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IN- THIS

POCKET

A VINDICATION
OF THE

DECORATED POTTERY OF JAPAN

BY

JAMES
"
,

L.

BOWES
at

His Imperial Majesty's Honorary Consul for Japan

Liverpool

AUTHOR OF
Japanese Marks and Seals 11 Japanese Enamels" " 11 Japanese Pottery " and Joint Author of " Keramic Art of Japan &G.
11

PRINTED FOR PRIVATE- CIRCULATION. NOT FOR SALE.

.1DCCCXCI.

A TEA CLUB.

THE

following

letter,

written

in

reply to an
Pottery,

referring to

my

book, Japanese

anonymous which appeared

article

in

the

New
fessor

York Nation and the Evening

I

Post,

has called forth three,

Pro-

or more perhaps, for aught

know, lengthy letters from

MORSE on

the

same

subject.

My

reply to the original article

was refused admission

into

the columns of the journals named, although the work had not

been sent to either of them

decline,
for

for review,

English literary journals

notices,

obvious

reasons,

to

admit

by anonymous
for review,

writers, of

works which have not been sent to them

differ

but the custom in America appears to

in another respect; for
in

in

this,

as well as

this

country, the

conductors willingly

allow an author to reply to

I

such an attack as that to which

refer,

especially

when

it

is

couched in language so temperate

as that employed by me, in answer to

its

an

article

which carried

own condemnation

in its tone,

The

Nation, however, whilst

excluding
of paid

my

letter, readily

and

politely

enough accepted a

series

advertisements- giving the opinions

expressed about

my

work by
afforded

English

journals,

and,

for

sufficient

consideration,

them a prominent

position.

The

editor of the Evening

I

Post also refused insertion of the reply, and

venture to refer

him

for

his

future

which Mr. guidance to the words

BIGELOW

recently used with reference to his predecessor

WILLIAM CULLEN

BRYANT

"
:

He

never could be beguiled into personal controversy,

every line of a newspaper belonged to the public
it,

insisting that

that paid

for

and could not honestly be perverted to the

gratification

of the

vanity,

or

spite,
I

or

self-sufficiency

of

its

editors,"

under which denomination

in

imagine such writers

as

the author of the notice

question would

come

in

America,

as they certainly would in England.

The name of the

not

writer of the

anonymous review has

i

been

disclosed,

nor

am

in

position
it

to

declare

it.

Professor

MORSE
it

refers in

his letters to

in

way

that would

suggest that

was the work of another hand, but the unbearticles, leads

coming language, common to all the that the whole of the attacks upon
personally, proceed from

one to suppose

my

work, and upon myself

the

same

pen.

And,

further, the criti-

cisms in the original article are repeated in the later ones.

Although aware that

my

reply
I

had been refused insertion

it

by the papers named, and that

necessary to issue
it

had, in consequence, found

as a circular, Professor Transcript of

MORSE condescended
here
I

to write to the Boston

my

" reply as having lurked

must express my grateful acknowledgments to the Transcript and Boston Herald (and to the New York Studio also, for I understand this
etc.

about in the form of a circular,"

And

journal

gave a place to
fairplay

my

reply),

for

-having proved

their

desire for
I

by inserting would that

employed

my
I

letter

which

the

newspapers

have

named had endeavoured

I

to burke.

could

dismiss

any

further
in

reference
letter,

to
I

the

tone

by

Professor

MORSE

his

for

consider the personal aspect of the subject altogether subsidiary to the larger question of the right appreciation of the Keramic Art of Japan. But I find it impossible to avoid mentioning the sentence in Mr. MORSE'S letter to the following Transcript with reference to mine: "In the circular now issued him

he

by

leaves out

all

reference

to

the
as

Herald, and
directed

mendaciously

attributes

the

being against my Old Satsuma/ which appeared in Harpers' Magazm for September, 1888." This refers to the article from the Japan Mail, which I in gave my book, page 552, an d
illustrated article

article

quoted

on

? TK* 2 The Boston Herald,

f theSe
referring

Pages '
to

What

said of

^is,
Professor

our

criticisms

MORSE'S

article

on Old Satsuma," &c., and

believe that

am

correct in saying that

Mr. MORSE has written only one paper

it

on Old Satsuma, and that

for

was printed

in

Harpers' Magazine

September,

1888.
a"

Other remarks of
upon,
but
they

similar character

might be commented
to
in

may.be more
afford

conveniently referred
idea
of

in

the

Notes;

these

will

an

the
treated

feeling

which

Professor
is

MORSE has approached and

be dealt with
in
its

a subject which
so
well
set

one that should

in

the
to

spirit

forth

by the Athenceum

preface

highly
:

eulogistic

notice of Professor WHITNEY'S

The Century Dictionary

" If we

could condescend to be unfair, we might base a slashing attack

on the instances of omission or

unprejudiced experts
a few hundred

error

we have

collected

but
or

know

perfectly well

that a few

dozen

blemishes in a large dictionary only prove that while it lexicography has not yet got very near to perfection ;
is

improbable that

it

ever will get near enough to

escape false

inferences of the captious."

v ^^^7 *?**'-' X*.ftrfcr.vX

HtfcAnfA

**

THE MAKIMONO

EMBLEMATICAL OF WISDOM.

THE LETTER REFERRED

I

TO IN THE FOREGOING REMARKS.

beg that you

will

acquit

me

of any desire to remark

upon the

in your Journal, tone of the review of Japanese Pottery which appeared to point out that the but I venture to hope that I may be permitted distinction between the main object of the work is to make clear the the Undecorated, the branches of the industry, namely,

three principal

Decorated, and the

Export wares, to

assign to each

its

fair

share

of

treat them in such a manner as commendation, and to

may make them

first

of other useful to the potters

I

nations.

am aware
have

that the

rude objects which

strange

come within the

besides
myself,

category

exercised

and, to

others

an

the minds of certain American collectors, unaccountable fascination over of these early who have become so absorbed in the contemplation
chajin
artistic

wares that

unable to see any beauty in the they are apparently

during
the
past

works

produced

two

centuries,

when

Japan,

secure in

the

great

closed to foreign influence, under the able rule of peace and made such wonderful advances in every

Tokugawa
I

family,

branch of
clearly
in

art.

have expressed

my own
by
to

matter very opinion on this

my

work,

endeavouring,
I

illustration

and
views

description,

to

prove

my

position,

and

am
even
I

glad

find

my
will

My
High

confirmed
Priest

by an
the

authority to
cult

which which

Professor

MORSE, the

of

curious

to

have referred,

acknowledge that

he

must defer on
I
I

this

question.

find

The Japan Mail, Captain BRINKLEY, in whose Journal, a very plainly worded criticism of the pretensions advanced by
refer to

the

Professor

in

his

well-known
article

article

in

Harpers'
to

Magazine
in
I

upon

'Old
degree

Satsuma.'
fallacious,

The

appeared
with

to
it

me

be

the

highest

but in dealing
in
it

in

my
in

work

combated the
to

views

expressed

in
I

a
find

gentle
in

spirit,

not

venturing

use

such

trenchant
ridicules

language as
in
is

the article

The

Japan Mail, which

unsparing terms the Professor's peculiar views.

printed
in

The

entire
will

critique

the

Notes
the

to

my

book,

but

perhaps

you
this

kindly

permit

me

to

extract

following

remarks which

most

competent authority makes about the chajin wares with which Professor

MORSE
"

is

so

enamoured.
to

Their
eyes

characteristics

are

referred

to

as

Features

which
"their

vulgar

looked

like

gross

technical
surfaces

imper-

fections;"

shrivelled

shapes
;

and
"

blotched

suggested
I3th and
blistered

beauties imperceptible

to the profane

"

the experts of the

I4&

centuries threw into their dust-bins piles of distorted

in
skill

and

cups, bowls and pots which,

their

silly

ignorance, they conceived to

be disgraces to the technical

the
chajin t

of their time;
later,

these rejected treasures

two

hundred

years

disinterred

from

the

dirt

and

placed amongst the gems of his cult."

These

are

the

objects

which

the

disciples

of

the

late

Mr.

NINAGAWA, admirers of the Undecorated wares, display for the delectation and education- of western connoisseurs and potters; but even in
Japan, where
blind

reverence for

antiquity

is

the

dominant

feeling,

more enlightened
that

spirit

prevails,

for

\vc

read in the article referred to,

this

"True Japanese
bequeathed
soon,
to

art

rose

superior to
objects,

cramping

influence,

and

has
will

us

exquisite

which
at

American
real

connoisseurs
I

we

trust,

learn

to

appreciate

their

value."

hope

this

may

be so, and that the potters of England and America will not
the
beautiful

believe

that

keramic art of Japan

I

is

fitly

represented

by

such unsightly wares as those

have referred
the
correctness

to.

Your reviewer questions

of the

classification

of

about a dozen pieces, mostly of minor importance, out of the thousand

examples
opinion
is

which

have

described

in

my

book;

he

states

that

his

based upon

the photographic representations

of

the

objects,
be,

but

need

hardly say that, however perfect such plates

altogether

may

they
It
is,

afford

an

unsafe

guide

where glazes

are

concerned.

however, a remarkable and suggestive coincidence that the

of

classification

most of

the

pieces

referred

to

was
at

also

questioned

by
It

Professor

MORSE, when he once spent an hour

my Museum.
visit

has

been

my

custom,

for

twenty

years

past,

to

place

any doubtful
me, and to

specimens
take
their

aside for

reference to experts

who might

opinion

about them.

made a note

of the

Professor's views

about

these pieces, but, as Japanese connoisseurs

who

subsequently saw them

original
classification,

did not confirm his opinion,

reverted

to

my

in

which they agreed.

judgment;
the
also

Take a
of

single instance as

a test of your reviewer's

piece

Nagato

ware

which

he

classifies

as

Shino
I

Owari was
see

so

placed
it

by Professor MORSE, whose attention, as

attracted;
this

by

my
it

notes,

especially

specimen

find

has

burnt

into

the

crest

of

the

Prince

of

Nagato,
Is
it

which

conclusively

proves

the

correctness

of

my

classification

necessary for

me
face

to

further pursue

these

over-confident

so-called

corrections in the

of

evidence such as this?

Would

that

could say that these few

specimens were the only

ones about which

early

have had doubts, but there are others of the rude

have
puzzled
date
of
still.

wares

which

me

for

well-nigh

half

my

life,

and

regarding
seurs

the

origin

and

which

the cleverest
seriously,

native

connoisis

have differed and

differ

But

the

subject

not

worth a moment's discussion,

interest to sensible people,

for the objects are

devoid of beauty and

;

whether they be Japanese or otherwise

be
of value

and
of

although

such

wares

may

from

an

ethnological

point

view, they are altogether of secondary interest to the

Decorated wares of

the I7th and i8th centuries, or even to the Export wares, whether as

examples

of

technical

skill

and

decorative

art,

or

as

models

for

our

potters

and decorators of to-day.

Shades
spirits

of

Kakiyemon, Ninsei,
the

and
that

knowledge spared as models for the reviewer by your artist potters of this igth century to their beautiful works, which, with others of almost equal merit, he so cavalierly dismisses as worthy
Morikage!
departed
the rude chajin wares are preferred

May

these

be

only of a place in an "industrial" museum! As for the names of kilns and potters,

of

which

so

brave

show
fold;
in

is

made by
within

the reviewer,

it

would be easy to increase them ten-

for

a generation every potter

who handled

clay,

especially

no higher form than that of furnaces, or some other chajin ware, considered himself an artist, and dubbed His cottage some poetical name.

But

valueless as

an array of names the wares themselves.

such

would

be

as

meaningless
the

and

One word more.

of

Your reviewer remarks

signatures

upon
I

translations

the

numerous
pointing

marks and
out

which
perfect

have

given,

without,
of the

however,

any

errors.

The
is

transliteration

characters used
living

by Japanese potters
indeed,

may
to

dogmatize,

various

a matter on which no foreigner meanings may properly be

but I feel no doubt whatever volume are substantially correct,

assigned

many

of these

characters;
in

that the renderings of the

for

marks

my

they

have

been passed

under review

by four accomplished

native

scholars.

In conclusion, permit me to say that I should welcome discussion so and upon interesting important a subject as the right appreciation of

Japanese keramic art works with the view of making them valuable to the potters of your country and of my own; but this only with those

who, having the courage of their opinions, sign

they write.

their

names to what

THE KAKUREGASA,

or Concealing Hat, the wearer of which can at will

render himself invisible to those around him.

meet the charges which Professor MORSE has brought against me, I may mention that my works on Japanese Pottery, Enamels, and Marks and Seals represent the only serious
Before
I

attempts to deal with the

three

subjects

named; some essays

little

have, indeed, been written about pottery, but they go very

beyond the native reports, and the writers have, in the main, been content to accept the standard of taste affected by the
chajin,

the

correctness of which
successfully
I

have been
regards
the

one of the
best

first

to

challenge,

so

as

European

accepted by endorsed in been and have the Japanese themselves, Japan by Captain BRINKLEY, who has boldly thrown down his gage to the admirers
extracts

opinion, and

find

that

my

views are

now being

of

the

chajin

ware

and, judging

by

the

interesting
in

from

his

forthcoming

work which

appeared

the

BRINKLEY-GREEY Catalogue, all lovers of Japanese pottery will welcome its appearance. A book on Japanese pottery, by Professor

MORSE, was announced long ago, but

have not heard

of its publication.

Passing

now from
correct

these matters to
appreciation
of
in

the more important

question of the

the

keramic wares of
first

Japan

which

have

touched

upon

my

letter,

and

which, indeed, it was the object of my work to encourage, " I have endeavoured to describe the merits of each I wrote
:

class

of ware impartially, to

correct the

mistaken views which

have obtained, and also to clear away the misconceptions upon other points which have followed upon the careless statements
of dealers

and others."
I

As
groups
:

have

said,

the

objects

may

be divided into three

(1)

(2)
(3)

The Underrated, The Decorated,

The Modern wares.
been
fully

Each

division

has

treated

in

Japanese Pottery,

and

may

only be briefly referred to here.

The Undecorated wares comprise mainly

for the chanoyu, the ceremonial tea-drinking,

the objects

made

an observance which

8
of the conservative thought of Japan,
it,

was the embodiment

chajin,

and the

who engage

in

have always affected the greatest admir-

the rude productions of a by-gone age, ignoring of the beautiful. These of their own day in the direction progress a few inches wares comprise small jars, generally only
ation for the
chajin
in

height,

for .holding

the powdered tea used in the ceremony

they are

made

of stoneware,

covered with brown, black, yellow

are also tea bowls, and other glazes of sombre hues, and there of fineness, and other objects made of clays of varying degrees

and sometimes ornamented rudely in glazed or partially glazed, or incised designs filled in with white or colours, or with impressed
other clays,

some

of this latter ware being interesting and beautiful.

chajin

Such,

briefly,

are the characteristics of the

wares,

some

illustrated in the accompanying Plate A,* examples of which are which shows a cup of Karatzu pottery other cups of Seto-kuro
;

and raku wares,

illustrating

each of them the choicest of

its

class,

and

"blotched surfaces, beauties imperceptible to " also a tea jar by the matchless Toshiro, and one the profane These are the wares which have so of Seto-kusuri Satsuma.
in their
;

Japan

dominated the minds and obscured the judgment of the chajin of and their followers elsewhere who have been content to
accept their standard, of
It is

whom

Professor

MORSE

is

the champion.

a very curious point in connection with this peculiar taste that the wares, although made in Japan, are of an alien In former times, as it is to-day, the disposition of the origin.

Japanese
influences

leads

them

to

readily

adapt

themselves

to

foreign

and

our

and fashions, and as they now accept our customs laws, and have allowed much of their art to be
by
foreign
influences,

degraded

so

they

accepted

the

crude
to

productions of Corean and other potters, and preferred

the artistic wares
of the
article,

them

made by their own countrymen. The character wares named is excellently described in Captain BRINKLEY'S
I shall,

by again printing which, offence to Professor MORSE.

no doubt, give renewed

The Decorated
*

faience and porcelain, on the other hand,

Plates

and

in this Paper form the Frontispiece of Japanese Pottiry.

W
W

are those which

have spread the fame of Japan

true
artistic

in every land.

