I went to one of the biggest Japanese antique markets called Ariake Antique World!

Oedo Antique market might be best known Japanese antique market in Tokyo but the scale of this Ariake Antique World is much bigger than that.

I’ll introduce you the market and the items I bought with some pictures.

What is Ariake Antique World?

Ariake Antique World is one of the biggest Japanese Antique Markets in Tokyo.

I think I can say the size is one of the top 3 in Tokyo.

If you check each shops and items closely, it might take whole day.

They handle wide variety of items from Japanese antiques to Western antiques.

It is held 2 times (February and July) in Tokyo every year.
Ticket price is about $6.5 (1000 yen) if you buy it at the entrance.

Review of Ariake Antique World!

As there were so many goods that I show you just a part of the goods sold at the market.

Japanese Sword

I could see a few shops that sold Japanese swords.

The price was widely different.
But if you want cheapest one, it would be about $700.

The swords in the picture are between $1200 and $3000.

They are mainly Satsuma swords used in between 1600s and 1800s (Edo Period).
And they had the names of the swordsmith.

I think they are reasonable price if it also comes with the certificate of authenticity.

Japanese Sword Guard

Japanese sword guards were also sold at some shops.

They are, of course, much cheaper than Japanese swords.

You can buy them less than $300 for cheap ones.
But be careful there are also many fake Japanese sword guards.

Judging the difference is much more difficult than Japanese swords and even professionals make mistakes for judging.

Like the case of Japanese swords, certificate of authenticity is important.

Still, there are also fake certificate of authenticity, well, this applies to Japanese sword as well, so you may have to rely on your sixth sense in the end.

Old Japanese Toys

I could see Mighty Atom, Tetsujin 28, Peko-chan, Hello Kitty, etc.

I think they are mostly made in 1980s or 1990s.

Peko-chan is not famous at all in overseas but there are earnest collectors of Peko-chan in Japan and they pay high price for rare ones.

Japanese Tin Toys

Tin toys of Masked Rider, Big X, Mighty Atom, Maboroshi Tantei, Ambassador Magma, etc.

They are all made in Japan in 1990s.
The maker is Billiken Shokai.

I had the exact same tin toy of Mighty Atom in the picture before.
Now I hold other vintage tin toys such as Godzilla, Devil Man, etc.

These tin toys became rare now.

Japanese Hakone Yosegi Puzzle Box

Hakone Yosegi Puzzle Box became popular in overseas, especially over the decade.

The boxes are handmade by Japanese craftsmen in Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Hakone Yosegi Puzzle Box is a traditional woodwork craft that uses wood from the Hakone mountain range to create geometric patterns.

Literally, you need to know the tricks to open the box.

I talked with the owner and he showed me how to open it.
I was impressed with the box and actually bought it.

I talked with the owner a lot and it was very interesting.

Old Western and US Toys

I could see Mr. Bean, Chucky, Mickey Mouse, etc.

Not only Japanese toys but western and American toys were sold at some shops.

I didn’t have any knowledge about those toys in overseas but some of them looked rare and vintage.

Japanese Antique Cup

These Japanese cups are made in the Edo Period (1603-1868).

I learned about Japanese antiques from a professional teacher, so I know a little.

There are some types such as Imari ware, Kutani ware, Arita ware, Oribe ware, etc.

The condition looked good without chips or big damages.
But I think they are not in the early Edo but late Edo Period in the 1800s.

Sadly, like the case of Japanese sword guards, there are many fake ones in this category as well.

After negotiation, I bought a cup of Oribe ware.

Old Japanese Books

Looks like old books.

Left one is a book of Japanese sword although I couldn’t know the details only from the title.
Right one is a book about Imperial Rescript that it might have been made during the war.

Old books are interesting and attracted my eyes.

Japanese Kimono and Accessory Cases

This shop were handling Japanese Kimono and the accessories.

They are not vintage but modern ones.

The accessory cases caught my eyes that I checked.

