After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Yagyu Saemon took out a delicate tea set and put it in front of Kojiro Cocoyama.

After a long time, Hongjiro was reluctant to put down the teacup, and said with an obsessive face: "I didn't expect to be able to see with my own eyes the exquisite world that has been lost for thousands of years in my lifetime!"

Facing Su Yuan, he said respectfully: "I didn't expect that you are not only a sword casting master, but also a porcelain genius, it's just ......."

Su Yuan waved his hand and wrote lightly: "Porcelain has been passed down for thousands of years, broad and profound, Su is just a first glimpse of the door, I heard that Longquantang is the first porcelain gold-lettered signboard in the island country, I hope to communicate more in the future." ”

Hongjiro smiled and nodded, he had already heard all kinds of rumors about Su Yuan, and one Long Yuan slashed the five famous swords in the world, swept thousands of armies, and killed all directions.

Today, face to face, it is even more impressive, calm and atmospheric, modest and courteous, and the craftsmanship is unfathomable, which is admirable.

"The master praises falsely, if you want to say that the celadon collection, Longquantang has been conscientious for several generations, and it can barely be regarded as a small reputation. Hongjiro personally filled Su Yuan with wine, and said modestly: "If you change to other fields, you don't dare to be ashamed." ”

Saemon laughed and quipped: "Cocoon-san-kun doesn't need to be humble, although Longsentang is famous for celadon, but other types are more hidden, and the porcelain heritage alone is not inferior even to the Yamanaka family." ”

Hongjiro's face was solemn after hearing this, and he said: "Yanagi Sang-kun's words are wrong, Yamanaka Trading Company is the first antique family in China, and its strength is unfathomable, and it can be called the leader in the Tokyo club, and it has been cultivated for a hundred years, and the channel is unmatched!"

The founder, Jojiro Yamanaka, was born into a family of antique dealers, and he followed his father in and out of antique shops at an early age, and became interested in the antique industry. His studious and persevering personality gradually emerged, and then began to open the way for the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce to enter the European and American markets. ”

Under his leadership, the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce opened an antique store in New York in 1894, followed by branches in Boston and Chicago. With the opening of a store in London in 1900 and an agency in Paris in 1905, he became the world's largest antique dealer in just two decades. ”

Su Yuan looked at the expression of admiration on Cocoon's face Hongjiro, he didn't expect the Yamanaka family to have such prestige and status among his peers?

"The biggest rise came from Prince Gong's Mansion, when Pu Wei recruited troops and sold a large number of antiques in order to revive the Manchu Qing Dynasty. In the early winter of 1912, Nakayama Nakasadijiro finally had the opportunity to enter the mysterious palace of Prince Gong and see a scene that he will never forget. ”

"In the spacious courtyard, there are rows of warehouses full of treasures, divided into Ruyi Warehouse, Calligraphy and Painting Warehouse, and Bronze Warehouse, about dozens of rooms, and the items in each room are covered with dust. Countless jadeite jewelry handpieces, many of which are like rice in a rice shop. ”

Speaking of this, Kojiro said enviously: "Any antique dealer will never have such an opportunity in his life! In the end, he bought all the bronze, porcelain, jade, jade, and table clocks of Prince Gong's Mansion at a price of 340,000 oceans, except for calligraphy and paintings. ”

"It was quickly sorted and sorted into three batches, one batch was shipped to the United States for auction, one group was shipped to the United Kingdom for auction, and one group was left for retail in the antique store of the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce. At the New York auction that year, a total of 536 lots were sold for a total of $270,000, a record price. ”

Su Yuan was silent, Cocoon Yama Kojiro, as an antique dealer, could understand his worship of the mountain. It's like micro-businesses worship Ma Yun, and IT men worship Ma Huateng.

$270,000 may not sound like much, but in 1900 it was astronomical. For example, on November 28, 2006, at Christie's autumn auction, Prince Gong's old collection of the Qing Qianlong Imperial White Jade Beast Face Movable Ring Cap Bottle was sold for 6.6 million Hong Kong dollars, and the Qing Qianlong Imperial Jasper Beast Mask Movable Ring Cap Bottle was sold for 8.28 million Hong Kong dollars.