They
in

include the

manipulation, and unrivalled

colours

in

Satsuma, perfect in paste and and its decoration its crackle

and

gold;

also

the

Kaga ware,

generally

painted
;

in red

and gold, but in the older works also with other colours the varied works in porcelain produced in Hizen from the time of Shosui and Kakiyemon to the later Hirado and Nabeshima
wares;

and also the endless variety

in

of decorated faience

pro-

duced

Kioto,

by

Kinkozan, Yeiraku, Taizan, Tanzan, Kitei,

others,
all,

Dohachi,
tinguished

and many
of

including
it

Ninsei,

the

most

dis-

them

for

was
;

he
and,

who commenced
last

the

decoration
paratively

of

such ware in 1650

of

all,

the

com-

modern porcelain
all

of Owari,

decorated

in

blue under

the glaze,

made during

the present century,

which includes

examples of the highest

artistic value
I

and

interest.
is

The

develop-

ment

illustrated

by the wares

have named

coincident with

that which

occurred in

lacquer working,
of the

cloisonn6

enamelling,

and painting, during the existence

Tokugawa Shogunate,

commencing with the earlier years of the seventeenth century, and continuing until not much more than a generation ago.

The admirers
the

of the chajin wares do not ignore or contemn

lyetsuna,

wonderful

lacquers of the time of lyemitsu,

and

Tsunayoshi, or prefer to them the cruder, and, in the true sense, less artistic lacquer of the Ashikaga period. They admit the
progress

made

in

other branches of art during the seventeenth

and eighteenth

centuries, but ignore that

affect to

which occurred at the

think the alien wares,

same time

in

keramic wares, and

potters,

made by Corean

and

after -their fashion,

more worthy
taste.

of

admiration than the finest

In the second plate

efforts in true

Japanese
the

four typical

specimens of Decorated
artistic

wares are figured;

Professor

they do
in

not

appeal to
"
:

eye of
of

MORSE, who,

commenting upon
as
follows

my

illustration

them,
red,

describes
blue,
in

my

taste

Loud

colours,

gold,

and

by decoration." and B as " an extraordinary

emphatic masses, are what he understands And he refers to the classification in Plates A
division

of

what

is

called decorated

10

taste,

His perception of colour and design seems pitched in a low key, for he writes of 'the refined decoration it with my debased in blue on the Karatzu bowl/ contrasting admiration for the Decorated wares. as evidenced

and undecorated wares."

The

third

by my branch is the Modern ware,

'

or,

as

Professor

MORSE designates
have formed an
this

it,

Export goods.'
of
'of

exact idea

what
"

appear to should be included under

vases,

He

does not

head,

for

he

speaks

gaudy
for

plaques,

and
that

grotesque

figures,

made

expressly

export/'

and

adds

even in an industrial

museum

their influence

would be pernicious.

to the gaudy vases, in conPassing by his remarks as sideration of his peculiar views about colour, we come to the
to the large specimens in this form plaques; he refers, no doubt,

made, and decorated

whether as regards
without question

in

blue,

by Kawamoto
the

Masukichi, which,
depicted
are
I

the

painting or

subjects

altogether in perfect

Japanese

taste.

This

have from
point,

my
an

native friends,

who speak
formed
Pottery,

very decidedly on the

and

opinion

can be
Japanese

by
in

others

if

they will
of

refer to

Plate
is

LI I

in

which

one
tell

the
that

plaques
every

illustrated

by chromo-lithography.
use

They

me
I

Japanese

would
that

such

plaques

for

screens.

may
in

further mention

some other plaques of a

of
*
1

similar kind,

my
that

collection,
is,

were sent over to the Paris Exhibition of 1867,

Export goods. As for the grotesque figures he names, of course such figures are now made for export, but those illustrated show one of the
pottery has

before the time

most favourite forms which

Surely Mr.

taken

for

native use.

MORSE must be aware that these

statuettes, representing
in stoneware, faience,

their gods, saints,

and heroes, were modelled

and porcelain, both in the plain ware and also splendidly decorated, and that they found a place in every house in Japan. Amongst the most beautiful examples of these figures were
those

made and decorated

such

at the

Satsuma
in

factory

and

find

number of

figures

described

the

BRINKLEY-GREEY
from
the

Catalogue amongst the specimens of

the

Awata

faience, dating

seventeenth

and

eighteenth

centuries.

Even

to

fulfil

II

canon he lays down as

that
taste
it

to

the

constitution
in

of an

art

museum,
Japanese
are

should

include

"things

accordance

with

and

tradition,"

these plaques

and grotesque

figures

a necessity, and certainly they better illustrate the history and traditions of the country than an endless repetition of undecorated
jars

and cups, which suggest nothing beyond the single ceremonial of chanoyu and the blind veneration of the chajin for

whatever was ancient, without regard to beauty. In passing, I may say that the chajin wares have not
even the negative merit of rarity, abundant than the decorated wares.
for they

are infinitely

more

In anything really rare, a

true chajin finds, or rather found, the most intense delight, of which I may mention an instance told me by a Japanese friend,

now by my

side.

His

father,

and other gentlemen of position,

in their collections, the square glass preserved, until recent years, bottles in which the Dutch traders took Hollands gin to Japan

two, centuries ago.

They

cherished them, because of their rarity

and

for a certain rude beauty

I

and quaint contour which their eye

do not deny they possessed.

detected in them, and which

They

and preserved them in wooden cases,

would unusually fine in flavour, they
the
spirit

when
fill

the sake proved to be

one of these bottles with

friend,

and send

it,

in its case, to

some

who, of course,
gift,

would return the precious

owner, to
be
carefully

vessel, with

thanks for the

his artistic
bottles

to its

replaced amongst
for these

treasures.

This feeling of admiration

gin

has weakened

recent years, owing partly to the new and more greatly during obtain about chajin wares, and partly enlightened views which now to the increased importation of glass bottles, and the feeling

that they are no longer rare.

Surely

the

level

attained

by Professor MORSE

is

but

low one,

for

he writes about the chanoyv vessels thus:

examined
if
it

"They

have been

breathlessly

same way
reverence

that an American,
in

by the chajin, in much the were possible to induce any

the

him,
I

might

examine

boots

of

Christopher

Columbus,"
laid

etc.

decline to

of taste here accept the standard

either for the

down by Professor MORSE,

American

collec-

12

tors

with

whom
taste

am
of

acquainted,
his

or for myself,
I

and

chal-

to lenge him
belittle

make good

charge that
collectors,

have attempted to
as

the

American

he

has

stated

elsewhere.

But
a
definition

have strayed from the point, which

of

is

to

arrive at
to

Modern and Export wares.

The
such

latter,

my

mind, are those which have been

traders
for

made

to the order of foreign

;

shipment

to

other

countries

works,

often

European

in

form and design, show but slight traces of native

in

feeling either

the drawing or the colouring, and are bedizened

with gold, thickly laid on, to please the taste of western buyers
as
it

is

interpreted

to

the
I

Japanese

decorator by

the

foreign

trader.
collection
in

Of these wares,
by

have included a few pieces in

others,

way

of contrast to the

and

to

enable

my me

my

remarks to point a moral.

But the word Modern covers quite a different class, and I one more difficult to define. have already remarked upon
the pure Japanese feeling
I

shown

in

the plaques by
I

Masukichi.

cannot say when they were made, and

a date without having sufficient
substantial correctness.
I

have never ventured

to state

authority to satisfy
'in

me
in

as to
this

its

go no further

my

book

case, than to state that the objects were purchased at the

Vienna Exhibition of 1873.

Exhibition or

They may have been made for that some time before, I cannot say, but I know they
century,

belong

to
in

this

because such

porcelain

has only been

made
would

Owari since the opening years of this century. Take another example, which, no doubt, Professor MORSE
describe

as

'

'

Export

goods

the

dish

of

faience,

by

Tanzan

of Kioto, Plate

XLVII, on which he painted a group of

wild geese altogether in Japanese fashion.

the
large
it

He may
inches

contend that
in

size

of

the

dish,

twenty-five

diameter,
is

brings
fallacy

within
in

the

category of

export

goods, but that

small

much

favour with the

admirers of the

chajin

wares,
ing

who exclaim
it

against everything of a larger size, declarforget

that

is

modern; they
size,

that

even

tea

jars

were

sometimes made of large

and that

fire

bowls were by no

13

means small
produced
quite
in

and

further,

we know

that

large

dishes

were
dishes
native

Kaga, long before the country was opened

for

unsuited
as

native

use,

but

still

acquired

by

connoisseurs
,not

export

These were examples of their country's art. goods any more than the larger works made of
ago, on which the

Satsuma

clay perhaps twenty or thirty years

subjects painted, although bolder and

more decorative than that

executed in
the

on the

earlier wares,

were

still

conceived and

true Japanese spirit.

Indeed,
are

the

line

between

these

and

the

works

which

be examples of the highest development of Satsuma faience is but a narrow one, for an authenticated piece,
to
illustrated

known

in

Plate

B,

was

made about the opening

of

the

present century, and pieces in

my

collection,

which native judges

bear the year-

pronounce typical
period of

as

to

paste

and

decoration,

Tempo

(1830-1843).

We may

safely conclude, I think,

that for a generation before the opening of the country, in 1858,

a change came over men's minds, and this

in

we

see

exemplified

the
;

changes which
less

occurred

in

the

lacquer

ware of that

period

was displayed in the work, larger pieces were produced, and the decoration was more freely and boldly treated; a comparison of the series of decorated Satsuma which I have
care
together,
will

gathered

plainly

show the

development

of

this

branch of keramic art from the brown stoneware, the Mishima

and

Sunkoroku

the

foreign wares
faience, to
I

through

the

varied

phases

of the plain

and painted

specimens of the
series.

latter

made

a dozen years ago, when

closed the

In concluding this section of

that

my

remarks,

may

repeat

has been to assign to each class its fair share The undecorated wares are interesting and of commendation.

my

desire

in

their place,

and

in

due proportion, valuable

in

a collection;

they represent a phase of the

after
all
it

is

foreign

art

keramic industry of Japan, but that they represent, and they do

not illustrate the poetical thought, the legends, the birds, flowers,

and emblems of the Japanese, as we

the
decorated wares.

find

them portrayed

in

The

latter aspect of the art

seems to be without attraction

for % Professor
artistic

MORSE, who appears to be unacquainted with the pottery of the country, for he passes over in almost
silence

absolute

comprehensive series Satsuma, Kioto, and Owari described and

the

of

decorated

Hizen,

illustrated,

which form

book; these possess no charms for him his sympathies go with the alien wares which, practically, alone he refers to; he has lived in Japan, but he is not of
the principal feature in
;

my

the Japanese,
of art
tell

and cares
plainly

not for the

stories

which

their

works

so

and so

daintily.

His

artistic

instincts

and by the contemplation of the chajin wares He even objects to the inclusion Christopher Columbus's boots
are
satisfied
!

of

beautiful

objects" in a collection, for referring to

them he

has mixed up a host of objects with his many good that have no more in a collection of place specimens, objects Japanese pottery than Malay Kriesses made in
says
:

"

He

Birmingham

have in a collection of British weapons." On the other hand, from what I read and hear, he has apparently considered it
right to
repetition

confine

his

collection

to

little

else

than
is

an endless
different.
It

of the alien
to

Corean wares.
to
illustrate

My
art

view

appears
trace
also
its

me

well

the

from

its

origin,

to

rise

and progress,
its

and,

not

uninteresting

or

useless

to

illustrate

decay.

For instance, take the

that

series

of

bowls

of

raku ware,

so

rare

they might have

apparently
the

attracted

any

collector's

attention,
notice.

although

they

escaped
of the
it

Professor

MORSE'S

They

illustrate

works

eleven generations of the Chojiro family,

who

have, since

was

founded by

Ameya

in the sixteenth century,

and

to

make my

collection complete I
'

produced this ware, have included a specimen

by the representative now living. Export goods,' I fear! Again, I have placed with the seventeenth century productions of Kinkozan, of Kioto, specimens of his descendants' work of a dozen
years
potter
art

ago,

which show that the

the

successor of the

clever

old
his

who made

name

distinguished

has prostituted

to

meet the basest demands of the foreign trader. He has also remarks of a disparaging nature to

make

15

about

my

earliest

book,

commenced
little

in

1875,

This work, Keramic Art of Japan. At that time was concluded in 1879.
subject,

and no work dealing with it had been Very few specimens of the Undecorated published. wares had been received and native reports were unavailable.

was known about the

The
but,

book,

therefore,

chiefly
it

dealt
really,

with
in

the

Decorated wares,
respect,

as a matter of fact,

this

anticipated

the present position, for

the craze

for the
is

Undecorated wares
in

Europe and Japan, giving place to the right appreciation of the Decorated wares with which it dealt. As was only natural in treating such
now, both

which has since then cropped up,

an almost unknown

subject,

some

errors occurred in the classifi-

cation, but these were

in

corrected, so far as

my

knowledge went,
in

the

final

part.

The second
and

edition, issued

1881,

was

written up to date, and included information about the subsidiary

wares, chanoyu utensils

report,

so forth,

gathered from

native
;

which rendered the work practically complete and correct indeed little of value can be added to it to-day, and the opinion

there expressed as to the artistic value of the chajin wares needs

no correction.
Professor

MORSE makes numerous

references to the

marks

in Japanese Pottery without, however, saying

much

that

is definite;

he does, indeed, question the correctness of the rendering of a few, only ten out of about five hundred which embrace one

thousand nine hundred characters;

the
notes,

these

have dealt with

avoids
the

in

and

may mention

that

he

written

characters, preferring to criticise the impressed marks, which are

stamped and most difficult to decipher, and when he imagines that he has detected an error, he repeats each
often

imperfectly

instance of the

mark

as

if

it

involved

new point
London
I

Some
from

years ago,

when

a well-known authority in

courteously pointed
arising
into

out an error, which

of
a

of course corrected,
copyist,
I

the

omission
fully

dot

by the

went

the

matter

with

some native

friends,

who

told

me

that

many

difficulties

Chinese characters,

names being written in which may be read in two or more ways,

followed upon the

i6
instead of Japanese Kana.

For instance, the characters

for

my

own name may

suggestion,

be also read as "striving after longevity."

in

Another
and,

that the characters rendered

my

Marks

Seals

as Idtme, should properly be read Deme,

that

was met by the remark

pronunciation
of

the

difference

was analogous
Bowis,

to

the

my

adding that he himself would prefer the former pronunciation because it had come down from ancient times. These remarks will show that one may not

name

as

Bows

or

my

friend

dogmatize in such a matter, and

venture to offer for Professor

MORSE'S
letter.

consideration

the

concluding

sentence of

my
it

friend's

"

In

work of such

magnitude

and ramifications as
mistakes;
in
is

yours
easier

we cannot
for

expect to entirely escape

much
of

anyone to discover a few another than to write one himself."

Professor

errors

the

book

have treated the subject of Japanese pottery without including the marks of the various The fact is, however, as I have said, that the book potters.
implies that
I

MORSE

contains
facsimile,

five

hundred

marks

and seals which were copied

in

under

my

eye, with a fidelity that surprises the

fifty

Japanese

themselves;

probably not another work contains

marks

in

facsimile, except

my own

book, Marks and Seals.

An

analysis of

following curious facts.

Mr. MORSE'S lengthy letters discloses the Out of eight hundred examples of deco-

rated wares he has questioned the classification of twelve pieces

and out of two hundred specimens of chanoyu vessels, most of which are susceptible to difference of opinion, he has disputed
only,

the

arrangement

of

thirty-six

pieces,

but

this

includes

some
names

referred to

more than once. And

further, out of the native

given against each of the thousand specimens, he has ventured to dispute the correctness of only one,

A
will

reference

to

the

notes

accompanying these
of his criticisms.

remarks

show the character and value

He
is

had every
described,
illus-

opportunity afforded for criticism, for

every mark
is

each

piece

given, and

fully one-third of the

examples are

trated in Japanese Pottery.

But Mr. MORSE has not availed himhe has contented himself

self of these, the usual aids to reviewers;

with his recollections of a number of debatable pieces which 1 showed him when he spent a couple of hours in my museum

some years
are

ago,

tod,

where

this

did
is

not

serve

his purpose,

" with hazarding a guess" (the word

chiefly

his own).

His remarks
with

confined
of

to

chanoyu

wares,

which
to

may,

an

equal
as
I

degree

certainty,

be

assigned

different

provinces,

have shown by quotations from his own article in Harper$\ and he avoids reference to the decorated specimens, except for
general condemnation;

and as regards his

I

opinions about the

former when

passed them before him,

may

say that

made

notes of his classification of some of these disputable pieces, but

finding that he settled
origin his
off-hand,
piece,

and without consideration, the

I

of every

doubtful

no longer paid

attention

to

remarks and discontinued taking notes. He puts into my mouth words that I never used when he
I

says that
rather

have stated that

a hindrance to
in

one to have been in Japan "is the proper forming of a correct judgfor

ment

regard

to

the

subject."