The owner said they were all made in Japan, not mass-production in China.

I told her I want some for a gift and she helped me to pick up good Japanese designs.

And she gave me one for free!
Thank you very much!!

Japanese Jingasa (War Hat)

This is a war hat called Jingasa.

Jingasa is a hat that is worn to protect the head, and is used as a substitute for Kabuto (Japanese warrior helmet).

It is made from thin iron, leather or paper, and lacquer is applied to the surface.

During the Edo period, Jingasa began to be used by samurai for official duties, and there was an increase in the number of hats that focused on aesthetics as well as functionality.

I could see four diamond-shaped patterns on this Jingasa.

For this four-diamond crest, Takeda family’s Takeda diamond is especially famous.

Narrow ones between the diamond shapes are considered to be the Takeda diamond, and the wider ones are considered to be the four-diamond crest.

I think this one was used in the late Edo Period.

Menko (Japanese card toy)

I could see some Menko.

Menko is an old Japanese card toy made of paper.

I’ve never played but it was originally made in the Edo Period and became popular.

Second boom was after the war period in the 1950s.
I think these Menko are ones in between the 1950s and 1970s.

Interesting to see these old paper toys.

Japanese Inro (Pill Box)

My image of Into is Mito Kōmon (Mitsukuni Tokugawa).

It’s an old Japanese TV period drama and loved especially by elderly people.

He (Mito Kōmon) often showed this Inro to judge the wicked.

His Inro had the Tokugawa family crest on it that wicked, who didn’t know he was Mitsukuni Tokugawa, had no way to obey him.

Not his case but an ordinary Inro was used just as a pill box in the Edo period.
It was a portable medicine case that people kept their own medicine in.

I could see the price over $2500.
I didn’t know that Inro became such a expensive item now.

Ancient Japanese Mirror

Wow, these are very rare!

These are mirrors made in the Kofun Period (250AD – 538AD).

They were made over 1500 years ago!!

The note says it was found in Asuka in Nara Prefecture.

I see, Asuka in Nara is the place many ancient items were found.
Actually, the history in Nara is much older than that of Kyoto.

I didn’t expect to see these ancient mirrors at this place.

Old Japanese Coins and Jade

I could see several types of Japanese coins.

I think most of them are from Meiji Period (1868-1912).
So not very old coins but still rare.

Right ones in the box is jade which were found in Itoi River.

The use of jade began in the Jomon period (3,000-300 BCE), and it is one of the places where jade processing has been carried out since the earliest times in the world.

These are also ancient stones, aren’t they.

Items I bought

Accessory Case

I bought 8 accessory cases.
Well, the owner game me one more, so I got 9 of them in total.

Not for me but for a present.

They were all made in Japan and the quality was certainly good.

Some of them had traditional patterns such as sakura or flowers in four seasons.

This accessory case is called Juzu-ire in Japanese and made originally for a purpose of putting Buddhist prayer beads in it.

But you can use this Juzu-ire for anything for carry things or as a wallet.

Oribe Ware Cup

Oribe ware is one of my favorites.

I like the deep green color of Oribe.

This Oribe ware was made in the late Edo Period, so in the 1800s.

Actually, Oribe made in the Momoyama Period (1568-1600) is better for the quality but hard to find now.

Anyway, I bought it for a memory of this market.

Hakone Yosegi Puzzle Box

Attracted by the trick and beautiful Japanese patterns on it, I bought this Hakone Yosegi Puzzle Box.

Hakone Yosegi Zaiku is a traditional woodworking craft that skillfully creates geometric patterns by arranging variously colored natural woods.

It is all handmade by Japanese craftsmen in Hakone.

You need to know the tricks to open it.

The one I bought was relatively easy to open but difficult one has more than 20 steps to open the box.

The owner was also nice to talk to and I decided to buy it.

Tags: Antique Market, Ariake Antique World, Flea Market, Review, tokyo Author : Hiroshi80