At the 2010 Christie's autumn auction, a Qing Dynasty Qianlong imperial rosewood lacquered jade round light seat screen from Prince Gong's Mansion was sold at a sky-high price of 32.02 million, setting a new record for classical furniture.

These are not even a drop in the bucket back then, and Prince Gong's Mansion is worth a fortune if he takes out a random piece, so you can imagine the strength of the Yamanaka Trading Company.

According to the records of that year, Yue Bin, a big antique dealer in the Liuli Factory during the Republic of China, found a cricket jar inlaid with jewels and spent 100 yuan. Then he asked his old buyer, Dingjiro, to come and see the goods.

Lao Shanzhong was over the age of sixteen at that time, but he was generous, as long as the things he liked were sold at a fixed price, he would pay immediately.

After listening to Yue Bin's introduction, he asked the price directly, Yue Bin was ruthless, the lion opened his mouth, six thousand oceans!

Lao Shanzhong didn't say a word, and immediately wrote a check, which was passed down as a good story back then. Three years later, the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce brought this cricket jar to the United Kingdom, sold it for 10,000 pounds, and is now in the collection of a major museum.

There are too many cultural relics resold in the mountains, all of the Tianlong Mountain Grottoes, all of Prince Gong's Mansion, the Zhengguang double wall of the Metropolitan Museum, the murals of the Guangsheng Temple of Pennsylvania in Boston, the murals of the Royal Ontario of Canada, and the sarcophagus of filial piety of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Jincun, Luoyang......

There are countless of them, and they can be called the first cultural relics sinner in history!

Kojiro put down his glass and continued: "So Yamanaka Trading Company has been prosperous for a hundred years, firmly occupying the position of the first family of antiques, even Sakamoto Goro's Buyantang, and even the Taoli Society, which later set up its own door, cannot be compared. ”

"For example, the Tokyo Art Club, where one-third of its members are recommended by the Yamanaka family, has been forming gangs for decades and is powerful. ”

"If it weren't for the head-to-head competition of Goro Sakamoto, coupled with the checks and balances of Hosokawa, Fujita and other families, Yamanaka would have already formed a monopoly and had the greatest right to speak!"

Even Saemon frowned and said nothing, monopoly is a dream for businessmen. Calling for wind and rain, turning over hands for clouds and covering hands for rain, as if the Ninety-Five is supreme.

Especially for antiques, there is no unified pricing standard, it all depends on eyesight, even if you open your eyes, you can only cry secretly, and the return will be laughed at by your peers.

If you can form a monopoly in this field and have the absolute right to speak, it will be a ......

Su Yuan was secretly frightened, worthy of being a mountain family, with a hundred years of inheritance and strong strength, he would definitely be the most difficult opponent in the future, and it would be a huge obstacle to enter the island country.

"In addition to the Yamanaka family, another behemoth is Sakamoto!" explained Kojiro, "Goro Sakamoto is also a legendary figure, he is 90 years old this year, and he is still active in the antique circle, which can be called an immortal miracle. ”

Su Yuan nodded, if Yamanaka Dingjiro is a cultural relics dealer who makes a fortune from war, and is an absolute villain. Goro Nasakamoto is relatively decent and is known as the little Napoleon of Asia.

At that time, in European auctions, where there were few Asian faces, new auction records were set for porcelain. At the same time, he continues to donate his collection to art galleries all over Asia, passing on the art of vision accumulated throughout his life to future generations.

In his later years, he donated treasures to domestic museums, and the most classic record was the auction of the Ming Chenghua Doucai Chicken Bowl Cup at Sotheby's Hong Kong Island for 29.17 million Hong Kong dollars in 1999, which became the highest transaction record of ancient porcelain in the auction market at that time.

Eighteen years later, it was auctioned again and was bought by Liu Yiqian for 280 million, which is also one of the only three genuine products left by private individuals in the world.

What does it feel like to drink tea with 300 million in your hand?