Koto-hira-gū, Sanuki (Bijutsu-kenyū-jo photo.)
Pictures illustrating Good Fortune and Misfortune. Colored on paper. Mounted as 3 scrolls. Owned by the Emman-in, Ōtsu city.
Landscapes, Seven Wise Men in the Bamboo Grove; and Tigers and Cranes painted in black and white on ninety large paper surfaces of the walls and sliding screens in the rooms of the Sho-in. The Koto-hira-gū Shrine, Sanuki province. In Fig. 154 is shown part of the bamboo grove by him.
Landscapes, Peacocks, and Chinese Saints, painted in colors or in black on twenty-eight paper surfaces of the wall and sliding screens in the rooms of the Sho-in. The Daijō-ji monastery (Popularly called Ōkyo temple) near the Kasumi station on the San-in line, Hyōgo prefecture.
Fig. 155. Snow Landscape, by Goshun
Tokyo Imperial Household Museum
Sketch Books of Birds and Insects. Colored on paper. Mounted as 3 albums. Tokyo Imperial Household Museum.
Among the painters who studied in the studio of Ōkyo were Nagasawa Rosetsu, 1755-1799, Komai Genki, 1747-1797, Watanabe Nangaku, 1767-1813, and Minagawa Kien, 1734-1807, who were also master painters.
Goshun, 1752-1811, sometimes called Matsumura Gekkei, was born in Kyoto. He studied painting under Ōnishi Suigetsu and then under Buson. After the death of Buson, he wanted to study under Ōkyo. However, Ōkyo modestly declined his request because his ability was already beyond further instruction. But they became the best of friends. Goshun was also a master painter of realism and established his own style which is called Shijō School. When compared with that of Ōkyo, his picture is tinted more with the national spirit, and has a literary touch. Goshun was always at his best in landscape pieces. In Fig. 155 is reproduced an example of his landscape painting, which is in the Tokyo Imperial Museum. His choice, as a rule, was a small canvas, and a theme that lent itself to simple treatment. He rarely attempted anything on a large scale. His masterpiece, representing peasant scenes in rural places painted on a sliding screen in the Nishi-Hongwan-ji monastery of Kyoto, may be taken as a good example of his larger canvasses.
Fig. 156. Mt. Fuji, by Itchō
Tokyo Imperial Household Museum
Fig. 157. Cocks, by Itō Jakuchū
Imperial Household Collection
Keibun, 1779-1843, and Toyohiko, 1773-1845, were noted painters among the disciples of Goshun.
Miscellaneous Masters
Hanabusa Itchō, 1652-1724, was born in Osaka. He first studied in the atelier of Kanō Yasunobu in Yedo. But he was too able a man to follow the mere formalism of the Kanō School and established his own style. He is noted for his independent conception of design and the free and bold movement of his brush. His paintings are humorous and touched with poetic expression, as will be seen in the example shown in Fig. 156, which is owned by the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum.
Ganku, 1750-1838, the founder of the Kishi School, was born at Kanazawa in Kaga. In his later years he came up to Kyoto. He first studied the style of Chin Nampin and became a painter of the realistic school. He was clever in painting animals, and his tiger is especially famous. In the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum is a pair of screens with a tiger and waves painted by him in black and white on paper.
Itō Jakuchū, 1716-1800, was born in Kyoto. He first studied the Kanō style and then imitated the old works of the Yüan and Ming schools of China. On the other hand he was influenced by the works of Kōrin, but founded his own style. He was especially fond of painting cocks which he studied very seriously from life. His cocks are therefore highly realistic and masterly. In the Imperial Household collection are preserved famous examples of his cocks, which are mounted in kakemono in thirty pieces. (Fig. 157)
Mori Sosen, 1747-1821, lived in Osaka. He first studied the Kanō style. But afterward his style became very similar to that of Maruyama and Shijō schools. He was particularly fond of painting monkeys and succeeded in painting them with very realistic effect. (Fig. 158)
Fig. 158. Monkey, by Sosen
Tokyo Imperial Household Museum
3. POTTERY
The ceramic art of Japan made remarkable progress in the Yedo Period. Almost every kind of pottery was produced. It may be classified into four different kinds according to its hardness: doki, or earthen ware with no glaze, tōki, or earthen ware with glaze, sekki, or stone ware and jiki, or porcelain ware.