What

have suggested
a wider

is

that those

who have watched

last

the arrivals of pottery in

during the

thirty

years

correct experience in

this

gained branch of art than visitors to Japan,

country,

have

Europe and more

or even
I

residents

in

that

have

been able to obtain.

the fact that no

Japan has yet produced a work on the work is pottery of the country ; Captain BRINKLEY'S forthcoming
in

may adduce in ooe who has lived

support

of this

statement

looked for with great interest by

but,

all

who
to

care for the subject,

so far as
in

know,

it

is

still

in the future.

Mr. MORSE'S
the shell

efforts

this

direction

are

confined
article

an essay on
9

Harpers Magazine, which was so unmercifully handled by Captain BRINKLEY. Nor have residents in Japan produced any book on marks and seals, and not attempted to solve the mystery of cloisonnS they have

mounds

of Japan,

and the

in

enamels.

The

latter

subject

is

one

which

in

itself

proves

my

contention, for only the other

day a writer

in Captain BRINKLBY'S

journal,

when

referring

to .'enamels, illustrated the danger of dis-

i8

which he has not seen, for it is quite plain cussing art works who knows the objects that his remarks refer to the to
anyone

modern
which
period,

imitations

of

the

older

works,

now

in

this

country,

have recently been identified as belonging to an earlier It has been as indeed is clear to all who see them.

a dozen years past, to amongst native dealers, for and class them with the modern imitations decry these works, which they bring over for sale; and two or three years ago

the

fashion

one of them, a

Mr.
to

KATAOKA,
describe a

in

arranging

an

exhibition

in

London, ventured
of

dish

which H.R.H,

the

Duke

EDINBURGH had been pleased to accept from me, as being whereas it bore no signature whatsigned by a modern maker,
ever,

and H.R.H.

at

once withdrew the dish from the exhibition.

Mr.
that

KATAOKA
I

at the

same time had the

effrontery to

tell

me

had bought all my enamels at the Paris Exhibition of I had 1878, where not a single old piece was shown, although stated in Japanese Enamels the precise dates when they had
arrived
I

in

Europe, from

1865 to

1872.

regret that

theory

on

this

Captain BRINKLEY does not agree with my unknown branch of art, but I have sufficient
sense of fairness
to

confidence in

his

know

that he will

keep

an open mind on the subject until the mystery is solved, and should he visit England and study the objects, I feel no doubt
whatever that he would change his views. So convinced am I on this point that I intend to send out to Tokio a selection of
these beautiful
certain,

works

for

the information

of

those who,

feel

have never seen them.

of Capt. BRINKLEY to which
I

The remarks

have referred,

occur in a recent issue of the Japan

Pottery
is

Mail,

in

which Japanese

reviewed.

should not have referred to the opinions

it,

there expressed about

tunity

had not Mr. MORSE seized the opporof

his

of

inserting

one

characteristic

letters

in

the

newspapers.

Referring to
in

my
in

opinion that

objects of art

were

sometimes made
notice in

pairs

Japan, he joins the writer of the

I

coupling this with the statement that

have made this

a ground for asserting that pairs of large vases of Satsuma were

old Satsuma, and he disingenuously applies this as a confirmation

of his views of the characteristic features ot that ware.

have,

however, never gone further than the fact of objects being found
they were
fication of

to
in

express
pairs
I

the opinion

that
that

did

not

prove

made

for

"Old Satsuma
HART.
I

export, "

nor
that
fixed

have
is

ever

used the classi-

a jargon peculiar to Messrs.

MORSE

and

have

no

dates

for

the

decorated

Satsuma, contenting myself with the simplest classifications until I further information on the subject is availabledisagree with
the opinion on this subject expressed by Mr. MORSE, and incline
to that of Captain BRINKLEY, as
in
I

have stated, with

my

reasons,

Japanese Pottery.

On
in the

other points,

must

also

join issue with

the writer

Japan Mail, notably as

to his view about the composition

of

by the Shogun's government to the Paris Exhibition of 1867, for I saw the collection there displayed, and acquired a number of the objects exhibited, some of which bear
the objects sent the
the fourth

the crest of the Shogun, amongst them being a lacquer cabinet

made by Kajikawa

first for

Shogun (1650

to

1680),

Other objects from that exhibition, with the crests of the nobles, have been identified by my visitors as works borrowed from their
family collections by the late government, and never returned to

those

who

lent

them.

Therefore,
all

it

is

plain that the statements

that "they were one and

that

obtained in the open market," and

specimen was taken from the Tokugawa collection," are incorrect, and as I can prove my information and deductions in this respect to be accurate, I may also be right

"not a

single

in

what

believe

to

be

the

circumstances
collections

under which the

the

old

cloisonne

enamels and the

of

nobles were

dispersed.

Returning to the contradiction of

objects

my

statement that art

I

have

been

made

in

pairs

in

Japan,

find

the writer

declares "there could have been no use for a pair

anything,
altar/'

whether on the shelves of an alcove or before a temple

and referring to the instance I had cited of pairs of vases in a makimono of the seventeenth century, he states that they must

20
be Chinese, and Mr. MORSE, by quoting these opinions,
taken as endorsing them.
I

may be

feel

certain

that

Captain

BRINKLEY

will

acknowledge

that this contradiction

cannot be maintained, for he cannot but

know

that the temples contain

many

pairs of dishes, flower vases,

and bronze lanterns, the

latter often

being votive offerings from

the princes of Japan and ornamented with their badges, which

proves that they are Japanese work.

of such lanterns,

I,

myself,

know

several pairs

counterparts in every respect,

crest

in this If

country,

which

bear
will

the
refer

of

the

Tokugawa

family.

Professor
Pictorial

MORSE

to

Mr.

ANDERSON'S

splendid

work,

Arts of Japan,
the view of

he

will

see a pair of these lanterns

figured in
in

Nara temple, and they may be seen

pairs of chanoyu

every

book

in
I

which such temples are illustrated. am aware that there are no

the
cliajin

utensils,

and

therefore

may deny

that

such

custom

as

making
chajin

objects

of art in pairs

existed in Japan.

But even a
that not only

may

reconsider this opinion

when reminded

are there pairs of lanterns in Buddhist temples, as I have said, but also ancestral tablets, arranged, if there be three of them, one in the centre with the others on either side; if there be

commemorate, the maintained by placing a buddha in the of tablets one on either side.

only two

ancestors to

principle
centre,

of pairs

is

with the pair

arranging objects thus is indeed habitual with the Japanese, and it is It would exemplified everywhere. be tedious to enlarge upon the practice, but I may illustrate it by a plate showing a Buddhist domestic altar, copied from Siebold's Nippon, which confirms the point I wish to make.

The custom

of

Commencing
from
it

at

the roof of the

the

altar

we

find

suspended

a lamp,
with

the centre,

disposed in
for

upon upper shelf the Buddha in two buddhas and two ihai (ancestral tablets) pairs on either side; on the second shelf a koro,

and

burning incense, occupies the central position, with two 'tea bowls, two water cups, and two flower vases, all arranged on either side in and on the lower shelf the same pairs arrange;

22
there
is

creed

are

always

pairs

of

omikitsubo,

small

bottles

in

which sake

offered

to the

gods.

If this

evidence be not sufficient to convince the incredu-

lous chajin and his champions that pairs are really not altogether

unknown

in
I

Japan, even

in

connection with pottery,

I

may

tell

them that

have before me, as

write, a

number

of specimens
:

in pairs of pottery in

undisputed Japanese taste.

Amongst them
;

a pair of dishes of faience, by Kinkozan, seventeenth century

pair of
plates
;

by

Kitei

a pair of flower vases of Kiyomidzu

porcelain

a pair of stands of Satsuma faience, dated the year-

period of

Tempo;
it

a single

Satsuma
crest

dish,

bearing the

name

of

the princely potter,

and the

of the

was presented the given by Mr. FRANKS to the British Museum; and, finally, I have many pairs of omikitsubo of porcelain, which were made for
doubtless
native
use.

whom

Tokugawa Shogun, to fellow of this piece was

All

these

are

perfect

pairs

as

regards

their

form,

but

there

is,

of course,

no

slavish

copyism in the rendering of the

subject

which they are decorated, the common found upon each pair being treated with the freedom
designs

with

natural

the Japanese artist just as was the case in the decoration of the middle-period Satsuma faience, to which so much exception has been taken by those who have confined their
to

chiefly

attention to the chanoyu pottery.

I

have,

fear,

devoted too

much space

to this portion of

been no use for a pair of anything, whether on the shelves of an alcove or before a temple altar," was so surprising to me, and, being endorsed by Professor MORSE, likely to be so misleading to American collectors, that I had no option but to show how erroneous the statement was, especially as for a dozen years past the thoughtless acceptance of this fallacy has confused my
attempts to classify and determine the correct dates of enamels, pottety, and other art works.
It

my

subject,

but the assertion that "there could have

follows,

therefore,

in

this

case

at

least,

that one

who

has

not

been in Japan

"may

have gained a wider and more

23
correct
in

experience'*
in that

some matters "than

those

who have

resided

country/'

But whilst Mr- MORSE had before him the Japan Mail, from which he quoted, he might in fairness to me have made
the following extracts from the review of the work that he has
so
to
fiercely

condemned
the

"
:

Probably no one
public

has done so much

art

familiarise

Western
of

with

the

of
It

Japan
is

as

Mr. JAMBS L. book

BOWES,
If

Liverpool

a noble
the

we

dispute

Mr.

BOWES' thesis

as to

in Europe, superior opportunities enjoyed by connoisseurs

we do
use of

not at

all

dispute the fact that he has

made

excellent

his opportunities,

and given the public a book of most valuable

unsparing in his exposure of some of the shameless frauds that have been practised on innocent

and genuine character.

collectors

He

is

The

publication

of

a book

like

this

by

Mr. BOWES ought to close the way to such audacious chicanery. We would fain follow Mr. BOWES through his clear
.
. *

and masterly, though all too short, descriptions of the various It is evident that porcelains and faiences of Japan
Mr. BOWES has brought together a really representative collection of Japanese wares, and that he has made every specimen it
contains the object of
careful

research

and

intelligent

scrutiny.

....
plates

We

can
in

all

enjoy the clear descriptions and exquisite

such a work as Japanese Pottery" Such unsolicited and generous words about the book from
contained
as

so great an authority
forgive

Captain
about

BRINKLEY make me
enamels

fain

to

him

his

scepticism

and

"pairs,"

and

console

me

for the following

:

about the same work

unkind remarks by Professor MORSE " With the extravagant claims of Mr.

BOWES, and the

in

praise

bestowed

upon the
is

reputable

English journals, there

really

book by reviewers no other course to

pursue than to follow the matter up, disagreeable as it is, and to show how unreliable the book is as a guide to a knowledge " Mr. BOWES has been of Japanese And again pottery/' woefully deluded, and judging from the lavish praise bestowed
:

upon

his

book,

he has successfully deluded many others.

It is

24
of course, to undertake to
it

hopeless,

dispel

this

delusion in

Mr.
his

a pity that others are to be deceived by under the guise of the bookmakers art pretentious display indeed! now that the lithographers' skill/' Disagreeable, of reputable and disinterested English reviewers opinions

BOWES, but

is

and
the
are

confirmed by that of the foremost journal in Japan.* at the close of this paper, have I
reprinted,
in

Captain

BRINKLEY'S

article,

which

he deals with Mr.

1

MORSE'S views

as they were expressed in Harpers Magazine, as those who wish wares should to form a correct idea of the character of chajin " True Japanese read it. It concludes with the following words:
art

rose

the superior to

cramping influence
learn

(i.e.,

the

chanoyu

ethics),

and has bequeathed us exquisite objects which American

soon,

connoisseurs will
true value,"
article,

we

trust,

to

appreciate

at

their

Professor
I
I

MORSE draws
seen,

attention to

a subsequent
supports his

which

have not

which he

thinks

position, but
for
will
it

cannot imagine what comfort he can find in it, " We sincerely hope that Professor MORSE concludes
:

succeed in educating American collectors to a true sense of

beauties
fain

the

of Japanese

Ceramic

products, to which

end we

would

see

him lead them a

little

beyond the austere con-

The English reviewers have, as Mr. MORSE states, spoken kindly of my work, almost one an article in the unanimously so indeed, for there have been only two exceptions M^azlm cf Aft, under the name of Mr, ERNEST HART, which is written in precisely the
same
spirit

as Mr,
it

MORSE'S
in

letter; the

other article in the Pall Mall Gazette, an

anonymous

one, but most of

inserted

almost identical words.

it

aa apology for the untruths

the latter journal promptly conductor of the former, in the and the contained,
editor of

The

frankest sprit, invited

me
a

to

make use

of his columns to place the subject of Japanese pottery

before his readers in

trustworthy aspect.

In this connection I
not

has stated his belief that not half a dozen pieces This surprising statement appeared (w., of decorated Satsuma) are to be found in this country. in a paper read not long ago before the Society of Arts (Lectures on Japanese Art-Work, by ERNEST HART), in which the lecturer, in speaking of this ware, assured his audience that
without
significance;

may "'One

give the
writer

following

extract

from Japanese

Pottery,

which

is

know

from his experience of many great of half a dozen specimens in

In commenting on
this, I

collections,

he was compelled to say that he did not

this

this

country."

remarked that he had made

statement without having

informed himself on the subject by an inspection of the specimens I had collected, a series which is as well known in Japan as it is in this country, and which it has taken the author

almost half-a-lifetime to collect and

Truly, there

classify.

misconceptions about Satsuma when people write and speak about that which they have not seen, do not understand, and are too idle to study

may be

servatism of chaiwyn

ethics."
for

This advice appears to have been

he
repeats

upon Mr. certain American

the

wasted

MORSE,
collectors

the

statement
enraptured
that

that

have been equally

of

over

enduring charms of just the kind

pottery

Captain

BRINKLEY seems unaccountably

Mr,

blind to*

"photographic however objects, perfect they may be, are altogether unsafe guides where glazes are concerned," and asks,
disputes

MORSE

my

statement

that

representations of the

"

what then

is

the reader to depend

"

upon

The answer may

in

be found in his article,

after

"

Old Satsuma,"
the
difficulties

Harpers',

where,

descanting

upon

encountered by a student of Japanese pottery, he says

these

"
:

For
on

reasons the Japanese

derived

expert

depends almost

entirely

the

characters
relied

from the paste, neither glaze nor decoration

italics

being

upon."

(The

are

mine.)

If

native

experts

hold the opinion that glazes

the
object before them,

may

not be relied upon, even with

contention that photographic

surely

my

unsafe guides is correct. representations of glazes are altogether He speaks of the glazes upon the chancy u wares as if

they were as perfect and splendid, and beautiful to the senses, as the Chinese splashes and glazes which have so naturally

commended themselves
collectors.
all

to the
in

mind and

taste of

many American

His eye sees

these Cinderellas of the art almost

the hues of the rainbow,

When
of

read in his article of the

its

"

remarkable beauty and

richness

brown

glaze,

and the

wonderful splashes of transparent olive-brown over-glaze, flecked with exquisite light blue streaks/ &c., I naturally turned to my
1

own specimens

for

confirmation of

this
I

vision

of beauty,

but

finding nothing to

correspond with

it,

requested native friends

to procure specimens of the genuine article for me.

Alas

when
from

they
those

arrived,
I

found

that

they

differed
effects

in

no

respect

had,

and that the exquisite

of which

he wrote

were not to be detected by the eyes of others* I have before me a very interesting vessel
stoneware, covered with
ful

of

hard

"a
"

rich flambe

running and mottled

effects,

as

brown glaze/ with "beautiProfessor MORSE would write,

26

and,

to

follow

his

words,

it

has

the

itoguiri,

or

thread-

mark, on

the

bottom,

an

interesting
for

feature/ no

doubt, -upon
in his
article,

which Professor MORSE

but
this
"a

dilates

half a

column

point

which

need not

enlarge

upon here
a chajin,

Altogether,

vessel would

be highly interesting to
his

except for

the
its

drawbacks,
origin,

from

point
forth,

of

view,

which
with

follow

upon

date,

and
in

so

although,

our knowledge

which empty gin bottles were held, I do not suppose the use to which this vessel has been put would
of the

appreciation

depreciate

it

in
is

his

estimation.

