This is a Chinese viewing stone, the stone type is unknown. The inside of the box has writing that appears to suggest it is a Furuya stone collected in 1955, and although the box is the perfect size, I don't believe the writing relates to this stone.

The stone is large, dense and hard, it will appeal if you like heavy stones, which carry a lot of presence. It is clearly a river stone that has been knocked around in the water for a long time, and smoothed off in the process.

The surface is interesting, it's reminiscent of a kind of Setagawa called "Leopard Spot", and if you look closely, there is a fine speckle and a larger pattern overlaid on it. This is easiest to see on the rear side. There are a number of cracks, some quite wide, but nothing is loose or coming apart, it is solid.

The thing that gives this away as a Chinese stone is the engraving on the back. It reads (something like) "Composed by Daishan Kisho". Engraving on viewing stones is almost an entirely Chinese phenomenon, and depending on the engraver, it can be quite a significant find.

The daiza gives us another clue that it's Chinese, and the styling tells us we should interpret this as Shimagata - an Island stone. The daiza is carefully made, although a small  part of one wave carving has been damaged (see photos).

This stone is quite large and dramatic enough to be displayed on it's own, it has a lot of personality if you can say that about a stone! Paired with a tall literati tree and perhaps a seascape scroll with birds, you could have the perfect coastal image.

SKU: 24967

Size: 270 x 170 x 150mm (10⅝ x 6¾ x 6 in), 7.6kg.

Condition: Inscription on stone, small chip on daiza, overall very good.