There were two factors which were at work to bring about the progress; one of which was the great popularity of the tea-cult, and the other the bringing to Japan of a large number of Korean potters by those generals who participated in the Korean expedition waged by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Those Koreans discovered fine kaolin in different districts in Kyushu, and instructed Japanese potters to make new and better kinds of pottery. In the province of Hizen a remarkable development was made in producing various kinds of porcelain wares under the instruction of Korean potters, and these wares produced in different kilns of Hizen were transported for sale to a port called Imari, not far from Arita. For this reason they came to be called by the name Imari.
Distinct from so-called Imari wares there were produced two famous kinds of porcelain, Kaki-e-mon and Iro-nabeshima wares from the kilns established at Arita and Nabeshima.
Arita and Imari are still famous places for fine polychrome porcelain wares.
In the southernmost part of Kyushu, Satsuma faience was produced, also under the instruction of Korean potters. They are all fine polychrome wares, and still they produce a similar kind of faience.
On the other hand, progress was made in producing monochrome wares such as celadon, white porcelain, and some-tsuke wares mostly under the influence of the tea-ceremony, in which simple colors were appreciated. In the province of Hizen, Hirado was the most famous for its white porcelain.
Now the beautiful color of pottery is produced mainly by glaze. But the raw materials which are used for modeling the shape of pottery are also closely related to the beauty of glaze. The simplest glaze will be made by ashes and red clay which includes iron. Various colored glazes can be developed by different quantities of iron included in the plain glaze and by the nature of the flames in the kiln. Iron gives a red color as its essential nature when heated by an oxidizing flame and blue when heated by a reducing flame. But the small quantity of iron in the plain glaze will become yellow when burned by weak heat. The mixtures for getting various colors are composed of ground glass, white lead, quartz, and different kinds of metals: for example, copper for green, cobalt for blue, mangan for purple, and antimony for yellow and so forth. The fine colored glaze which has translucent luster by vitrification is really a gem to the human eyes.
The Greek vases are famous for their simple beauty of form. But of color, I think, the finest examples will be found in Japanese porcelain produced in the Yedo Period. Especially the Iro-nabeshima, Kaki-e-mon and Ko-kutani are full of variety in light and dark, bright and dull tints, and shades with elegance of color scheme.
Famous kilns in the Yedo Period developed mostly in Kyoto, Hizen, Satsuma, and Kaga. In Kyoto such kilns as Ninsei, Awata, and Kiyomizu were famous.
In northeastern Japan, Kutani in Kaga province was a center of the famous porcelain wares called Ko-kutani; and Kutani still keeps its fame for polychrome porcelain wares.
Ninsei
Ninsei, 1596-1660, was one of the great ceramists. However, the dates of his birth and death are not certain. According to some reliable traditions, he was born in the year 1596 at Nonomura in Tamba province. He was called Nonomura Seibei. He died in the year 1660.
It seems that he learned the art of handling the potter’s wheel from Kyūemon of Awata in Kyoto; and for the art of coloring he owed something to Chawanya Kōemon, who brought Arita polychrome porcelain to Kyoto from Hizen in Kyushu.
It is said that he opened his kilns in about fifteen different places. However, the most famous ones were those opened near the Ninna-ji monastery in Kyoto and at the residence of the lord of Marugame in Shikoku Island. He was flourishing
in the middle of the seventeenth century.
Before him Japanese ceramic art was more or less an imitation of Chinese or Korean styles. But he elevated the aesthetic standard of ceramic art and expressed highly Japanese taste.
Let us note here the most interesting features of his works. In the first place his skilful handling of the wheel is very superb in finish. In the second place, his ground glaze has a soft and quiet shade and fine minute crackles. In the third place, greater than these two features, is his design painted on the ground glaze. He painted flowery and bright pictures on such wares as water holders, or tea-jars, which were considered ornaments as well as practical utensils. On the other hand, he used subdued colors for tea bowls because he wished to keep a harmonious combination with the green colored tea. In both cases, his design is reposeful and peaceful in composition and color scheme, and never disturbs a quiet mind. More than anything else he succeeded in the clever arrangement of gold and silver colors. In his brighter designs he used much gold to represent clouds. But there was nothing vulgar in his design. It is like the golden cloud in the morning sky. He often gave gold outlines to colored flowers and they looked beautiful like the golden light from heaven. His works are usually marked with his seals.