The
bottle,

fact

is,

the

specimen
the

under review

common
house.
but as
It

ink

which

found in

school-room of

my

bears an. impressed stamp, part of

which

is

illegible,

my
"

Japanese friend says, in explaining

Professor MORSE'S methods,

great assistance
;

knowing who made the object is a but the first reader must know it, and now I
Doulton,

can

tell

it

may be"
to

Lambeth.

It is

the characters

for the

latter

word that are

indistinct,

and Sir Henry Doulton

I

was good enough

opinion.
to

decipher them
it

when

wrote

to

ask his

He

also

thought

necessary to

remark, with regard

(vide

the

"beautiful

running

that

"the
our

mottling

and mottled glazes" of the glaze is an accident

I

MORSE), of fire, and

potters
to

beyond

control/'
this

wonder

whether the
to

old

of

Japan
glaze,

took

view when

they failed

attain

an

even

and had to be content with the "beautiful running and mottled glazes .of Chikuzen, Tamba, Iga, Buzen, and other
provinces/* of which Professor

MORSE

writes!

This ink bottle

for
it

is

interesting from another point of view,

enables

me by

illustration

to

confirm

my

assertion

that

photographic representations afford an unsafe guide where glazes

are concerned.
Plate D,
fig,

2,

illustrates this interesting speci-

men,

my

admiration of which almost persuades

I

me
'

to
to

become a

chajin!

also

show
I

some
have
clay

other

pieces,
in

and,

make
rich

the

comparison complete,
tions of

included
brick,

the

plate

representa-

common
a

red

covered
of

with a
buff

and

even
over

chocolate

glaze,

and

drain-pipe

stoneware,

which

is

i^ht transparent glaze,

and

some

specimens

i-f

as

2W /
in

imitation

of

the

ancient

chajin

wares,
are
also

which

Sir

Henry
in

Doulton
plate.

has

kindly

made
are

for

me,

illustrated

the

The

imitations
alike,
it

exceedingly

good

in

form,

colour,

and glaies
form,

and,

moreover,

they bear
is

the

valued itoguiri

which,
wire

may

be mentioned,
the
object
I

merely the mark of the

the

potter's

dividing

from

wheel-head
refrain

whilst

slowly revolving.

Another piece

really

cannot
it

from

illustrating in connection with the

drain-pipe, for

confirms the

following remark in

Captain

BRINKLEY'S

article :--"

At Karatzu

and Bizen they excelled

could

in the

manufacture
it

of accidents.

They

make a pot
had stopped
is

look as though

were the product of some

a flower vase/'

wayward
pipe,

genius, who, failing to achieve a drain-tile, or a sewer-

short

at

ewer

or

This

interesting piece

described in

my book
early

as a "hanging flower
of

vase of brown clay, &c.

(Bizen),

An
name

example
of

Hitasuki

ware

dating
is

from

the

year-period
of

Upon
officers

it

painted

the

the

Tensho," 1573-1591. one of the high chajin

^

of the

court of the

Mikado, who once

owned

and no

doubt revered the piece.

The

objects
i.

illustrated

in

Plate

are

A
An

drain-pipe.

2*

ink

bottle,

with impressed

mark,

Doulton 9

Lambeth.
3.

brick*

The

position in

which

this object

was

photographed was such that justice was not done to the beauty of the glaze, which is very even and free from the
defect of "mottling/' referred to by Sir
4,

Henry Doulton*

A
1

upon
good,

my

tea jar of Seto ware, against which I find " notes Hayashi and Morse, Seto, Owari, wry
:

77

7th

century.
jar,

5.

Another tea

presented to

me

by a friend,

against

which

have

noted:

"Old
prince

Seto,

300 years.
Prince

An

heirloom- from
of Suwo."

my
jar,

former

the

of

Iwakuni,
6.

Another tea
It
is

made by

Sir

Henry Doulton

a month ago.

so perfect that

one might say that

28
the mantle of Toshiro, the Father of pottery, has fallen

upon
7.

his

shoulders!
flower vase
of

The

Hitasuki

ware referred

to.

Note the close resemblance of the glaze to that of the

drain-pipe
!

8 and 10.
9.

Tea jars,

just

made by
pottery,

Sir

Henry Doulton.
'

tea jar of Seto

i6th

century.

in

illustrated Probably a comparison of the various specimens will be taken as confirming the this opinion of the

plate

on Japanese experts quoted by Mr. MORSE, and my own views, the question of glazes and on other points. the letters, which I have endeavoured to
Throughout
I

answer,

find

that

Professor

MORSE has

instituted

constant

I have vencomparisons between his collection and my own. tured on no such comparison, either in this paper or in my

previous writings.

have not seen his collection, and, therefore,

it;
all
I

can express no opinion about

know

is

what everyone
I

knows, that he
in the

is

the champion of the chajin wares, whereas

find

decorated wares more beauty in design

value
to

and colour, and

for

more of

mankind,

whether

it

be

the

pleasure

such qualities give to the mind, or the education they afford to

the designer.

Whether

his views or

mine be

correct,

be determined by those
Professor
(le.
}

who
"

care to

learn, for

may easily we have it from

MORSE

that

Fortunately for the student, the plates

in

Japanese Pottery) are marvels of the chromo-lithographers'

the

skill,

and

book

is

also
I

illustrated

by

many

excellent

heliotypes,'* a

remark which
I

may

confirm, especially as regards

the decorated wares, and

can also say, without the slightest

reservation, that not a date or description is to be found in

my

book
that

say have attained complete accuracy, for that cannot be hoped for in dealing with such a subject as this. In view of this I
I

for

which

have not authority, although

do

not

have thought

Museum

copy of Japanese Pottery to the of Fine Arts, of Boston, a city for which I have always
it

well to offer a

had much regard since I first visited it, now more than years ago, and in which some of my best and oldest friends

thirty
reside.

29
I

understand

Professor MORSE'S

Museum,

so that those

who

arranged in this care to compare the Decorated with

is

collection

the Undecorated wares

may do
it

so,

and each decide

praise.

for

himself

which of the two merits the higher

In
conclusion,

may

be

asked,

what

are

Professor

MORSE'S qualifications for the office he has assumed to act as I have critic, mentor, and judge in matters of Japanese art? already referred to the unseemly spirit in which he has treated
the subject under discussion, and will

now

content- myself

by

recording the

opinions

about

him of those

who have known

him

in

Japan.

Mr. B. HALL CHAMBERLAIN, perhaps the most distinguished European scholar in Japan, has said, in Things Japanese, of

Mr.

MORSE,
feel

"that
they
7

those
are

who would
listening
in

fain

be

instructed

by

him
than

that

to
;

special
in

pleader

rather

Japan Mail, treating of the European writers upon Japanese art, and naming ANDERSON, GONSB, REIN, BOWES, and others, it goes on to say,
judge/

to

And

an

article

the

"Are
of

not

these

the

men who have taught

art,

the

world

the

alphabet of Japanese
these

and

is

it

not

men, and

these

men
is

only,
?

through the labours that her artistic genius

has been interpreted and proclaimed

of

published

work,

there

not

so

Judged by the standard much as one American

first

citizen

who can claim

to bf*cmg to the
anticipate
will

rank

of

Japan's
*

By-ancUby tfe and, perhaps, Professor MORSP

apostles.

art

that

Professor

if

greatly modify this verdict,

but our present business is with

with eventualities, and frpin

*

that

accomplished facts and not point of view it is beyond

dated

Since the above vrte writtca, 1 have seen a letter from Professor FENOLLOSA
which- teiufct*

they February 14, *$ Jtave evidently been written without his having acquainted apply to me, *jr<J TOfair, His admiration of these dingy wares is himself .tfi& tba tnerjlr bt fob 'questions at issue. u For I feel bound to say only that I doubt whether ift the .ifa#b^ myself foJkM&l exptffciaid
: <

ibe omission of his

name unnecessary.

His remarks,

such wealth
I

ot stucU
tfo?

ia low-toned color can be found in

any other product of human hands/'

wonder wtofttW

Prpfessor has followed this idea in forming his collection of Japanese

in black

jT^IntitK^ft
'

and confined himself to works

executed
in

of the Tosa school

brilliant

be would consider "Loud

the decoration
of

colours, gold, red,

and white, excluding the splendid examples these, however, I suppose pigments and gold and blue," &c., just as Professor MORSE describes
;

my

favourite wares in

Plate B.

30
dispute that Englishmen, Frenchmen and the Western exponents of Japanese art."

Germans have been

I

have

omitted the

of the professor bracketed with that of Mr. MORSE, for I have no right to introduce it here; but I cannot refrain from

name

saying that

it

may

not be taken

as

referring to

Dr. WILLIAM

ELLIOTT
delightful

GRIFFIS,

whose
have

The

Mikado's

Empire

and and

his

other

to myself

given much and other lovers of Japan*

works

information

pleasure

And
or say.

finally,

beg to say that

anything that

must decline

to

occupy
write

myself further with

Professor

MORSE may

Those who read this paper and the Notes will easily that his methods of controversy do not commend themselves to me, and that I think my leisure will be employed more pleasantly to myself, and possibly more profitably to others, in continuing the study which I have made the pursuit of my
understand
life.

JAMES
STREATLAM TOWERS,
LIVERPOOL, April
',

L.

BOWES.

1891.

THE KAKUREMIKO.
Protection

from Malevolent

Influences.

TT

E S.

NOTES.
REPLIES TO MR. MORSE'S CRITICISMS OX

"JAPANESE POTTERY:
H/.s
1

remarks arc printed in brown where practicable.

1

"

His statements rm pap

1

So an*

quitt-

ridinilmi> in thrir absurdity.

In speaking

of the rakn ware, he rxpa-ssc? surprise that this ware should

have 'taken

so

strong a

hold
in

on the

minds of th- Japanese, and

have
in

still

more
objects

that

connoisseurs
highest

other
of

countries
that

as the

outcome

nation

Mindly accepted kiTumic art/"

study of
the

such

Mr.

MORSF- then remarks: "In a somewhat extended

subject,

I have met many of the leading connoisseurs in Europe and America, and do not remember hearing a word of praise, or otherwise, in regard

to this

curious

ware."

refer

him to what
this

his

congenial confrere,
fc

Mr. ERNEST HART,

has written

about

raku

these original and subtilely

'The passion of the Japanese for coloured works was such that fine specimens
ware:

from eminent masters, and of traditional age, fetched enormous prices,

sometimes
covers

several

hundred

and
at

hardwood
their
it

Kept in silken pounds for a single piece. cases, and only produced to be discussed and

admired

high ceremonial occasions."

is

Really,

impossible for

me

to understand

how Mr, MORSE can

whom plead ignorance concerning the love which almost every Japanese curious pottery, which is held in far greater I have met feels for this
estimation than his favourite brown stoneware tea jars.
I

refer

him

to

a very complete series of such ware, by the Chojiro family, described and As they are mentioned on the page from illustrated in Japanese Pottery.

which he quotes, they can hardly have escaped

Referring
to

his

notice.

Plate

VII,

he

says:
in the

"Out
&c.

of

forty-seven

different

objects represented as utensils used

of

ceremony of chanoyu, twenty

them

are never used

in

the ceremony,"

As a matter
or illustrated.
All

of fact, only thirty-two different objects are described

these

objects are given in the Daifuku-Setsuyo-mttjinzo,

34
in

connection with the

illustrations
is

the ceremony there shown

as he supposes.

on pp. 18 and 19, and that known as Mat-cha, and not that of
of

chanoyu

"A
Yiyi

vessel

called

Yojitate

is

said

to be

made
is

to

hold chopsticks,
in

means toothpick!"

"The same

blunder

repeated

Nos. 915

and yi6/

Professor

MORSE

is

evidently unacquainted

with the inner

life

of

the Japanese, for he does not appear to of chapstick called

Yojibatfii,

know

that they have a description

which
in

is

used at the family dinners,

Yojitate,

and
have

which

it

is

customary to place

a pot called

such as

referred to.

The word

yoji also

means a tooth-brush made of wood, but

any kind of pot.

such

articles

are never put

into

Mr.

MORSE

quotes

from

the

BRINKLEY - GREEY

Catalogue,

and

from Captain BRINKLEY'S History of Japanese Keramics, eulogistic notices of Takatori and similar wares. I am unable to confirm what he says,
because, so far as
I

know, the

latter

work

is

not yet published, but

do

find in the former the following

remark of Captain BRINKLEY'S about

it

Takatori ware:

"A
&c*,

tiny pot, sober-hued and,

may

be, roughly finished,

which to the uninitiated

cary's

seems scarcely worthy to serve as an apotherather

phial,"

which

confirms

the

opinion

expressed

to

which Mr. MQRSE takes exception in the following words: "He speaks of Takatori ware as having beauties apparent only to the eyes of native
connoisseurs!"

and

it

reads in

strange

contrast

to

the
its

extract

which
skilful

Mr, MORSE professes to give:

blending

"The
in

rich

colour of

glaze

and

make
It

it

worth a place

any collection."
at least half* the

"

would be safe to say that

specimens figured,
definition

and a

large

number of those

described,

come under the

admirable
-,

of

'export'

goods/*

....
most
of

"With
by
these

the

South

Kensington

Handbook of Japanese
Ive

Pottery, edited

an ordinary collector should

(i.e., examples, which from their genuineness are worthy of attention) to their rightful dates and provinces, as for example, such wares as Kanzan, Dohachi, Hozan, Iwa-

able to assign

the

Toyosuke,

kurazan, Mimpei, Kenyan, Kinkozan, Kitei, Rokubei, Kenya, Ninsei, Seifu,

Rengetsu, Taizan,

Tanzan,

Tozan, Yeiraku,

Yusetsu,

Zoroku, Akahada,

Hanko, Inuyama, Kameyama, Knwana, Minato, Ohi, Ktitani, Soma, Asahi,

*

In another place he says one-third,

35
Totnmi, Id/wno, Id/nnii, and many other.x
is

In fact, to

know

thest?

wares

to learn the alphabet of thr study.

list,

Having subtracted the above wares

remains, and on this the
is

from Mr. BOWKS'

real

still

smaller residuum
In fact,
in
it

work

of identification
to

begins.

among

these alone that

anyone

claiming

be an

expert

snch

matters

should

show some

knowledge."
not quite clear what he means, whether "the real work/
or
1

It

is

&C M
find

begins with the wares named,

that,
in

with the small residuum, and

Japanese Pottery, the former group comprises three hundred and

It

thirty-two specimens out of over a thousand described and catalogued*

will

also

be

noticed that

his

list

omits the principal provinces, such as

Hizen, Satsuma,

Buen and
of

Owari, and also Kioto, except as regards the

of

works of a

few

the potters

that
list

city,
is

besides very

many

other

provinces and wares.

places,

In
it

fact,

the

random jumble of names,

discuss.
in

and wares, which

It

would be waste of time to

mentioned
that

may, however, be
of
treats

the Handbook spoken of the

only

thirteen
it

the

thirty-three

names are mentioned, and that

collection
I

of includes only seventy-two specimens

of the ware.

have avoided giving the name of the gentleman referred to by

is

Professor MORSE, for he

one of the most cautious of

men
it

in

dealing
in

with

such

matters

as

these,

and

would

object

to

see

appear
to
edit

connection

with

such

statement.

He was good enough

Government
for

native report sent

tion
in

by the Japanese
its

with

the

small collec-

of pottery

made by
a
brief
in

direction

the

Museum.
of

The

report

question

is

and
the

imperfect

abridgment

the

information
of
it

afterwards
lent

published
the

Ko

gei

Shirio.

The
it

original

was
and
1881.

to

me by
in
I

Museum

authorities

before

was

printed,
in

was embodied
Since then,
of which
I

the octavo edition of Kcramic Art, published

referring to the

have had the advantage of

Ko

gei

Shirio,

have made

much

use.
first

As regards Mr. MORSE'S

statement,

may

say that out of

over 350 specimens illustrated not twenty can be fairly classed as export and bring wares, and these are necessary to complete the sequence

the

various

sections
I

down

to

the

period

when
.

true

Japanese

feeling

disappeared, and

virtually

ceased to collect.

The
of

Handbook following extract from the

which
I

named

will give

an idea

the

kind of information to

am

referred.

Speaking of the

kiln of Ota, near

Yokohama, where the imitation Satsuma, which has led to so much misconception about the ware, was made about twenty-five

36
years ago,
it

the proprietor says that

of

the

factory

"brought over

named Kozan, who was living at MakudsuKiyomidzu porcelain-maker, and who worked with such success that the original ga-hara, in Kioto,
Satsuma
ware
lost
its
if

value/*
this
is

Xo wonder Mr.

