan by mainland antiquarians is quite organized. In 2006, the mainland antiques industry organized an overseas Taobao group, including Palace Museum experts, collectors, antique dealers and private museums. The group of 20 people went to Japan to look for Chinese antiques. They visited many antique shops in Tokyo and Osaka. In 2009, Beijing Kuangshi auction company also organized a group to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and other places to investigate, but also with Japan affinity auction company alliance, by affinity in Japan to collect Chinese antiques, sent to Beijing Kuangshi auction.
From the above, if antique collectors and dealers want to search for overseas treasures, Japan is the important place for overseas Chinese antiques. What we care about is, how many Chinese antiques are there in Japan, and what are the characteristics of Japanese Hefeng antiques? Japan is a country where antique collection is quite popular. Major cities have areas where antique shops gather and regular antique markets. If you want to go on an antique trip, of course, you should choose something interesting.
The antique markets in Tokyo and Kyoto are the largest in Japan and the best to visit, and if you choose your time well, you can visit several markets and streets in one trip.
The great Antique Market in Kyoto
The Kyoto Grand Antique Market is only once a season and has a long history, with about 350 vendors participating. It is usually held in the capital city hall, known as one of the largest antique fairs in western Japan, and also an antique fair valued by Japanese antique dealers in Taiwan. Same antique trade show. The entrance fee, which used to be 1,000 yen in Tokyo, has been reduced to boost the economy. Early in the morning, visitors arrived on free buses and quickly crowded into the venue. The crowd included collectors, businessmen and antiquarians, mostly middle-aged and older.
The dealers come from all over Japan, but most of them are from the Kyoto area. They are all real antiques, all kinds of cultural relics. Each stall is worth checking out. Among them, there are several stalls of Western antiques, showing dolls, shell carving pins, bags and other expensive, or in the Number of Japanese antiques to Japanese tea props, ceramics and dyeing. I watched and took pictures greedily with surprise and delight. I was deeply attracted by everything and forgot the time. It was not until my feet were numb, my back was sore and I saw stars in my eyes that I knew it was one o ‘clock past noon and I had to sit down to have a rest and eat. At the back of the venue was a makeshift dining room where I could finally sit down and breathe for a long time, only then did I realize how tired I was.
After dinner, I continued to watch the exhibition. I finally bought sour branch pedestal, sour branch jing cigarette box, Yan-li porcelain cat, copper cat, tea tray and old dyeing and weaving. These prices are not high, far cheaper than in Taiwan. There are few Chinese antiques in the exhibition, only a few, the quality is not fine and the price is high, Chinese antiques in Japan really long ago by Taiwan and mainland industry all.
In such a large exhibition hall and a large crowd of visitors, the scene was unusually quiet, with everyone whispering quietly rather than making noise. When I was surprised by the pleasant atmosphere, I was suddenly confronted by a loud and noisy conversation, which seemed to be a quarrel with no one in sight. When I listened carefully, it turned out to be the familiar Chinese language. It turned out to be three Taiwanese businessmen who came to purchase, each of whom bought several large boxes of things and forgot where they were.
The Antique market at Kitano Amomiya
The 25th day of each month is the day of the Kitano Amomiya Festival and temple fair in Kyoto, also known as Tenshin City. Outside the temple is an antique market, which is arranged in the open air along the perimeter of the temple and extends into nearby alleys. Things here are not so high grade, belong to the so-called ancient folk handicrafts. For example brazen, iron teapot, tea ceremony is tasted, fragrant prop, small wooden ark, old dye weave, pottery and porcelain to wait a moment, it is old thing really also, copy is tasted and newly not much, price is not expensive, can bargain again, let a person see heart is pleased. I bought an iron teapot, a silver teapot, an old woven cloth and two small fortune cats here. This is the place to hunt for inexpensive Japanese antiques. Enter the temple torii, aisle is on both sides of snacks and sightseeing crafts stalls.
