The clocks have been set to “spring forward” this weekend and with the last magnolia flowers clinging desperately to the trees, the long, cold winter has finally given up and in its place, spring has sprung up.
With that, it’s time for our latest quarterly newsletter and in this edition we’ll take a look at some of the celebrations and traditions that take place across Japan at this time of year. We also celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Fire Horse. We highlight the renowned Imperial ceramicist “Makuzu Kozan”, give our verdict on the “Samurai” exhibition currently on display at the British Museum and, as always, we take a look inside the gallery along with some recent and upcoming additions to their website.
We hope you enjoyed reading.
Kevin Page Oriental Art
Setsubun: Bean Throwing Festival
Celebrated in early February each year, “Setsubun” is a centuries-old tradition where Japanese people scatter roasted soybeans in homes, schools and temples across the country in an effort to ward off evil spirits and demons. “The chant of “Oni wa soto”! Fuku wa uchi!” The bell rings and is translated as “demon out”. good wishes!
The practice of Setsubun serves as a cultural reset, cleansing the home and community to ensure health and happiness for the coming season. Setsubun has been beautifully recreated in this miao company okimono (circa 1880), recently added to our website.
“Shunbun no Hi”, (Spring Equinox)
Last week, millions of Japanese celebrated the Spring Equinox (“Shunbun no Hi”), a seven-day festival that marks the point in the calendar where hours of daylight and darkness are of equal length. A national holiday, Shunbun no Hi is a time to celebrate the coming year, but also to reflect on the passing of loved ones. You can take a look at our short-read blog click here Or on the image below.
Fleeting Beauty: A Celebration of Cherry Blossoms
The arrival of spring gives us a good excuse to revisit one of our most popular blogs where we wrote about sakura (cherry blossoms) and its important role in Japanese life and Japan’s global identity. Click here Or visit the image below to read the article.
Samurai: British Museum
In early March, we visited the excellent new exhibition “Samurai” at the British Museum here in London. The exhibition is a carefully curated selection of armor and weapons, paintings and prints, artefacts and objects, all brilliantly put together to document and illustrate the fascinating stories and legends of Japan’s warrior class.
Click Click on the image below to view some photos from the exhibition along with some works of samurai-inspired art from our collection of Japanese fine art and antiques.
The exhibition runs until 4th May and if you’re planning on visiting “Samurai”, our galleries are a short 20-minute taxi ride from the British Museum. We are open, (by appointment) Monday-Friday 10am to 5pm.
2026: Year of the Fire Horse
In February, we joined billions of people around the world in celebrating the beginning of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse. The Horse symbolizes speed, independence, loyalty and ambition and those born in the year of the Horse are known to be energetic, charismatic, quick-witted and extremely independent.
Read our blog about Chinese New Year and the Year of the Horse to click On the image below.
Makuzu Kozan: A Look Inside the Magical World of the Famous Imperial Ceramicist
One of the most recognized names in Japanese ceramics, the renowned Makuzu Kozan is one of our favorite artists. We recently added some of Makuzu Kozon ceramic works to our website and it inspired us to write a short article about the great man. Click Click on the image for a closer look.
A look inside the gallery:
Each month we continue to add fascinating and beautiful Chinese and Japanese works of art to our website and over the past few weeks we have introduced a selection of some spectacular Satsuma-ware and majestic “Mitsuro Hikime” (lost wax) metal artefacts. Click Click on any image below to see all the recent additions to our website.
First Look:
Over the next few weeks, we will be adding some extraordinary Japanese, Meiji-era artworks to our website. Below is a small selection as a preview for our newsletter readers. contact uClick on any of the images below for more information on any of these pieces before they are added online.
Follow us on Instagram
Join our growing community of over 4,000 Instagram followers for regular updates and fascinating information from our collection of Chinese and Japanese fine art and antiques. Follow us @kevinpageorient Or click the image below to take a look at our Instagram page.
KPOA TV:
We’ve now shared over 150 short videos and slideshows our youtube channel And in February we celebrated the milestone of 10,000 views in a single month. Grab some popcorn and visit our channel to click On the image below.
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A popular resource for interior designers, collectors and creatives around the world, Pinterest is an image sharing and social media hub designed to help users create boards inspired by objects of interest. You can check out our Pinterest board and stay updated click here.
What we value: Our assessment service
Already this year, we have helped to raise hundreds of pounds for the British Red Cross through our “What We Value” initiative. We regularly receive requests to provide appraisals and background information on Chinese and Japanese artworks and rather than charge for this service, we simply ask that a small donation be made to our chosen charity.
The British Red Cross, as part of the Global Disaster Emergency Committee, carries out incredible and vital work, providing food and water, first aid, shelter, warm clothing, hygiene parcels and much more. You can find out more about this initiative and how to request an assessment click here.
We hope you enjoyed reading this spring newsletter. You can also browse over 100 articles and stories inspired by our collection of Chinese and Japanese fine art and antiques by visiting our News and Blog page. click here.
Kevin Page Oriental Art