MORSE

is

so

astray

about 'Old
"

SatswmT

the kind of information

he believes.

Mr.

KOWKS' estimate

us to

the

artistic
is

quality

of

the

pottery

of Tatnba, Totomi,
material,

and certain other provinces

by
his

invalidated because his

as

revealed

catalogue,

is

altogether

too

meagre and

imperfect

upon which to base an opinion."

Certainly

the

examples
not lead

of

this

ckajin

pottery

which
it.

my

friends
it

procured for

me do

me

to

wish for more of

And

is

significant that the

Japanese Government appears to have been of the same

opinion, for in selecting the specimens for the South Kensington

Museum

they sent
single

only a

little

tea

jar

and a water-pot of Tamba, and not a

I

piece of Totomi,

whereas

am

the

unfortunate possessor of two

specimens of each of these sombre wares.

"A

piece

of

^enninr
is

Dohachi, judging from the description and

characteristic

marks,

commented

upon

as

follows

Stated by conit

noisseurs to

have been made by Dohachi about

1850,

but

bears the

following impressed

mark/

Why

shouldn't

it?"

The
marks,"
Professor
I

remark,

judging

from

the
I

description

and

characteristic

strikes

me

as disingenuous

when

have before

me my

note that

MORSE saw

this specimen,

and gave

me

the information which

have printed.

The marks upon

this

piece

are Hosai Sanzin

I

and a

shell.

am

aware that Dohachi used a

shell,

but

have not found anyone to confirm

Mr, MORSE'S statement that he also used the name Hosai Sanzin, therefore I naturally used reserve in the add that the matter, and I

may

Ko

gci Shirio

is

silent

on the point.

"

We

are hero informed that a clumsy-looking teapot

but, in

made by Keiuan,
inscribe

doing

this
it

was not only he had the modest affectation to

upon

it

that

he copied

from Makudsu.

The Makudzo was

was made
a copy of

born

many

years after

Kenyan
at

died.

The

teapot in question

by the modern Makudsu

Kenzan."

Yokohama, who

has marked

it

37
I

am

not

responsible

for the variations

of spelling in this extract,

to

and others elsewhere, hut they

for

arc

suggestive

one who has a desire

accuracy.

The

inscription

referred
copies the

to

is

Kenyan ntamit Makitzit

It

set,

which

have rendered Kcnzan

Makuzu manufacture.
states

will

be seen that

my
of
that

critic

is

in

error

when he

that

said
I

the

ware was copied

from the work of another

potter.

On

page 117,

speak of the district

in

Makuzu
I

in

Kioto, and Professor MORSE

has got astray

thinking

referred to the potter

called

Kozan who went from that

himself

district to

Yoko-

hama, and sometimes

Makuzu Kozan

(pp.

115,

403).

He

is

also

in

error
it

in

the rendering of the character

is

utmu, not
susceptible

having recognised that

is

written in Chinese form, which

of a different meaning to the Japanese style.

the
inscription
I

A
make,

Chinese scholar renders

Kcnsans
also

painting,

Makuzu
fc<

which

confirms
is

my

reading.

may
1

add

that the

clumsy-looking teapot"

what a

native friend

calls
It
is

"just what
evidently of
of

chajin

would

produce for his friend's

admiration/
the work of

some

age,

and has no resemblance to

Makuzu Kozan
Xinwi

Yokohama.

"The
bowl
is

seal

<

specimen 410

is

false

mark, and therefore the

nut genuine."

Here he
said
1

fastens

upon a
clear

cautious remark which

inserted,

for

"

It

is

not
object

quite
is

whether the

border

forms

part

of

the

seal/

The

identical in

paste, treatment, and decoration with

a specimen

bearing

the

same mark, described upon the previous page,

which was

and
ters,

have been informed that the border, apparently round the characnothing but the impression of the face of the
unusually deeply into the clay.
his notes
seal,

is

pressed

The

fact

is,

Professor

MORSE
But

has got

confused,

and

is

thinking of specimen

No. 432, an

example of forged
surely
seal
!

Ninsei ware,

to

which

drew his

attention.

he does not contend that potters confined themselves to a single

In olden times, artists had several different seals, in some instances
as

as

many

twenty or

thirty,

large

or small,,

of the

same

or of

alter-

native names.

"The mark
later

M impel

is

not that of

the

original

Mimpei,

but a

period,

say

1870,"

We

have seen

how

far

astray Professor

MORSE was

in his

remark

38
about the Xinsei signature, and
I

think he

is

equally in error here, for

my
u

notes of the opinion of a native expert,

Kioto,

who handled
to

the piece say,

Really
*'

by Minpei, the potter

who went

Awaji."

Catalogue Xo. 666 has no resemblance whatever to an early form

i*it
is

tff

!uu\<muu

m-arK

the

last,

say

This specimen has been illustrated for a dozen years, and passed

by numerous Japanese connoisseurs

the
earliest

for

a longer period, as an example of a

work of the

factor}',

and

comparison with
I ^5?

the

modern

specimens (some of
the classification.

them made about

1874, not

as he says) confirms

"The mark

translated

as

Unki should read

Of-m"
The
alone,

"This

is

an

impressed mark,
is

and

is

extremely indistinct.
it

mark

as figured in the book

it

so blotted that one cannot, from

decide which way

that there
is,

should be read.

Of

course,

if

Professor

MORSE knows
in

or was, a potter of the

name
clear.

of

Unzen working
a

Idzumo,
as
this

then

the

proper

reading
lead
to

would be
the

Such

knowledge

would

probably
is

correction

of

another

mark on the next

page, which

also

indistinctly impressed,

and which the presence of a

Wunyei.

single dot would change from Wunsui to

It is

most

difficult to

copy these impressed marks, often indistinctly

glaze,

stamped, especially

when covered with a crackled

and when, as

in

these instances, a single dot, or a single line, often almost undecipherable, the of a character. In another case referred to changes reading

by him,

where the mark rendered, upon a

attempt at copying it, as Wmsui, but afterwards corrected by the addition of a dash as part of the second
first

character, should read

Wunyei,

Professor

MORSE

considers that the

of

first

character

of this

name should read

Un,

instead

Wun, but
is

both

readings are correct, for the Japanese pronunciation of

It
is

them

the same.

merely a question

of transliteration, for which no settled rule has

instance the

yet been laid

down;
writers

for

name

of

the Capital
Tokio,

is

variously

rendered

by
I

as

T6kiyA,

Tokiyu,

Toukiyau,

T6ki6,

and

Tokyo,
of

content myself with the simpler style of Tokio.

This absence

definite

system

affords

every

opportunity

for

those

who

like

to

dogmatise.
"

Mark

Scifit

is

upside down."

39

curious

point
it

hinges
is

upon

this

remark.

The mark

itself

is
it

extremely indistinct;

an

impressed one, and the translation of

was given

to

me by
is

Professor MORSE,

who probably
friend
says,

guessed
'

it

from

the character of the ware.

As a Japanese
assistance;
it

Knowing who

made
it,

the object
I

great
that

but the

first

reader must

know

and now

can

tell

may
of

be Seifu."

"Seinndt*

i&

not

the

name

potter,

hut

Scinn
is

is

poetical

name, and do
that

is
is

a house."
the
potter's

Again: ''Equally erroneous

thf statement

Zumdfi

name

Itenidii

is

a poetical

name

for

the

oven,

and da means house/' &c.

may,

in

passing,

say

that

Zuisi

and

Dzithhi

are

alternative

readings of the same

side,

characters,

but a

Japanese

scholar,

now by my

informs

me

that he considers the former the

more elegant of the

two.

The

best

information obtainable on this subject was embodied by

me

in

Japanese Marks' and Seals : U D0, meaning a temple 'or hall, in

common
a

with other words such

constantly

as ken,
in

a house, yen, a garden, and

sai,

study, are

found

and painters, and the words thus formed might be supposed to be the name of the factory or workBut this reading is seldom correct, except in those cases where shop.
conjunction with the names of
potters

the

characters
(the

ni

oite

or

wfe,

meaning

in

or

a/,

or

when

the

word

Shiujin

master)

appears in the inscription/'

at

These remarks have been

Professor

MORSE'S

service since 1881,

I but he appears to have neglected the opportunity of studying them. have submitted them to a Japanese scholar, who confirms them,

recently
I

and when
once said
is

mentioned Mr. MORSE'S view to him about Zuisido, he at

No, no
!

"

it

cannot be the name of the factory/'

This view
inscription
in,

further confirmed by the presence of the

for'sctsu

word
by,
is

seisu

in the

in conjunction with do,

means made
seisit

and not made

Zuisido makes.

And

further,

the

literal

translation

of Zuisido

'*

Why

go further

Yet

it

is

impossible to pass over such a glaring

error as in the case of the specimen figured in Plate

to

LXVI

as belonging

the province of Kii, and

to

And he goes on
oven
in
Kii,

made by Sanrakuyen. Shades of Zengoro!" say that "on the decline of a ware made at an
was
this

potter

hired

to

revive,

if

possible,

the

ware

in

Tokio/' &c.

And on

ground

he states that

the

piece

referred

to

C/3

Q U4 H <
a;

O w Q

"was not made within

"there
poetical
is

of Kii," three hundred miles of the province

and

no such maker as

Sanrakuyen-the oven was

repeats,
is

called

by the

name Sanrakuyen," and he

absurdity

in

another newspaper, the

"laughable
review.

of

this

blunder

shown

up

in

the

Nation's

ray

I can only say (i) that cannot speak positively on this matter. for twelve years, classification has been before Japanese connoisseurs
I

and has not been disputed;

states

(2)

that

the

official

record,

issued

1878,

that "After Yeiraku

(Zengoro) died, the

workmen

of that factory

inherited the process,

and continue to make the ware

until

the present

of the word seisu, meaning made by, day"; and (3) that the presence and not made in, in connection with the characters Sanrakuyen, supports

the view that this

is

really

the

name

of

the maker,

as

have

been

informed

it

is

by Japanese

friends.

"The mark Kiuraku

causes another
one, as

is

rendered

as

Keiraku,
that Kei
!

and

this

blunder
that

the author

suggests

may

signify

the piece was

is

that

of

made by Keinin, the eleventh Chojiro a potter named Yasuke, who lived at
1860.

whereas the mark

Shinmachi,
to

Kioto,

and made Raku ware up to

family, and,
tions."

He

bears no

relation
in

the

Raku

of

course,

the

mark never appeared

the

raku genera-

Professor

MORSE

is

right
is

in

saying that the

first

character should

be rendered Kin, but

to the one in question

he
is

in

error

on other points.

The

piece next
it

identical in every respect, except that

bears
the-

the real raka

seal

of

the

Chojiro

family,

which

goes

to

confirm

was made by a member of that family. opinion that the previous piece He is also in error in speaking of the "Raku family," for there is no
such family
;

raku ware has been made by

many
but

potters, in
it

many

places.

No

doubt
to

he

means

the

Chojiro
all

family,

behoves

so severe a

critic

be more

exact in

his statements.

Referring to the character which

have rendered ^f, he writes:

not

"The

character,

when

alone,

should read Chi,

Ji"
scholar,

have

referred

the matter

to of

Japanese

who

replies:

"It cannot be Chi; as the

anything but Ji"

name

a person,

it

cannot

possibly be

tk

vShosai

is

the

name

of

raku

maker

in

Settsu,

not

in

Yaina-

shiro."

He may be
firmed.

correct.

cannot

say until

his

statement

is

con-

"

We
it

are
is

told

that the

mark Horakn

is

the

name

of the

maker,
1

whereas

one

of the numerous marks of the

Toyosuke pottery/

The same

observation
the
object

applies

to

this remark.

Pending enquiry,
raku

may remark
instance

that

does

not

resemble
of

Toyosuke
a

ware,
for
is

and that the character raku

Yeiraku,

often forms part

personal
I

name,
he

Kiuraku, and so forth.

there are numerous

And

further,

think

in error in saying that

marks on Toyosuke pottery.

The mark Genzan should

have refreshed

be read

Kenzau."

my

information and find that these rude characters

can be correctly read in either fashion.

M

"No.

671

is

not A\vari

(I

presume he means Owari), "but

characteristic

Ise/'

NOW
Professor
is

T
,

here

is

statement

of

the
is

recklessness
it

of
it

MORSE.

He
as

has not seen the object, nor

illustrated;
7 ,

simply

described

"of

fine

very

light

grey

potter}

completely

glaze very evenly and perfectly applied. An example of Seto-Suke ware made about 1830," and the mark upon it is given. This example was procured for me some time ago in Japan, and submitted to native experts, who described it as " Seto-Suke, Owari,

covered

with

cream-coloured

about
in

fifty

to sixty years ago."

In the earlier part of the book

it

remark,

writing of Seto-Suke

ware, that

was

first

made towards

the close

of the seventeenth century in Ise, by a native of Owari,

who

afterwards

returned to his native province.

*A

large

vase

is

placed with

Harima,

for

what reason only the

extraordinary methods of

Mr.
U

BOWES can

explain.

A good

guess would

be Akahada, Yamato/'
reveal the fact that
it

further

study of the specimen will probably

is

one of a number of specimens that have within

a few years turned up in

oven/'

New

York and Paris

almost

warm from

the

43
the

evidence

in

favour
in

of

Yataushiro

satisfactory,

and

corrected

my

original

classification

the following word*:

''This example was origi-

nally

classed as

Kioto ware, and was illustrated as such in

in

Ktrawk Art
it

of

Japan;" and

my

recent l*>ok

descrilntd

and

illustrated

by

its

revised classification.

Precisely the

regard to a similar piece,

same cautious plan was pursued with originally classed as Kioto, and subsequently

changed to Nagato, special attention being drawn to the original erroneous And I may add that the difficulty of placing such wares classification.
as this
is

rendered practically insuperable by the

in

fact, as

stated

by Mr.

MORSE

himself

Harpers',

that

"clay was brought from one province

to be, perhaps,

cated,

mixed with clay from another province, and to be fabriIn the face of this decorated, and glazed somewhere else."
classifications,

statement, he presumes to challenge the

and decide that

under these
similar

out of the eighteen of such

provinces,
thirteen

debatable

specimens described
in

should
at

be placed

other

provinces where
to
specify

wares were made,

the same time

omitting
it

some

of

the

specimens questioned, which, of course, renders

to book.

impossible to bring

him

He

passes this opinion

illustrated.

upon pieces which he has not seen,

and which are not

But he does commit himself to some

burner, which the writer of the Xatitm

for

instance, to a
to

perfume from

article

affected

declare,

the illustration, to be Shino, and not Nagato, this being entirely a question of glaze.

In reply,

pointed out that

it

was impossible

to

form an

opinion about the glaze from a photograph, to which

replied:

Professor

MORSE
is

"What,
found
is,

then,
his

is

the reader to depend

article,

upon?"
I

The answer

to

be

in

Harper
of

to

which

have already referred.

not
rely
it

The

fact

the writer

the

Nation

review did
for
I

upon

the

illustration,

but upon the opinion which he

article

suppose

may now

be assumed that the

when

showed him

this

was written by Professor MORSE expressed When I oft-disputed piece some years ago.
of Nagato,

replied that the

classification

which

had preferred to that

given by him, was confirmed by the presence of the crest of the prince
of that province, he endeavoured
to

confuse

the

issue

by pointing to

other specimens bearing princes' crests, ignoring the fact that the place of manufacture of these latter specimens the marks of the maker given in

was

rendered indisputable by

my

book, or the unmistakable character

of the decoration as shown by the illustration.

Take another piece of these debatable

wares

referred

to

by the

44
A'jiJ/*'/:

reviewer,
article

which pui/ied everyone but

said:

Mr.

MOKSK.

The

writer

*f

that

"Xagato,

Xa
The
its

2,

is

an

exceedingly rare

and old
so accuthe
this

specimen of Onohara. Tamba.

rate

figure of this
is

specimen

is

that

we
of

venture
cloth

to

say
a

bottom

unglazed,

and

bears

impression

upon

dark-red

clay."

Curiously
to

enough,
I

specimen was with the

it

perfume burner referred

above when
it

showed
His

to

Mr. MORSL, and he, no doubt, made a note about

also.

recollection

about the bottom being unglazed, and being impressed with

correct,
is

a cloth,

is

but

his

memory has

failed

him about the colour

of

the clay, which

not dark-red, but drab.

One

other example of this method uf settling these difficult points

may be
the

given.

