Hollow human head with sculptured face. Oval slits for eyes and mouth, protruding nose. A ridge above the forehead indicating a head covering of some kind.

Ceramic chopstick rests in form of resting birds. Four nearly identical light green birds (two shown in image) with simplified features and slight detailing of feathers on wings. Green monochrome glaze.

Calligraphic work on paper. Work shows several lines of Japanese characters in various thicknesses and depths of colour, from light grey to black. A round red seal with the artist’s name sits near the bottom left corner.

Calligraphic work on paper with kanji characters 三日月 (mikazuki; crescent). Piece is rectangular, showing a thick black brush stroke on the left side in a rough crescent shape. Beside it near the centre is a lightly painted circle. Light linear brush strokes move off the page on the far right. Two square red seals with the artist’s name, mark the page, a small one on the bottom left corner, and a larger on the far right near centre. The paper is attached to a wood panel, painted black along the edges, unpainted on the back. Written on the back is 湯上の三日月パネル (A panel work of Mikazuki by Yugami).

Calligraphic work on paper with a kanji character 月 (tsuki; moon). Piece is rectangular, showing the grey imprint of a character smudged into black ink. Small areas of the white paper have been left un-inked. A red, round, signature seal with the artist’s name, sits on the bottom left. The paper is attached to a wood panel, painted black along edges, unpainted on the back. Written on the back are the artist signature and title in Japanese, 湯上久雄 「月」.

Calligraphic work of a kanji character, 蝶 (chō; butterfly) on thick, white, rectangular paper. The design is of runs, pools, and splatters of black ink, in various thicknesses and consistencies, creating an image in black and grey. Areas of the darkest black have a slight shine.

Calligraphic work of a kanji character, 背 (se; back) on thick, white, rectangular paper, with black ink, in various thicknesses and consistencies, creating an image in black, grey and white. Wood glue was added to create areas of shininess on the ink, as well as on the paper. A kanji character, 背 (se; back) is written so that it also takes on the image of a spinal column. The character mainly covers the right side of the page. Some ink is also on the back of the page near top and bottom edges.

Gourd incense container. Undecorated gourd is round and squat, dark orange in colour, with a woven cord looped several times around the neck and secured by knots incorporating a small ivory ring. Cord is held in place by black threads that cross on the container’s bottom and are tied around the cord in four places. A second cord is looped around the first on the container’s shoulder and is fitted through a ring in the ivory stopper which closes the container at top. Cord is then tied around a large ivory ring with Japanese characters inscribed on both sides and filled with a dark pigment. Part b is a carrying bag in dark purple silk with a tan coloured floral motif on front and drawstring closure.

Gourd bottle with cover. Undecorated drinking gourd for carrying sake is tall, bulbous on bottom, elongated on upper portion, with a rounded lip surrounding the mouth at top. Patina is a dark orange with a high shine. A lighter orange cord is wrapped several times around the waist of the vessel, with trailing end holding a small, yellow wooden stopper by its loop. Part b is a silk carrying bag, rounded at bottom, dark purple on the outside, and black on the interior. A purple-brown drawstring closes the bag at neck. Part c is a small wooden tile with a fine orange cord attached through a hole at top. On one side are Japanese characters written in ink, and on the other is a small pencil drawing of the gourd.

Gourd bottle with cover. Drinking gourd for carrying sake is tall, bulbous on bottom and elongated on top with a neck curving slightly off centre. A small wooden stopper fits inside the mouth. Vessel's patina is a dark orange with a high shine. A light green cord is wrapped three times around the neck of the gourd, with trailing end holding the stopper through a ring in its top, and continuing on to wrap around a large wooden ring. Part b is a square of silk cloth with a pattern of oak leaves in green and grey on a cream background. Cloth is lined with undecorated cream silk.