Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 8.djvu/139

 prise. All accounts agree, however, in fixing the date of its opening at about 1803. The idea of undertaking the manufacture of porcelain in this place was doubtless suggested by the vicinity of the island of Amakusa—whence porcelain stone of excellent quality was obtainable—and by the accessibility of the Nagasaki market. The first potter was Okami Jingoro, a citizen of Nagasaki. The style inaugurated by him and followed by his successors was that of the Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. The ware speedily attained popularity, owing to the skill of the artists engaged in decorating it. Painters of reputation were easily procurable in Nagasaki. Okami availed himself of their services, with the result that many of the Kame-yama porcelains show admirable artistic decoration. Okami Jingoro was succeeded by Okami Buhei, who died in 1839, his successor being Okami Jingoro (the second). The last-named potter did not work long at Kame-yama. He abandoned the enterprise in 1846 and moved to Nawashiro-gawa, in Satsuma, where he died in 1878. An attempt to revive the industry was made in 1872 by Kamei Sahei, a potter of Arita. He built an exceptionally fine kiln, and baked two or three batches of porcelain, but, the ware proving of inferior quality, he sustained heavy loss and gave up the attempt. The Jingoro family marked their pieces. They used Amakusa stone in the manufacture of their pâte mixing with it ash procured from Satsuma. Glazing material was obtained at Daishō-mura and Haryo in Hizen. In addition to porcelain, a curious kind of pottery was also made at Kame-yama. It was manufactured from the covers of earthenware wine jars, numbers of which, filled with liquor, came to Naga-