He

says:

"Xos.

and 9"

<

specimens 897 and 898) "from

description alone, should be recognised by the novice as

if

Kiyomid/u,

Kioto, and

further proof were needed, the

mark

is

given, though unintel-

ligible tn the author, as that of Kitei,

one of the typical Kiyomid/u makers/'

The

pieces are not

illustrated:

the description would apply as well

to the pottery of

many

places as to the

numerous

varieties
I I

made

at Kioto,

and the mark

is

stated

by

me

to

be undecipherable.

have recently

submitted the mark to an accomplished native friend, as

others,

have to

many

who

declares there

is

no sign of Ki or

to",

although the second

character does bear a faint resemblance to the form of the latter.

"

With the exception

all

of

two tea
buff,

jars,

the ten specimens described

as

Idzurno are

of yellow,

and mottled buff glazes."

This

is

not so, for there are other varieties.

:

The

tea jars repre-

sent the ckajin ware

"characteristic

the glazed wares he

names
to

are the staple

product

of

the province,

and

he

refers

another description as

follows

"The
century,

example,

Xo.

1)81,

was not made

&c.

in

the

early

part

of the

but within

thirty

years,"

As a Japanese
for

friend

says,

this

is

"very bold," of Mr. MORSE,

he has not seen the piece; it is not illustrated, and my remarks about " it go no further than A tea cup (chawan) of light buff pottery, covered with thick opaque white glaze, which a band of butterflies is
:

upon

painted

in

green,

red,

blue,

and

gold.

Identified

by

Mr. Hayashi as

45

Id/umo
this

\\are.

made

early

in

the

present

century for

Prince

Furnai of

province/'

"A
village <f

pintle

tiu'tir*'

H
it

<!f"*irilte<j
xv.*?*

;<-

!>\:t<K

i<)

N^unr. Iuan

of Yama>hiro,

\vhnxs-H

suadv
o*

1>\

it

potter
will

nun^d Nagnmi

in

the

Yama$hita. province
list/*

hvami.

Tins

add another province

to

Mr.

Bowes'

He may
and
the
friend
tells

he right;
experts

should

not venture to

decide between him

Japanese

who
of

save

me my
is

classification.

native

me

that

the

name

Nagami

as

common
Besides,

in

Japan as

those of Brown, Jones and Robinson in England.

he has not

handled the piece, as

my

authorities have

done.

Since the foregoing remarks were written,

of consulting with a native friend,

have had the advantage

who was

recently introduced to

a high authority as an accomplished Chinese and Japanese

tells

me by He scholar.

me

that

Mr. Morse has evidently mistaken the characters referred He has confounded those which to.
I

have rendered as Iwao

for others

which, although similar in pronunciation,

mean Iwami.
two words
and

The
are,

charac-

ters for the

however,
friend

entirely

different,

my

in the inscription explains that those

which
be
a

have rendered as Iwao must

personal

name,

and cannot

possibly be that of the province Mr.

Morse names.

He

adds that the

that of a style of the writing is not

professional potter, but
teur,

of an

amato

who was
on

not accustomed
pottery.
I

engraving

do not

pretend to have sufficient knowledge

to give

an

opinion

on

such

an

abstruse matter as this, and therefore

I

reproduce the mark, so that

others
firmation of the
I

may

decide.
I

But

in

con-

opinion expressed by

my
in

friend,

may

say that

when

described the specimen

under review

Kcrawic

A rt

of Japan a dozen

46
years apo,
I

mentioned that
that

had been
artist.

informed the inscription upon

the piece \va

of an

amateur

"The two

pccmu;ns figured as Awaji of the eighteenth century

thirty

wm* made

\vithin

years

at

Shido,

Sanuki."

The specimens
second half of
latter,

referred

to

are

circular

dish

and a square dish,

is

both of which are illustrated in

the eighteenth

Plate

LXI;

the

first
is

placed in the
to the

century,
is

but no date

assigned
piece

and here

again

my

critic

inexact.

Neither
in

bears

any

mark by which
in

identification is

possible; no feature

them, as shown

the illustration, enables one to determine their origin, for such

ware
for

has been

made

in

Japan
I

after

the

style

of
in

Cochin China pottery

two centuries
the Awaji
carefully

past.
I

need not

say that,

assigning these pieces to

connoisseurs,

kiln,

acted upon the advice of Japanese

who

examined the pieces, and so placed them.

whatever for the
opinion

Mr. MORSE has no

moreover, he errs

ground

he

expresses,

and,

about the date.

"On
was made

the plate marked

in

Suruga,

not

one of the specimens figured

that

province."

Three specimens are described, of which two are

authority for this classification is

illustrated.

My

Mr. HAYASHI,

who

inspected the objects

and said of them:

Tokugawa Shogun (lyenori, 1787-1837), according to the custom of his house, resided at Shiduoka, in the province

"The

eleventh

of Suniga, to which place he invited artists to

make bowls and

All

so forth,

upon

which

he allowed his

crest

to

be

placed."

three bear

the
the

Tokugawa
Mr.

crest,

and two have the

the

impressed stamp of
artist

Kinkozan,

Kioto potter,

who would be

invited

this

may have

misled

MORSE.

"On
provinces."

the

plate

lettered as

Satsuma are specimens of three other

There

are
I

eleven

plates

lettered

Satsuma,

illustrating

sixty-four
refers.

examples, and

am

at

a loss to know to which of them he

''The

specimen

catalogued as

Sdoku$itri Satsuma has no

resem-

blance to that ware whatever/'

47
There are four specimens catalogued and
say to which of these he refers.
illustrated.

He

does not

He

has not seen any of the pieces.

My

description of the glazes, written

with reference only to the objects

before

me,

corresponds

with

those

mentioned
"

by him
;

in

Harpers?

as

typical of the ware

named, "brown" and

which, to

"

olive-brown

and there are

opinion of

other points of

similarity,

my

mind, confirm

the

the natives

who procured

these pieces for

me

as

to their origin.

And
figured

one of the specimens corresponds very strikingly with a piece Mr. MORSE in allowance for the obvious by Harpm\ making
tion

idealiza-

of

all

the illustrations given by

him

in

that article.

Mr.

MORSE
I

refers
said.

to

my
is

remarks

about
error
in

Suwo ware and

classing the

mis*

represents what

He

further in

beautiful
it

specimen referred
is

to

with the

rude chanoyu

wares, for the glaze of

it

crackled as finely as that of the rarest

Satsuma, and

is

as perfect

in paste

and

glaze.

"Catalogue No. 169

is

not

i;th

century,

but

possibly

middle of

This

is

a
for

specimen

of

the

cliajin

ware known as Sunkorokn.

It

was procured

me by

a native expert as a representative example of

the ware, and the date he gave

me was

the i;th century, as stated in

sign,

my
only

catalogue.

It

bears no mark or
character,
paste,

other

and can be identified

by

its

general

colour,

decoration
I

and

so forth.
of

Mr. MORSE has

decoration

not seen the piece.

Further,

find

that

part
in

the

corresponds with that

states

upon a teapot
old,

illustrated
it

Harpers'

which he

to be

200 years
it

in

fact

resembles this piece

much more
It

closely than

does the more recent pieces which he figured.

to

compare Mr. MORSE'S opinion of this ware, as set forth in with that held by others. He devotes Harper$\ half a page to the of it as "rich arid effective*' it, praises describing and the most " distinctive of all Satsuma On the other hand, types/'

may

be interesting

Capt. BRINKLEY says of

u
it,

At Aden, they manufactured faience having

that
suffered

coarse brown pate, with vitreous glaze

the colour of
in

the

muddy

clay to

declare

itself

honestly,

and

decoration

the

form of

black or chocolate zigzags and lattices. The Arabs detected nothing of the beauties of this ware. They never imagined it could attract admiraas it tion, being, was, the work of rude artizans, in ruder
materials,

guided by the

rudest canons.

...

The Japanese

chajin received the

4S
little

pets reverentially,

took

them
in

into

the
of

bosom
costly

of

his

cult,

called
filled

them Snnknroku, enclosed them

their

bags

brocades, and

mouths with straw stoppers/'

"

Mr.
hi*

BOWKS

vor<!;l

h.w shmvn
It
it

his

wisdom
is

in

deferring to

th"

viuwa

of

Japane*

friend.

rurtainly

not

Satsuma.

Judging

from the meajrre description,

Xagato/*

will

probably turn

out to be Fukagawa,

Of

the

one

hundred

and one

specimens
to

of

decorated
to
he

Satsuma
a
It

described in Japanese Pottery he

ventures

refer

this

one only
not
seen.

debatable
is

piece

without

mark,
as

not

illustrated,

which

has

No,

247,

described

dish

of

drab
of a

pottery,

with

waxy

glaze,

pheasant and maple tree. boldly crackled, with rude ornamentation There is nothing in this description on which to base an opinion unless
the
piece be also seen, "

but
this

judge

doubts whether

MORSE, noticing that I say a native specimen is Satsuma, and thinks it may
Mr.
at

be either Kioto or

Akahada ware/'

once decides the point, a point

held

which has puzzled

hands.
Certainly

many Japanese who have

native friend

the

piece

in

their

my

may

again exclaim,

"

he

is

too

bold

M
!

Of one hundred and

only

three specimens of

Kaga ware he
a
piece

refers
I

to

single

one,

and

here
I

again

he

selects

which

have

described as debatable, for

said,

"some
piece,

difference of opinion

has been
to

expressed

as

to

the origin

of this

but

the

balance

inclines

this classification/'

Surely nothing could be more conservative than this But, without the slightest reference to

method of
what
I

treating the matter?

said
else
it

have

about

it

in

my

recent book, he quotes the

opinion

which someone

years ago, "that

the
past

has expressed upon seeing only an illustration of it is one of the many pieces produced in Owari within
especially
for

few

years

the

purpose

of

deceiving

unwary

collectors/'

As a matter
received
in

of fact,

it

was one of the

bears

earliest

pieces of potteryin

this

country;

it

no
to

resemblance

paste
I

or

in

character

of decoration or colouring

any Owari ware

is

have seen,

and
the

further, the

subject of the decoration

peculiarly after the style of

Kaga

artists,

and the presence

with
is

in

the border of the small circular

affords
this

form especially
proof that

identified

their

work
In

an almost conclusive
connection, and
as a

my

classification

correct.

49
haphazard opinions as that referred to, I may quote the following opinion from a recent letter 44 that even the most perfect plates I contend from a Japanese expert,

warning of the

danger

of

expressing such

11

do not

afford

a sufficient means for

identification.

Mr. Morric

v,

riles,

a solitary
fair

specimen of Ohi prompts him to say,

<>f

"this rmle v,ork affonls u

of OhimtKhi,
for

example

thf wrm.* inn<l' nt the factory

the

r,&-

rf the

ch.jw"
through the articles as
subsidiary kilns where

This

is

one of several

remarks scattered
illustrating

to the small

number of specimens

the

these rude chajin wares were made, such as Ohi,

Tamba, Totomi, Zeze,

esteemed, and
I

Takatori, Tosa, and so forth.

The

fact

is,

few of these domestic wares

came

to

Europe, where
fill

they have
in

never

been

when

wished to

up

the

blanks

my

collection

requested

my

native

friends to select for

me

a sufficient number to represent the salient points

did not consider
it

of the various kilns.

They
filled

necessary to send many,

and those they sent

submitted
to accept
in

me

with

surprise,

but

as

they

had been
for
it

to reputable experts in Tokio, there

was nothing

but

I think they were right them as representative specimens, not multiplying the number of such objects, and I may state that

the

Japanese

Government when
it

it

made the

collection

for

the South

Kensington

Museum, thought

necessary to send

only two

specimens

of Ohi ware, and the other provinces

named were

represented by eight

an indication of the opinion of the pieces, which may be accepted as of the collection in question. experts who were charged with the formation

presume Professor MORSE means Koto,! as 1800, and says that native records give no account of Had he referred to the BRIXKLEY-GREEY catalogue he would the ware,

"Mr. BOWES

gives the age of Kioto

il

have found the date 1840 quite correct."

In

the

catalogue referred

to

the date

named

is

about 1830, but

the remarks there refer only to porcelain, faience not being named.
date
is

The

not given in the

friends

was

that the kiln

last

Ko gei Shirio, but my "was founded by the

to credence as

information from native

Prince of Omi, probably

this

about the close of

version
is

century or early in the present one," and

as

much

entitled

the other.

"

His piece of Tozan

is

accredited to the year Kwanyei, 1624-1643.

I)

50

;t}t:au

UKINKU^
its

*aj* the
in

ware was
1826

first

produced

in

1840.

My own
off

date

places

origin

Mr.

BOWES

should take

about 200 years."

statements as
this,

And

later

on Professor MORSE, on the basis of such

ventures to

make the

following

offensive

assertion:

"The
that

circumstances that have led Mr.

so

BOWES

to systematically lengthen
incline
doing;/*

the age of

man}

of

his

specimens naturally
in

one

to

believe

he increases their value

his

eyes by

so

The
gentleman,

piece in

question was obtained for

me

in

Tokio by a native
it

who,

after

submitting
of

it

to

experts,

sent

to

me

as

representative

specimen

Tozan ware
I

dating

from the
that
is

"year-period

Kwanyei, 1624-1643."
in error in speaking of

In passing

may

mention
for
it

Mr.

MORSE

is

Kwanyei as a "year"

a "year-period/'

embracing a number of years.

I

He

omits to refer to the remarks which

made about the

matter,

in

accordance with his

he has
first

custom
I

of

using

or

omitting what suits the purpose

in

view.

said that

"native

records state that the industry was

practised
for

in

the year-period of
identified

Tempo, 1830-1843,

but

this

is

incorrect,

we have two

examples, one dating from the

first

half of the

seventeenth century, and

the other from the opening years of the present century," &c.
Professor

Probably

MORSE

has been misled by hearing that a relation of Dohachi

after

went to Himeji some time

Tempo.
No.
said
to

"The
century,
is

bottle

described

under

953,

be

seventeenth
is

not over forty years old.

We

venture to say that there

slate-coloured

no
the

spiral
bottle

thread mark on the bottom;

slightly

clay,

and

fine,

and

constricted in the

middle"

The

italics

are mine.

This affords another example of Professor

this

MORSE'S connoisseurship, and

should in
the
itself

single

specimen of reckless guessing

all

be sufficient to discredit his criticisms, at

like

events to
cautiously

mind of one who,

myself,
at

has

for

twenty

years

and conscientiously plodded

the

subject,

weighing,

comparing,

and

balancing each opinion gathered from native friends, and finally in every
case printing each doubt that remained unsolved.

This specimen of
following words

Tamba ware
953,

is

described in
(tokuri),

my book
brown-black
is

in

the
or

"
:

No.

bottle

for

holding

shochiu,

alcohol;

of

brown

pottery,

covered

with

dull

glaze.
it,

Seventeenth century.
it

Height

7 inches."

Nothing

else

said
it,

about
still

is

not illustrated, and

Professor

MORSE has

never

seen

he

ventures to

say,

as

have

shown,

that

the

clay

is

slate-coloured,
is

and the middle

there
is

slightly

constricted;

whereas

the

clay

brown,

and
per-

no

sign

of

constriction

whatever!

Surely
!

one

may be

mitted to describe such criticism as dishonest

Such ware as

this

was made

in

Tarnba

in the seventeenth century,

It

and

had the date

of this specimen from a satisfactory authority.

in

has no marks to

assist

fixing the

period of

its

manufacture,

"A
1596-1614.

liutti

marked Shidoru

is

pkceJ Mjm^vlk-n,
not
nsi-'l fit-ure:?

bvtweun the yours

The mark Shidoro

date,

wa.*

until
is

;i

hundred yvars
form,

after

Mr,
fifty

BOWLS'
year**

and

the

mark he

recent

perhaps

<M."

stated in
friend,

my

by his
it

Mr,
in

book
,

"
:

This piece was presented to the Collector

as a representative

example

of

Shitoro

ware;

was

made
sent
it

the

year-period of

Keicho,

1596-1614."
of
other

When my
representative
to
experts,

friend
chajin

from

Tokio,

with
that

a
it

number

wares,

he
of

informed
course

me

had been submitted

glaze,

who

would

examine the

clay,

mark,

and

so
has

forth,

before fixing the date.

seen
it,

On

the other hand,

Professor

MORSE

never

"

1763;

His specimens of Akahada do not date buck between they ;u*e all recent as proved by the marks."

1751

and

He
which
from
I

enlarges on the subject generally

is

in

his

usual dogmatic style,

but the fact

say,

that
this

only

assign

date to a single specimen about

"

piece

was

sent to the Collector

the

year-period

Horeki,

1751-1763."
if
it

from Japan as dating This statement came from

it

a satisfactory authority,

and

be correct,

completely refutes Mr.

