Paris - Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is pleased to announce its first Parisian auction of Japanese art on 15 October 2025. This sale will offer a selection of the finest and rarest examples of Japanese art, including ceramics, lacquer, screens, Meiji period works of art, samurai armour and swords, and Edo and Meiji period woodblock prints. Among the highlights of the sale is a yukinoshita dō with a nakaya lineage helmet, Edo period (1615–1868), 18th century estimated at €25,000 to 35,000.

This finely crafted yukinoshita dō ensemble, signed by Nakaya Yōjin Hideshige, exemplifies late Edo armour design, combining ceremonial function with martial heritage. The eight-plate russet-iron kabuto features a gilt-brass tehen kanamono pierced with chrysanthemums, a compass-inset maedate, and a five-lame shikoro with long fukigaeshi decorated in white leather and gilt-metal uzumaki motifs. The russet-iron yukinoshita dō, adorned with leather overlays, shakudō trims, and gilt uzumaki characters, is complemented by menpō, sode, gote, haidate, and suneate, reflecting both technical mastery and aesthetic refinement.

Armors of this type were designed for display, processions, and ceremonial use, projecting the wearer's rank and prestige while retaining their martial symbolism. Nakaya's signature denotes a workshop renowned for its skill in combining artistry, tradition, and the expressive power of armor.

Jeff Olson, Director of Bonhams Japanese department and Head of Sale said: "Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is organising for the first time in Paris an auction dedicated to Japanese Art, marking a new stage in the development of this growing market. From now, Bonhams will be offering stand-alone sales of Japanese Art in Paris in line with a wider market shift and mirroring the approach of our competitors. Stand-alone sales of Japanese Works of Art will also continue to take place in New York in the Asian Art Week Sales in March and September as well as in Bonhams Knightsbridge's Asian Art auctions."

Highlights of the sale include:

Miyao Eisuke (active late 19th century), a large bronze group of shōki and an oni, Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1900 (Estimate: €30,000-40,000)

The figure of Shōki, the demon-queller, originates in China, where he was revered from the Tang dynasty onwards as a protector against malevolent spirits. According to legend, Shōki, a loyal but ill-fated scholar, took his own life after failing the imperial examinations. The emperor, admiring his integrity, posthumously granted him the role of exorcist. In Japan, Shōki became an essential apotropaic figure from the mediaeval period onward, frequently invoked during the Tango no sekku (Boys' Festival) and widely represented in the arts of the Edo period. During the Meiji era (1868–1912), Shōki's iconography experienced a resurgence. His dramatic confrontation with oni, embodiments of disorder and malevolence, lent itself to powerful and theatrical depictions that combined protective symbolism with vivid narrative intensity.

It was in this context that the production of large bronze groups flourished—meticulously chiselled, often patinated and gilded. Frequently exhibited at national and international expositions, they demonstrated the virtuosity of Japanese metalworkers and catered both to a domestic elite seeking works of prestige and to the expanding international market fascinated by Japanese art.

Among the most renowned workshops was that of Miyao Eisuke, established first in Yokohama and later in Tokyo. Active in the second half of the 19th century, Miyao specialised in gilded and finely detailed bronzes, often depicting heroic, warrior, or mythological subjects. His works, instantly recognisable for their decorative richness and technical mastery, were widely exported and are now represented in major museum and private collections worldwide. The workshop's signatures, such as Dai Nihon Miyao seizō ("Made by Miyao of Great Japan"), reflect both the prestige of the studio and the assertion of national identity at a time of increasing international exchange. This group is estimated at €30,000-40,000.

A fine lacquer gunbai (war fan) in a storage box with an integrated suzuribako (box for writing utensils), Edo period (1615-1868), 19th century (Estimate: €10,000-15,000)

This gunbai, or war fan, was used by military commanders to direct troops and signal orders on the battlefield, serving as both a practical tool and a symbol of rank and prestige. Crafted in glossy black lacquer and decorated in gilt and silver hiramaki-e, one side features astronomical motifs, while the other depicts the sun, moon, and a manji character. Silver fittings are engraved with the heraldic crests of the Ashina clan, emphasising the owner's identity and status.

The fitted storage box, similarly decorated with Ashina crests, incorporates a fully equipped suzuribako, a box for writing utensils, reflecting the intersection of martial function and refined cultural practice. This ensemble exemplifies the artistry and technical mastery of 19th-century Japanese war accoutrements, where lacquer, gilding, and heraldic ornamentation conveyed both authority and sophistication.

A black and gold-lacquer armour, Edo period (1615-1868), 18th/19th century (estimate: €12,000-15,000)