Fig. 159. Tea-jar, by Ninsei
Tokyo Imperial Household Museum
In the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum is a tea-jar produced by Ninsei at the kiln he established at the residence of the Lord of Marugame, Shikoku. It is one of the best of his works. (Fig. 159) The jar measures 0.300 m. and is decorated with a plum tree in full bloom, overshadowed with golden clouds. Its graceful shape and the color of the crimson blossoms, the golden clouds, and slightly bluish, white ground create a superb feeling. Another excellent example is owned by Mr. Matasaku Shiobara, Tokyo. It is a jar measuring 0.460 m. in height. The diameter of the lid is 0.216 m. The design is composed of four phoenixes and flowers in beautiful colors of red, green, gold, and silver. This is really a rare and unique example of the works by Ninsei, and is enrolled as a national treasure. In the collection of Mr. Kinya Nagao at Kamakura is also a famous jar made by him. It is decorated with wisteria flowers painted in green, dull red, light purple, and silver on the superb white ground glaze which has fine crackles. The reddish flowers are outlined with gold and the silvery flowers which now have turned black are outlined with red. The form is sublime and the colors are quiet and fascinating on the white ground. (Color plt. 4) This is also enrolled as a national treasure.
Ninsei had many pupils who opened kilns at different places in Kyoto and the neighborhood and came to be respected as the founder of the Kyō-yaki faience, marking a great step forward in the history of Japanese ceramic art.
Kaki-e-mon Ware
Kaki-e-mon is the name of a famous potter who invented the enamelled porcelain in Japan about the middle of the seventeenth century at Arita in Hizen province. His works as well as those which were made in his style are called by his name.
Its color scheme is made by a skilful arrangement of red, green, yellow, and purple. Some of its designs show Chinese and Dutch influences, but others are quite after the Japanese taste.
There are three characteristic features in the Kaki-e-mon. In the first place its milky white glaze is fine and glossy, and somewhat opaque, but not quite translucent. Thus, it gives a restful feeling to the eyes. In the second place, the design of Kaki-emon is very picturesque. In its space composition a large area is left white, and in no Kaki-e-mon wares will there be found such a dense arrangement of patterns as there are in Imari wares. In the third place, the colors of the Kaki-e-mon are very pure. Red, yellow, green, and purple are superb and delightful to the eyes in contrast with the milky white glaze.
Some fine examples of Kaki-e-mon will be found in the collection of Mr. Matasaku Shiobara, Tokyo. A large vessel with a beautiful design composed of birds and flowers is among them. (Color plt. 5) This vessel and several other Kaki-e-mon in his collection are registered by the government as important art objects.
Iro-nabeshima Ware
The Iro-nabeshima is the finest of Nabeshima wares turned out in limited quantities from the Ōkōchi kilns of Hizen; and its beauty may be compared with that of Kaki-e-mon. The best of Iro-nabeshima will be seen in the work of round plates. The curve is so delicate as to escape notice, but it gives a fine soft feeling as a whole. The ground glaze is extremely smooth and glossy and seems to have a slightly bluish shade. The design of Iro-nabeshima is quite unlike that of Kaki-e-mon. Although the design of Kaki-e-mon is like a picture, it sometimes lacks fitness for the dish it has to decorate. On the other hand, the design of Iro-nabeshima harmonizes well with the delicate curve of the plate for which it is intended. The design of Iro-nabeshima is natural and realistic, and beautifully adapted to its color scheme. The sketch design is first painted in cobalt blue before the glaze is applied. Then the glaze is applied and the dish is fired, after which the design is carefully painted in such primary colors as red, green, and yellow. These colors cannot stand the same high heat as cobalt blue. Therefore, they are applied separately over the glaze to develop the colors in a weaker heat after the glaze is burned in sufficient heat. Therefore the design is painted very thinly so that it looks as if it were painted on the same plane. All these primary colors harmonize with the bluish shade of the ground glaze, and aid in giving a reposeful and quiet atmosphere to the table at which they are used.
A large plate owned by Mr. Matasaku Shiobara is a fine example of Iro-nabeshima; and it is registered as a national treasure. (Fig. 160) Its height measures 0.079 m. and diameter, 0.317 m. The inside of the plate is decorated with a large rose-mallow (fuyō) surrounded by chrysanthemums. Its melodious red, blue, green, and yellow, show their purity of color on the beautiful ground glaze, which looks like a clear sky. The flowers belonging to earth are here almost lifted up to heaven by the skill of the artist and the firing in the kiln.