MORSE'S views about the

"

factory.

The province

of

Buzen

is

dismissed in

eleven

Hues."

In
refers

the

South

Kensington

Handbook,

to
is

which

Professor

MORSE

me

for instruction,

not a single line

it

devoted to this province,

even the

Ko

gei Shirio gives

no more than

six lines,

and

refers only to

imitations of Seto tea jars being

:

made there by a Corean two hundred

to state that this potter
fifty-nine

it and seventy-four years ago goes on to another province two hundred and

removed

years ago.

52
"
a
soft

He

describe!*

Chikutfo pottery, of which he has none, as having

clay,

light-coloured

somewhat

similar to that

employed

in

Minatu

ware, &c.
to

The

pottery described by Mr.

it

BOWES

has no more resemblance

Minato ware than

ha>>

to

Royal Worcester/'

A
light,
its

native record says of Chikugo pottery

surface
is

"
:

The

clay

is

soft

and

fine

and white/'

"\Ve

are told

that the

introduction

of the
is

industry in
it

Tsushima

appears to be of recent date, for nothing

of

heard of

until the period

Bunkwa
in

11804-16181.

He

should see some of the examples of Yaheda

made

1680 or thereabouts/'

The Ko

gci Shirto

does not confirm Professor MORSE, for

the

it

states

that Yoshida Mataichi

commenced

work

in the year-period of

Bunkwa,

The
and

pottery

was

of the

kind with which

Mr. MORSE
1878,

is

so infatuated,

no

progress

had

been

made

up

to

when the book was

published.

*k

Mimpei was an Awaji

potter,

and not a Kioto one/'

What

wrote was that Minpei was a pupil of a Kioto potter, and

went to Awaji.
to starting the

The Ko

gti Shirio

confirms this, for

it

says that previous

Awaji factory, Minpei went to Kioto to learn potting.

"On
in

plate

XL

a piece

is

figured

as

Omi, whereas

it

was made

Ofuke Village, Owari,"

There

is

no piece of Omi ware figured in the plate referred

to.

Referring to the specimens of Higo

these has been defaced by subsequent

ware,

he remarks:

"One

of

decoration/'

He
Japan to

omits to state that

decorate,

it

has been
in

very

common
this

practice in

with

designs

enamel colours,
to
this in

inlaid

ware,

and that attention

piece referred to.

is carefully

drawn

my

description of the

He
published

takes
in

exception

to

my

statement that a Government report,

deficient
in

1878,

was "singularly

information in regard to

53
the brilliant development of the artistic
to
taste *f

the cuuntry at un epoch

which he assigns many of

hi*

pieces/"

that

The epoch I referred to is clearly stated in my book as being " under the rule of the Tokugawa family, when the country was
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
exquisite

during the
the

when without a doubt

were
produced/'

most

examples

of

Japanese
chajin

Art

The

report in question enlarges

kilns,

upon the

wares produced at numerous

decorative

but

passes over with brief notice

the

development of

the epoch named, afterwards enlarging upon

some

of the imitation wares

if

made during
this*

recent years

in fact

it

would seem as

Professor

MORSE

might have derived his knowledge

of

the subject from

such reports as

But does he

really challenge

my

statement that the seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries were the golden age of art in Japan?

"
I

He
of

says

that

claim

to
.

have
. .

brought
that
it

together

collection

Japanese pottery so complete will in future be obliged to appeal

pottery/'

the

Japanese themselves
about
their

to

to

learn

own

He
with the

has misrepresented
circumstances
sent

my

remarks, which were

made

in connection

under which so many objects of art

the
country,
in
it,

generally
in

had

been

out

of

and
for,

the
I

difficulty

of students

seeing

those

which remained
until
for

as

said,

there
it

had

been no

museums

there

recently,

and
to

showed that

was

contrary to

Japanese custom

collectors

as display their specimens freely

I

we
be

do

in

the West.

In this

connection

remarked, "perhaps

it

may

that the Japanese of this and future generations will

best

have to study the

is

forms of their
of the
that

art

in

foreign

lands,

for

there

no doubt that
It

many
seen

choicest

examples

have
of

been

sent

abroad/'

will
is

be
not
in

Mr, MORSE'S
I

paraphrase
say that

my

words and
are

meaning
very

justified,

and

regret

to

such

offences

common

his letters.

Referring to Plate

in Japanese Pottery, illustrating the

Undecorated

and Decorated wares, and reproduced

he says:
"

in this

paper as Plates

A and
give

B,

The

tea jar

is

not a Toshiro, and

the Stto-kusuri

Satsuma
no

has no resemblance

to

that

ware, and, right

or wrong, they

idea whatever of the beautiful running and mottled glazes of Chikuzen,

Tamba, Omi,

Iga,

Buzen, and other provinces/'

54
It
is

not clear to

me why

the illustration of two objects

idea of the glazes found
to.

made

in

Owari and Satsuma should give an

upon the
should

wares made in the other provinces referred

But however

this

be, I must say that the tea jar has passed the scrutiny of very many native fifteen years, and has always been recognised as judges during the past a genuine example of Toshiro's work, "of the highest class," as a well-

known

expert declared.
in

The

jar

of Scto-kusuri

Satsuma was sent

to

me

from Japan
since then.
in

1874, and has been identified as such, times out of

number

And

as a curious confirmation
it,

may mention

that the defect

the illustration of

pointed out above, follows upon the attempt of

"

the chromolithographic artist to produce the effect of the tint arising from

the

"

somewhat reddish colour

is

of the clay, characteristic of this ware,

which
larger

named
of

in the Harpers' article.

The same
Keramic
it

fault

occurred in the

plate

this

jar,

given
I
felt,

in

Art

of

Japan,

and

endeavoured, unsuccessfully

to have

remedied for the plate

jar again to
Paris,

in

my

latest

book.

have,

however, sent the

effect,

to

see

what can be done to catch the true

and so give Professor MORSE

an opportunity of withdrawing the doubt he has cast upon the authenticity of this venerable piece. But, all the same, I deny that he can form

any but a general and approximate idea of the genuineness of the ware
from an
"
illustration.
*

Under the province of Suwo Mr, BOWES catalogues one specimen He also makt s public a private letter from a Japanese friend/' unsigned.
k

Mr.

MORSE knows

that there

is

not a shadow of foundation for

the offensive imputation of breach of confidence conveyed by his remark.

Moreover, he omits to state

gift

that the rare

dish
as

to

which he
very
old

refers,

to me,
yaki,

is

described

by the donor's
in

son

"a

dish of

Tada

which has been used

his

family for generations."

THE
A

CHOJI.
Vapours,

Safeguard from' Noxious

55

[Reprinted from Japanese Pottery.}

THE UNDECORATED WARES.

Since
Japanese

the

chapter

upon

the

Undecorated

Wares

of

Japan

(in

Pottery],

and the remarks about

Professor

Morse's

Paper in

Harpers' Magazine were in type, the Collector has read with great interest

the following article upon the same subject in The Japan

Weekly Mail,

and he ventures
pletely endorsed

to

congratulate himself upon

finding his
for

views so com-

by such an eminent authority,

Brinkley, who,

the journal

named

has for

its

editor Captain

during a residence of twenty

years or more in
subject,

and

his

had ample opportunities of studying the remarks show that he has arrived at the same conclusion
Japan,
has

as the Collector,
different
:

who formed

his opinion

under circumstances altogether

The
article

Boston

Herald

referring

to

our
to

criticisms

of

Professor
that

Morse's

on "Old Satsuma,"

attributes
1'

us

the

idea

"the Chanoyu

forms and colours are not attractive,

ably blind to the
is

and says that we "seem unaccountof

enduring charms of the pottery

ourselves
hitherto

the
of

Tea Clubs.
such

It

unexpected and agreeable to find

taste of

the

object
chiefly

charges.

The

American

collectors

has

run

upon
rose

decorative

specimens.
verte,

Chinese

monochromes,

fine

examples of
are
to

famille

and familU

or brilliant pieces of blue

of

and white
their

eagerly sought
salons

numbers

them

have
in

found

way
a

the

Large and museums of

for.

wealthy amateurs

the States, where they are justly prized

yet

and admired,
of

But

there

has

not

been

developed

due
to

appreciation

Japanese

keramic master-pieces, and had we intended

pen
this

we

should
to

have
the

been
quiet,

careful refined

to

dwell

upon
of

any general criticism, very fact, and to call

attention

standards

Japanese canons.

Even the

sombre, archaic wares affected by the

Tea Clubs would have received tender

But now the

treatment at our hands, for long familiarity has enabled us to detect some,
at least, of their scarcely visible " points."

tables are completely

56
turned.
It
is

we whose

appreciative faculty

is

not fully developed, and the

Boston Herald is our

mentor.

Would

that

we had

personal

access to this

Gamaliel of Oriental art!

How many

mysteries he might unfold to us;

!

how

much

light

he might shed upon our darkness

Frankly do we confess what

us,

has hitherto been a source of secret shame to

that

many

of

our days

and hours have been spent in fruitless attempts to unravel the mystery of which this journal has the key. Earnestly have we sought to emerge from the state of blindness so shrewdly detected by it, But lack of instruction
and guidance has steadily frustrated our efforts, The Japanese themselves, strange to say, decline to admit foreign neophytes into the penetralia of their
ideality.

Open and good-natured

in
for

as

they

are

about

other

subjects,

they

preserve
insincere,
in

respect

of

this

an exceptional reserve.

Nay,

they

are

even

while they profess, with the most engaging candour, to explain

detail

the features of a rusty pot or rustier bowl, they so contrive their

explanations that the problem remains as inscrutable as ever to their hearers.

The world
at

loses

much by

its

inferior

intelligence

in

these

matters.
faience

Look
having

the

Arabs,

for

example.

At Aden

they

manufactured

coarse brown
clay to

p&U

with vitreous glaze that suffered the colour of the

honestly,
lattices.

muddy
or
of

declare

itself

and

decoration

in

the

form of
nothing

black

chocolate
beauties of

zigzags
this
it

and

The

Arabs

detected
it

the

ware.

They never imagined

that

could

attract admira-

tion, being, as

was, the

work of rude artisans

in

ruder materials guided

by rudest canons.
it

But when the

faience reached Japan, the unjust neglect

chajin

had

suffered

received the
called
their

little

The Japanese was compensated by rapt appreciation. them took into the bosom of his pots reverentially:
in

cult;
filled

them Sunkoroku; enclosed them

mouths with straw
still

bags of costly brocade,

be
it

and

stoppers.

To

us,

admitted with shame,

the

Sunhnku pots
stoker.

re-call only the

blemished

corduroys of an
five

Consider the Coreans again.

At Song-do,

impecunious hundred years ago,

they produced porcelain and faience not unworthy to rank with the celebrated

Tivgyao and Kwn-yao of the Middle Kingdom.

Some

of

it

was white with

deftly-chased designs; some celadon of velvet-like glaze and restful hue; some pearl-gray relieved by artistic patterns in cream-white. Over such efforts of artistic skill even we could have become enthusiastic. But the

Coreans had other wares

variegated by

pottery irregular in shape, decorated with blisters,

glaze and pitting of
surface,

discontinuities of

and beautified

by patterns aptly compared by the Japanese themselves to lines of ideographs in an almanack* The. Coreans did not understand this ware. They were
so miserably ignorant that they ranked
to pass in quantities across the
it

little

above rubbish and suffered

it

channel that divided their land from the island

insight of the Japanese chajin asserted itself.

of Nippon.

Here again the wonderful

Features which to vulgar eyes looked like gross technical imperfections appealed

57
to
in

him as a

direct

message from the Genius of chastity.

enclosed

He mixed
in

his tea

these nag-streaked, blotched distortions,

them

receptacles of

noble lacquer, and handed them down lovingly to duly cultured generations. Nor were the But we, alas! our sight remains dim to these beauties.

supposed tyros of Corea and Arabia the only "mute inglorious Miltons" of keramics whose chefs d'auvn would have lain hidden in sequestered graves

had not the

them.

art instinct of the

Japanese Tea Clubs interfered to immortalise

originally

Other eminent worthies,

exposed

to

similar

risk,

were

the potters of Karatzu, of Bizen, and so forth, or the wonderful Gempin, At Karatzu and Bizen they excelled in Sbino, Oribe, and their imitators* the manufacture of accidents.

They could make a pot look as though

it

were the product of some wayward genius, who, tile or a sewer-pipe, had stopped short at a ewer or a flower-vase,
utensils

failing to achieve a drain-

These

had a sylvan aspect.

banquet spread on the stump of a decayed

They would have admirably graced a bushman's tree. Such, at least, was the
;

impression they conveyed to the uninitiated

the Boston Herald's insight.

to poor people not gifted with

erred.

But the Tea Clubs never

They took up

these sweet surprises also, and gave them a niche in the temple of Grace,

Gempin and Shino bequeathed even loftier Their works led men back to the days of
bearded
fine,

inspirations to

charmed

posterity.

experts,

with

training
fictile

sufficiently
gifts

innocence, and showed how greyearnest and instincts sufficiently

could emulate the

of urchins

and the decorative impulses

Nature unadorned had never more practical interpreters. Something But the chajin viewed it all of this we ourselves seem to discern dimly.
of babies.

with

and though not gifted with a tongue to utter the grand perceptions that raised him so far above ordinary mortals, he nevertheless succeeded in retaining his pinnacle in his own estimation.
the

microscope of true

art,

Need

it

be

said

that
it

this wonderful

aestheticism

was not the product of

world an
unforetold

vulgar progress; that

occupied no natural place in the sequence of artistic

development?

The

ckajin

was

born

into

the

and

His predecessors were so innocent of any share in his For at Seto, the evolution that they desecrated the objects of his worship,
unexpected Messiah.
great centre of Japanese keramic manufacture, the experts of the thirteenth

and fourteenth
blistered

centuries

threw into their

dustbins

piles

of

distorted

and

cups, bowls,

and

pots, which, in their silly ignorance, they conceived

be disgraces to the technical skill of the time, and parodies on the These rejected treasures (now known as horidashi) the chajin, potter's art.
to

two hundred years

later,

disinterred
their

from the

gems of

his cult.

To him

shrivelled

and placed among the shapes and blotched surfaces

dirt
It

suggested beauties imperceptible to the profane crowd.

confess that the faculty of comprehending these things

humiliates us to
us.

was denied

We

have schooled ourselves to hold sympathetic communion with the philosophy

58
of

the

Tea

Cult,

but

its

affectations

are

repellent,

and

its

contradictions

shocking.
for the

We
drill

cannot follow the logic of dilettante who, while prescribing,

rules so

conduct of their ceremonials,

scarcely suffices
to

elaborate and minute that

decade's

make a

proficient,

nevertheless

prostrate

their tastes before articles

distinguished

chiefly

by marks of semi-barbarous

ignorance and technical blundering.

We

cannot conceive
that
dictates

how

the spirit of

true art could ever have elaborated a code

the very formulae

of admiration to be employed

by

its

devotees and buries their fancies under

a mountain of rigid conventionalities.

We

hold that Japanese art has been

Clubs.

hampered,
effect

not

promoted,

by the tenets of the Tea

Happily the

has only been

partial.

The

spirit

of true Japanese art rose superior

to

to

these

cramping influences and bequeathed

will soon,

us hundreds of exquisite
trust,

objects
at their

which American connoisseurs

real

we

learn to appreciate

value.

TAKARADZUKUSHI.
Collection

of Precious Things,

59

[Reprinted

in

answer to

the

aspersions

cast

upon

the

Work by

Professor MORSE, of Salem, Mass., U, S* A.]

PRESS NOTICES
OF

JAPANESE POTTERY
WITH

NOTES
DESCRIBING THE EMBLEMS, THE POETICAL ASSOCIATIONS, AND OTHER THOUGHTS AND SUBJECTS EMPLOYED IN THE DECORATION OF THE WARES, AN ACCOUNT OF THE FESTIVALS, AND OF SOME OF THE CUSTOMS OF JAPAN.

From
"Probably no one has done so much Mr, James L. Bowes of Liverpool.
,
,

the

JAPAN MAIL.

