Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 8.djvu/222

 tiful style of decoration, not previously employed, or, if employed, not noticed until his developments brought it into vogue. This, in its commonest form, was an arabesque of leaves and tendrils disposed, in high or low relief, about a central blossom. The flowers were white, and the enamel scroll was in blue or green engobe, with sometimes an admixture of yellow. The design of course varied, but the method was always the same,—pâte sur pâte,—the execution showing great technical ability. Attractive as this style of decoration was, it does not seem to have been admitted to a permanently high place by Japanese connoisseurs. It is generally confined to such utensils as flower-pots, wine-bottles, clove-boilers, and so forth, and is rarely found on flower-vases or censers. Perhaps for this reason, but more probably because its processes demanded exceptional care and skill, Bunzo's pâte sur pâte was not largely imitated by his successors. At present little attempt to reproduce it is made in Kyōtō. As a pâte-sur-pâte decorator, Tanzan (vide infra) is fully equal to any of his predecessors. He works, however, entirely in low relief. The high-relief Warabi-de (fern-scroll style), as the method of Bunzo was called, is now attempted by Taizan (vide infra) only, and, according to his statement, the difficulty of temperature is nearly insuperable, unless, indeed, a special kiln is constructed. The Warabi-de faience found much favour in Kyōtō during the years that immediately succeeded its invention. It was to some extent supplanted by the Tsui-shu-de, or carved red lacquer style. In this a design was traced on the faience in the usual manner, and the remainder of the surface was then covered with red lacquer, portions of which were incised in