Wabi Sabi | Real Japanese Antiques

Welcome to Wabi Sabi

The phrase ‘wabi sabi’ has come to mean many things but simply stated, it describes the effects of time upon objects, giving them an ephemeral quality and a richness beyond what can be created by the artisan himself.  This site is dedicated to those people who find beauty in what has been hand-wrought by the artisan, and by time.

Mr. Gensho Sasakura, now in his eighties was a life-long collector of tsutsugaki (hand-painted) indigo fabrics.  He has honoured us by making his remaining collection of over one hundred antique tsutsugaki textiles exlusively available on Wabi Sabi.  This is the largest single collection of antique tsutsugaki textiles available online and it is the last of Mr. Sasakura's collection.  Examples from his collection were featured in the reference book, "Tsutsugaki Textiles of Japan" and copies of this book, signed by Mr. Sasakura, are available on Wabi Sabi.

In addition to antiques, Wabi Sabi offers other fine arts that we feel express the beauty and history of Japanese culture.  Each piece is carefully chosen by my Japanese colleague, Yasuko Hamaguchi, whose passion for these objects keeps her scouring the homes, shops and markets of Japan.

We are happy to welcome you and hope that you find inspiration here..