GUEST: Well, it came from my parents, and I'm 62, and I can remember this as long as I lived. I've always wanted it. (chuckles) When my parents passed away, my brother had a custody of it for a little while.
APPRAISER: Mmm.
GUEST: And then I demanded it.
APPRAISER: Ah, okay. It's a wonderful, large-format, painted screen. What do you know about it?
GUEST: First of all, it's signed "Yoshihiko," but I couldn't find anything about this person. My limited knowledge of Japan, looks like two courtesans with a attending child, probably late Edo period or maybe even Meiji period.
APPRAISER: Well, it's a little later than that. I think it's probably Taisho period. The Taisho era follows the Meiji period. Meiji period was from 1868 to 1912.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: And the Taisho period was from 1912 to 1926, at a time where they were really interested in large-scale figures and designs, which actually showed the interaction between Western art and Japanese art-- the influence of Art Deco on large-scale decoration. It looks like it's been a little bit faded. Did you have something done to it?
GUEST: My mother had it, it was kept in a dark place, but when I acquired it, it was in pretty bad shape. So, some cleaning was done, and then it's hanged underneath a skylight. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.
APPRAISER: So it's been faded a bit, yes.
GUEST: I believe it did, mm-hmm, slightly.
APPRAISER: So you had it restored, then.
GUEST: Repaired, more likely, yes.
APPRAISER: I see, I see. Tell me, what did you pay for the restoration?
GUEST: $2,500.
APPRAISER: Well, let me tell you, that was a very good investment.
GUEST: (chuckles)
APPRAISER: It's done by Yoshihiko, who was a Taisho artist. And Taisho is a very, very hot commodity, this period between 1912 and 1926. I believe the Honolulu Academy of Art recently had an exhibition called "Taisho Chic."
GUEST: That's what I've been told, yeah.
APPRAISER: Right, exactly. Even though the two-paneled byobu, or screen, as it's called, is faded and has had some restoration, it still, on the auction market, would be estimated at about $7,000 to $10,000.
GUEST: (chuckles) I'm glad I brought this here.
APPRAISER: Thank you very much for bringing it in to us.
GUEST: Thank you.
