Imagine...
... a
box with no apparent way to open it, yet if you know the secret
– you can. One box might take 4 steps, another 54. Now imagine a
store with not a couple, a few, or even a dozen – but nearly
100
of these amazing Japanese
puzzle boxes.
... a
carved wooden jaguar head decorated with over 50,000 beads, each
individually placed, forming intricate patterns. An art form
perfected by the Huichol Indians of Mexico.
... a
tiny basket, so tightly woven that they say it can hold water.
Such are the baskets of the Wounaan Indians of Panama.
... a
sculpture that is half giraffe, half gazelle and just so happens
to be purple and orange. This is the whimsical work known as Alebrijes to the people of Oaxaca, Mexico.
... a gold
lacquer vase that took a master craftsman over a month to
complete. Or a jade sculpture that took 3 months. Or a tiny bottle
with a portrait painted on the inside
Imagine
these items and thousands more, each with a story, waiting to be
discovered. |
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GOLD LEAF LACQUER
Gold
Leaf Lacquer - is
one of the finest crafts produced in China. It involves a 20 step process that
converts normal objects of porcelain or wood into beautiful masterpieces. Each
piece is hand painted and gilded with gold leaf, then finished with over 10
coats of lacquer, a process that can take up to a month to complete. |
JAPANESE BENTO BOXES
View our Bento
Boxes - Just as you can order take-out in
the United States, in Japan, you can take out food for lunch or dinner called
Bento. The bento is stored and sold
in boxes, thus the name, Bento Box. This
take away style is very popular and can be found just about anywhere – in
train stations, convenience stores, theaters, shopping areas, vending machines,
and so on. For instance, if you
were to buy a ticket to take a bullet train, you can either buy Bento boxes to
take with you on the train or relax and wait for a vendor to come to you. |
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Featured Products
NAVAJO SAND PAINTINGS
 Shop our Sand Paintings - These sand paintings are
done completely by hand. On the back of each piece is a card with the artists
name and written in the artists hand the name of the painting. The Navajo people
believe the universe to be delicately balanced. Only man can upset it causing
disaster or illness. When this happens a medicine man must restore the natural
balance. Balance is restored by healing the offender with chants herbs prayers
songs and sand paintings. |
INSIDE PAINTED SNUFF BOTTLES
 Shop for Snuff Bottles - Both
Chinese snuff bottles, as well as the tobacco powder contained by the Chinese
snuff bottles were at the very core of a fashion whose popularity had never
before been experienced in China’s extensive history.
Due to it’s exceptional versatility of style, technique and material,
all in one small object, as well as the fine craftsmanship, these tiny
masterpieces quickly became one of the most notable representations of the use
of artistic skill throughout the Qing Dynasty.
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JAPANESE PUZZLE BOXES
 Shop our Secret Puzzle Boxes - Our puzzle boxes
are each individually handcrafted in the city of Hakone, Japan and imported by
us directly from the artists offering the best quality and pricing available.
The skills have been passed down through the generations since the Edo Period. |
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