Fig. 160. Iro-nabeshima (N.T.)
Mr. Shiobaras Collection
Satsuma Ware
Satsuma ware owes its origin to Shimazu Yoshihiro, the lord of the Satsuma clan, who brought home a number of Korean potters when he returned from the Korean invasion. Hence it dates from the close of the sixteenth century. These Korean potters opened kilns under the direction of Yoshihiro.
In the Kwansei Era, 1789-1800, the Satsuma ware began to be decorated with polychromatic design by the order of Shimazu Narinobu, the lord of the country. It was highly appreciated, and called Nishiki-de or “Brocade-like.”
In producing Nishiki-de ware, three processes of firing in kiln are necessary. The first process is suyaki, in which the ware is fired in the kiln before it receives the glaze. In the second process the ware receives the glaze, being again put into the kiln, where it is fired for about forty-eight hours. In the third process, the ware is painted and gilded and then is finally heated in the kiln slowly and gradually to develop various colors.
There are several other varieties in Satsuma wares, such as the Bekkō-satsuma, having a tortoise-shell-like glaze, the Mishima-satsuma, and the Sunkoroku-satsuma. But the Satsuma faience known to foreign collectors are fine crackled cream-colored wares and elaborately decorated. Some examples of Satsuma ware will be found in the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum. (Fig. 161)
Fig. 161. Satsuma Ware
Tokyo Imperial Household Museum
Ko-kutani Ware
Ko-kutani is a kind of Kutani porcelain ware. It was made from kaolin found in a place called Kutani-mura, in the province of Kaga. Its origin dates from about the middle of the seventeenth century when a factory was founded by Gotō Saijirō. The body of Ko-kutani is greyish white and is rather crude and opaque. Its ground glaze has bubbles and is not so fine as that of Kaki-e-mon and Iro-nabeshima.
Ko-kutani is decorated with flowers, birds, landscapes, figures, and diaper designs, in green, red, yellow, and purple colors; and it is generally marked with the name “Kutani.” The designs for Ko-kutani are said to have been drawn by Ku
sumi Morikage, a painter of the Kanō School. Ko-kutani has much masculine beauty in form and colors. Its beauty may be compared to that of an English lady while that of Kaki-e-mon and Iro-nabeshima, to the beauty of Paris.
Among Mr. Shiobaras collection are fine examples of Ko-kutani. There are two large plates. One is painted with two hahachō birds perching on bamboo (Fig. 162); and the other is painted with two birds on a branch of a peach tree. Both are registered by the government as important art objects.
Fig. 162. Ko-kutani
Mr. Shiobara’s Collection
4. GOLD LACQUER WARE
During the Yedo Period (1615-1866) the art of gold lacquer attained the zenith of perfection and elaboration; and highly artistic gold wares were produced in Kyoto and Yedo, the seat of the Shogunate. In local districts Kanazawa in Kaga was the most famous place for the production of artistic gold wares.
However, although the artistic merit of the designs was inferior to that of the preceding periods, the work by Honnami Koetsu, 1568-1637, was quite exceptional. He was a genius in gold lacquer, in painting as well as in calligraphy, and used tin, lead, or mother-of-pearl in making up his design on the ground of gold lacquer. In the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum there is an ink-stone box attributed to him, the design of which is composed of a floating bridge and a poem inlaid with lead and silver plates on a gold ground to illustrate an old famous song. (Fig. 163)
Fig. 163. Gold Lacquer Ink-stone Box, by Kōetsu
Tokyo Imperial Household Museum
During his time and in succeeding ages there lived some master makers of gold lacquer. They were Kō-ami Nagashige, 1599-1651, Koma Kyū-i, d. 1663, and Yamamoto Shunshō, 1610-1682. In the collection of Marquis Tokugawa of Nagoya is a famous set of raised gold lacquer wares called Hatsune-no-tana or the “Shelf of a Nightingales New Year Song,” which was produced by Kō-ami Nagashige and brought by a daughter of the third Shogun Iyemitsu when she married the lord of Owari. It is an excellent example of the raised gold lacquer wares with most elaborate designs, which were produced in the early Yedo Period. In the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum is preserved a raised gold lacquer box with a similar design produced by him. (Fig. 164)
A History of Japanese Art Page 22