Kitano Tenman Palace, also known as tenshen Palace, is also a place of interest and historic interest, rebuilt by Hideori Toyotomi in The twelfth year (1607), so far 400 years of history, dedicated to the Japanese god of learning Sugahara Dozhen. Sugihara way really for the peace era famous scholars and poets, daigo emperor had jin to the right minister’s high, but for the left minister Fujiwara flat slander, was exiled to Kyushu Taizai house, but on the way to the death of disease, carrying the body back to Kyoto cattle went to Fukuoka Taizai house, but stopped and did not go, so buried on the spot. The cow was praised for seeming to understand Sugawara’s reluctance to return to Kyoto. Then Kyoto has appeared a variety of visions such as thunder and lightning, in order to appease grievances, the establishment of the day full palace worship. There are bronze statues of loyal oxen and a number of stone oxen in the palace. It is said that stroking the cow’s head can improve wisdom and make exams successful. Tian Man Palace also planted many plum trees, early spring on February 25 for the famous plum blossom festival.
An antique shop with black tiles and low eaves
Antique shops in Kyoto are mostly concentrated in the three adjacent streets of Guimen Tong, Xinmen Tong and Daiwa Darotong. This area is known as Antique Street, where dozens of antique shops are concentrated, and this district is the most charming old town in Kyoto. Both sides of the street are low wooden old houses, black tiles low eaves, black wood without paint on the wall and pillars of wood grain exudes a unique flavor, is the Heian era preserved to the present style, the old houses and antiques in the style of matching, making the antique utensils more prominent its flavor. It seems to be taken for granted that ancient cities have antiques. Antique shops are a delight, and nearby Gion district is a traditional geisha district, occasionally confronted by heavily dressed geishas in thick shoe pads. But they could be fake geishas, with female visitors paying 6,000 yen for a day of “transformation” by wandering the streets dressed as geishas.
Stroll in the old street to see a deep alley, narrow only allow to brush the body crisscross, to go as if into someone else’s private backyard. From a distance, there was an antique shop called “Flower Hall”, which gave me a legitimate reason to explore. Like patio space inside the lane a few families, I pull flower hall of wooden door, leaned into the store, it found that this shop is only 2 square meters sizes, some ceramic dishes are put on the wooden pallet, is of primitive simplicity, a smell incense, incense next door there was a melodious guzheng, a young owner is tea liquor, mood letting a person to settle immediately.
I greeted him with a big smile and asked quietly, “Do you have Any Chinese antiques?”
The shopkeeper asked, “Are you from Taipei?” Then he smiled sadly and shook his head. “No. There are too many owners from Taiwan and mainland China looking for Chinese antiques. Especially last year, when I opened my shop at 11 a.m., the customers flocked to my shop. Whenever THERE were Chinese antiques, they sold them immediately.”
“Do you have an iron teapot?” I asked again, thinking that the iron teapot was a Japanese object, so there must be one.
“No more, iron teapots cheap from three thousand to tens of thousands of yen, as soon as the purchase is sold, is also bought by Taiwan and mainland people.” I was very surprised to hear that there were so many customers from Taiwan and mainland China searching the store again and again, and they had already bought any good goods.
Out of the narrow lane, I opened the corner of an antique shop “Yulin Shang Gu Tang”, cold days, every store is closed to open the door, as long as the push to open the door means that they are in business. When the shopkeeper knew I was from Taiwan, he took out an iron teapot and said, “This pot is famous. I used to sell a lot of iron teapots.” I was even more surprised. The boss knew that Taiwanese people love iron teapots, so he took the initiative to show me. He asked for 40,000 yen. When I picked it up, it didn’t look good enough. It looked like the Japanese iron teapot had been overpriced by the Taiwanese.
I asked if there have been any guests from Taiwan and mainland China recently? The owner thought for a moment and said: “After the financial storm, the guests are less, Taiwan and mainland guests a month about ten groups of people to come.” Ten sets of foreign customers a month is a lot for antique shops, probably more than locals.
Even shopping for several antique shop, I found a in narrow alley “swim”, this is an elegant little antique shop, the shop owner is a smart and elegant middle-aged lady, I took a fancy to a wall hanging iron vase, it carved a frog, a zen screamed loudly, although have, but I don’t know his identity, because of the price fair, both like bought readily.
Antique shop has not finished shopping, the eyes that appeared a clear stream, the creek side full of branches hanging cherry, eyes also suddenly a light, here the most beautiful cherry scenery, along with the cherry go forward, to the wide Duck chuan, because it is warm winter, cherry blossom in advance.