Western public with the art of Japan as If we dispute Mr. Bowes connoisseurs in Europe, we do not at all dispute thesis as to the superior opportunities enjoyed by the fact that he has made excellent use of his opportunities, and given the public a book of most valuable and genuine character. He is unsparing in his exposure of some of the shameless frauds The publication of a book like this by that have been practised on innocent collectors We would fain follow Mr. Bowes ought to close the way to such audacious chicanery Mr. Bowes through his clear and masterly, though all too short, descriptions of the various It is evident that Mr* Bowes has brought together a porcelains and faiences of Japan really representative collection of Japanese wares, and that he has made every specimen it contains We can all enjoy the clear the object of careful research and intelligent scrutiny descriptions and exquisite plates contained in such a work as Jap&MM Pottery"
to familiarise the
.

It is

a noble book.

The TIMES,

have not borrowed Japanese art without doing a good deal for its intelligent and scientific study of this a notable example is once more furnished by Mr. Tames L. Bowes, the author of a series of well-known works on Japanese art, by his sumptuous and elaborate new work on Japanese Pottery, with Notes describing the Thoughts and Subjects employed in its Decoration, In paper, type, we could illustration, binding and treatment, his volume is worthy of its subject and its author
;
^

11

We

It is probably to his works that Japanese students will turn, scarcely give it higher praise as much as to any single source, for the information they seek,"

The BUILDER,
11

The

large

and

finely-illustrated

volume recently brought out by Mr. Tames L, Bowes on Japanese

:

Pottery

is

not only one of the most beautiful but one of the most useful and rational books upon

which has been published in England useful, because it gives a very complete and Japanese work because the author, intelligible analysis of the various styles of Japanese Pottery, and rational, although probably the most accomplished connoisseur in Japanese art in this country, is not so indisor even everything criminating in his admiration as to accept as beautiful every thing that is Japanese, that the Japanese themselves consider to be beautiful, Critics who thus combine knowledge with
judgment on Japanese
1

art are too rare in this country/

The ART JOURNAL,

"Like

all

that Mr.

Bowes has had

to

do with

it

paper, letterpress, and illustrations, are of the finest,

and a survey of the whole

has been compiled entirely regardless of cost; at once induces the

6o
wish that the Collection which it describes was housed in the Metropolis and not in Liverpool, Only who ba;*e undertaken it know the task entailed in the production of such a work as that under review, especially when much of the .information can only be obtained from a great distance, from most unreliable sources, and from a literature which there is hardly anyone over here properly
those
qaalified to translate

last-named point, Mr. Bowes' book is remarkably free from a long time to come, stand as the most sumptuous in England, if not in the world." catalogue of the most extensive Japanese Collection

As regards

this

uptakes

Mr, Bowes'

will certainly, for

IGDRASIL (the Journal of the Ruskin Reading Guild).

"

This sumptuous volume further increases the obligation under which

all

we acknowledge Mr, Bowes

its
is

the art of Japan is fascinating and historical records; this volume contains an account of this history, which that the story becomes lucid and easily understandable, even to the beginner.

has placed

those to

whom

myths, traditions,
well illustrated, so

NOTES AND QUERIES.

A series of illustrations equally admirable for beauty and for the information they suupply to the English collector. With patient fidelity he has copied the various marks, so that to collectors his books are as authoritative as is to the lover of Elzevirs the priceless book of Mr. Willems Examples drawn from the Bowes' Collection follow, constituting an illustrated catalogue, the interest and attraction of which to collectors are unending. Towards the close he arrives at d portion of his
14

Notes and Queries.' The notes illustrate with remarkable clearness the superstitious or imaginative conceptions and the folk-lore of Japan, furnishing thus a due to the fabulous creations, beautiful, whimsical, or grotesque, which to the bulk of readers constitute as much a puzzle as a delight. Of these, surpassingly beautiful designs are given.

work commending

it

in

a special degree to readers of

'

It is

impossible to follow Mr. Bowes, through the Notes, the interest of which

is

not easily exhaust-

ible."

The ACADEMY.

This book, which has been produced with singular care and completeness, is a worthy sequel to the author's previous labours in the cause of Japanese art. It may, indeed, be properly called a crown to them, for though the illustrations are on a smaller scale than those of Keramic Art of Japan,' it is
'

11

quite as sumptuous, and his own studies and those of others have enabled him to make his history more accurate and his Notes more complete. As a text book it is not likely to be soon superseded, and as a catalogue of the exceptionally fine and rare collection of the author, it must always remain an

indispensable authority. It seems almost needless to observe, in regard to one of Mr. that the illustrations are numerous, well chosen, and of high excellence in execution.
plates exemplify the perfection to
fine

Bowes books, The coloured

which chromo-lithography has attained, and the cuts in the text are
originals."

and dear reproductions of the

The SATURDAY REVIEW.

The progress made of late years in knowledge of the Arts of Japan is very great. In this splendid volume we have the latest information on the subject, not of porcelain and pottery only, but of the sister arts, together with particulars of the customs, ceremonies, and legends associated with the
treasures

"

use and the ornaments of ceramic wares. Mr. Bowes is not content with a blind admiration of his and what every picture and statuette represents. The ; he must understand all about them,

admirably arranged. The volume ends with a series of most interesting Notes on all kinds of Mr, Bowes has some elaborate and novel Notes on the subject of bouquets. have read much on this Japanese art, but this seems to be the first systematic account of it that has been

book

is

subjects.

We

pbikhcd

in the text

in England. The illustrations are of three kinds, chromo-lithographs, photographs, all alike are admirable, and so numerous that almost ; is

and cuts

everything

represented

tet us repeat our admiration for Mr. Bowes' beautiful and enticing volume,"

The LEEDS MERCURY.

poiEt of illustration

would be impossible to praise more highly than by saying that, in every way, in and letterpjress, as well as in the interest of its matter, a worthy companion to its predecessor. We venture to say that even the uncultured Philistine, who has been wont to scoff at what he calls an idle craze, will hardly put down this book, if once he takes it up, without admitting that there is more honest beauty in the handicraft than he dreamt of in his philosophy."
it

41

A book

which

The ARCHITECT.
t

is
'

brought by Japanese all evidence of gemmae admiration for the subjects treated, have not been surpassed in the history of

If the Japanese possess any order or distinction to reward foreign enthusiasm for their art, there no man who is better entitled to secure it than Mr. Bowes. The volumes, Keramic Art of Japan,' Marks and Seals,' and Japanese Enamels; which were out him, and which are
' '

"

6i
amateurism. Apart from the subjects, his volumes would be valuable in the eyes of a collector through the excellence of the typography and the beauty of the illustrations. Mr. Bowes has had to work out his own system, for the Japanese have yet to produce a comprehensive description of their pottery, and the difficulty of the task, of the author is suggested by his acknowledgment of his mistakes in to time. His new volume is thus the outcome of a identifying pieces from time larger acquaintance with the subject, and of additional opportunities for debating about styles with native connoisseurs, is a class of still There As such it is unique. larger people who, without aspiring to become collectors, can appreciate Japanese art. For them the third part of the book will have attraction, from its novelty and suggestiveness. Mr. Bowes volume, as the title suggests, is primarily a guide for the collector, but there is much in it from which the student of art will derive invaluable and the best of its kind If the book will teach him, as it can, to avoid bartering his art as if were only a marketable lessons. commodity, and adapted for temporary enjoyment, Mr. Bowes will have done good work for his
1 ;

generation."

The SCOTSMAN.

In this handsome and valuable volume Mr. Bowes gives another proof that he knows more about other European does. There is some evidence in the book that he knows more Japanese ware than any about it than any one native of Japan can do. The wealth of the Bowes' Collection is made more and Mr. Bowes more apparent as the succeeding volumes to which it supplies material appears. has a peculiar knowledge of the poetry, the folk-lore, the popular life and customs of Japan. The Notes are especially rich in this particular. He has brought this knowledge to bear upon the examples
,
.

"

described so as to make his book not only interesting to a student of varying national tastes in art, but valuable in no common degree as a commentary -upon Japanese art in general. The work will at once take rank as a book of first authority on its subject, and will be highly prized by collectors and

amateurs."

The LIVERPOOL MERCURY.

Mr. It may be looked upon as a text-book intended to suggest new ideas to our designers. Bowes' new book is a key to a comparatively unknown storehouse of riches. A native of Japan will have to consult the writings of an Englishman if he wishes to find a comprehensive record of the folklore of his own country. A Japanese, who has read an advance copy of the work, says it is not a book on pottery only, but an encyclopaedia. Mr. Bowes tells the story of the pottery of Japan more fully With the help of Japanese Pottery and its than it has ever been told by any native writer. varied illustrations, English designers will be able to copy Japanese designs intelligently. The Notes and carefully compiled index will be found of great interest and utility, alike to the antiquarian, the man of letters, and the manufacturer. As a monument of patient research, written in a reposeful and
11
.

'

,'

>

lucid style, Mr.

Bowes

latest

book takes

its

place as a standard

work

in the English language,"

The POTTERY GAZETTE.

11

matter

Few whose attention is attracted to this handsome work can fail to experience some interest, no The main how indifferent they may formerly have been to the charm of Keramics.
.

the work, however, is much wider, appealing as it does to the curiosity as well as the admiration of all the world of art lovers to whom the products of the palmy days of Japanese art have formed a startling revelation, by reason of their complete novelty and originality, no less than Mr. Bowes' collection is said to be as well known in Japan their great beauty and exquisite taste. as it is in this country. Art lovers who cannot contemplate the originals in this unique collection are certainly provided with an excellent substitute in this elegant volume, in which some of the choicest specimens are exactly reproduced with regard to colour as well as form. The work possesses an additional attractiveness, both literary and artistic, in the interesting history of Japanese art it contains. Altogether Mr. Bowes' work is second only to his collection in importance as a complete illustration of the beauty, diversity, and historic value of Japanese art."
interest of

The GRAPHIC.
as he is often called by reason of his consulship and his wonderful 'Japanese Bowes has just takes high rank. His Keramic Art of Japan was a wonderful compilation, He Mr. Bowes collection in this department of to that noble work. volume a companion completed almost complete, so that the formidable list of potters* Japanese art is, I believe, unrivalled, and is value to the collector and the marks, in facsimile and English, form a contribution of the utmost to turn one's student. As is usually the case in these magnificently illustrated volumes, it is hard eyes service from the pictures to the text but, having done so, the reader will appreciate the excellent ana in done by Mr. Bowes in filling up vacant places in our knowledge of Japanese art history, native connoisseurs, before his readers." from extracted fresh information, placing "

Mr. Bowes

'

'

collection

The CHINA TELEGRAPH.

of art, that it of Mr. Bowes is so thoroughly well known in the Japanese world to his former popular and admirable worJts added has he that hears the connoisseur pleasure
"

The name

is

with

m Uus

62
field.

In the pater* *anjrttiw* vcSame

fc*

wnli

be

!c:ha:a!Iv &*<rt the xolasce have aSready spoken favourably of it. kw.-wa -wli'sct ac.1 few arc entitled to speak with absolute : In the bcwk before us we have now virtually a > -rfand* fcra-*t, >*f .f tV?* Mr Hut iawwnty data which have not even been hitherto remrki with in an nk'-l rrany cnmpfele hit -> ,4 tie the spot, r^ JJUUM* the country -.i jajan have done better than those on publiih&! sa Japan to them. and a thtir c.rtlocti >: 'tf** they h:iv U*n *iiabl*i, with the aid of Japanese visitors, classify We then cow* U vwie iincti> S'tf>d w*rk, beton the Notes which deal with subjects on revels in them. h& hithrrtw bis?- written Thfv are delightful, and the reader
iro in a

praamptttwi t^we/n

hi* entire fimtiu ftr the work,

iadueta as into the mysteries of Japanese pottery. It and we may say that the few who

*&'*

ititi^v

ar*l

faoufrw rctttrv

i*

JU A^/rli-^ie

aJ

Cdka

positively ar.d cunzeits are many, ranging through the xnytboobject-*, ar.3 ibs?:r quaiaincw aonuchforMr I b\\e elaborate work. That he has done well teftical, poetical an-! sthr rw.;ai To the true connoisseur it needs in tawing it his r.ar^ ar-J rpiatatif.n ai&nb efficient guarantee in correcting his taste and hitle nKearceadatijn but ;ve ^rust id the several reader it will to useful cf the high standard uf art possessed by Japan prior to her being led kadins; to a true

which

little

They

are

ail

appreejaiLn

astray by

ccmimcia
RIGHT Hos

E GLADSTONE,

wcrk

ter*cU to

I rejoice in all that alikfc beaatifal ar,i2 interebtins; Apart from its obvioas qualities, of Japan in England." spread the knowledge and elevate further the justly high reputation

The

MANCHESTER GUARDIAN

\vht> h&> alread) d-jne more to spread an accurate fcnou ledge of Japanese art than any all lovers of Er^lishman. his resderci* another notable service to connoisseurs, and, indeed, to decorative art, by this beaatifal and scholarly book, We have every reason to be grateful for So far as the history of Japanese the really admirafee way in which his book ha& been produced. the materials now available, Mr, Bowes has written it; and the odd thing puttery can be -written with &, that ha has had no aeriuus precursors in Japan, Mr, Bowes' book is the result of twenty years he has been constantly handling the things themselves, while he has independent wcrk. duritv which beets in ccc&tant communicatiun with the best living connoisseurs, both Japanese and occidental,"

Mr B^He*

!iur*K

'

Tkt ST. JAMES' GAZETTE.

in pottery as that of which be found such a complete collection of masterpieces the fortunate possessor, and which he describes with pardonable elation and with a With admirable photographs, woodcuts, and coloured plates, profound knowledge of the subject the author tells us pretty well all that is known of the history of Japanese pottery. Altogether the
1

Mr,

Nowhere Bowes is

car,

volume

is

one

in

wbich' the connoisseur

Tht

will delight."

LWEXPOOL COURIER.
and instructive descriptions, Mr, Bowes book
1

Abounding

is entertaining, curious,

with an interest which i$ by no means confined to collectors and art enthusiasts A feature cf special value consists in the copiously illustrated Notes. This part of the book possesses a distinctive value and charm of its own. Altogether Mr, Bowes' work is second only to his collection art. in importance as a complete illustration of the beauty, diversity, and historic value of Japanese The main interest of the work, however, is much wider* appealing as it does to the curiosity as well as
to the admiration cf
art

......

is

endowed

4B the world of

art lovers to

whom

the products of the palmy days of Japanese

originality."

have proved a

startling revelation

by reason of their complete novelty and

The

NEWCASTLE CHRONICLE,

will

do miich

This really splendid volume is rich in numerous fine examples of Mr. Bowes' book art. Japanese to extend a knowledge of it in this country. The printing and illustrations are simply
Tht

perfect"

REVIEW OF REVIEWS.

The serw* of examples of pottery which illustrate this work has been collected at intervals during a period attending over thirty years, As specimens of Japanese art they are as beautiful as they are divert', and the buuk. with its sumptuous reproductions, can scarcely fail to charm both the connoisseur a&d the student of Eastern art."
Tkt BIRMINGHAM DAILY POST.

"

A vei> attsnptttous ar*d beautiful volume, which must needs be invaluable to the collector and to th* student of Japanese art Invaluable for the purposes of identification and classification.

"

.....

Mr

Bowes' book

will assuredly

be prized/'

63

The BUILDING NEWS.

valuable work on Japanese pottery, illustrated by a very choice series of examples representing the various wares, schools, and kilns. Mr. Bowes has, from his position as honorary Consul for Japan, had opportunities for writing a treatise on the subject, which very few possess, and his unique collection, formed during a long period and studied with unremitting zeal, has enabled him to master the subject of classification, and to arrange the wares into groups in accordance with the styles and Of the utmost value to the student of Japanese pottery, the connoisseur, and collector." potters.
11
.

The LIVERPOOL DAILY POST.

store of trustworthy information on this fascinating subject. The great service which Mr. Bowes has rendered to the art of Japan is that he has distinguished between the false and the true. If it were possible to read Mr. Bowes' work, surrounded by his collection, the student would enjoy advantages such as could not be offered in any other part of the world. Not even in Japan is If Mr. Bowes should succeed in correcting the such a perfect collection to be found. European taste, by placing before connoisseurs these choice examples of the true art of Japan, and so once again stimulate the Japanese to high artistic effort, he would probably desire no higher success for his lifelong devotion to the art of Japan."

"An immense

...

The PALL
"
1

MALL GAZETTE.

His great work on Japanese pottery, which is uniform with the equally great and well-known Keramic Art of Japan. Starting from prehistoric times, it follows the development of pottery in Japan in its intellectual and material growth, ending with an exhaustive catalogue and an illustrated list of five hundred marks and seals in facsimile."
'

DAI Bi

THE END.