Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 8.djvu/400

 school of pictorial art. In the latter variety the pigments used are, for the most part, confined to red and gold, and the decoration is of profuse and elaborate character,—landscapes, floral subjects, mythical figures, and so forth, being the general motives. The factory was closed immediately after the assassination of the celebrated Ii Kamon-no Kami, feudal chief of Hikone, in 1860, and has not since been re-opened.

The province of Harima lies on the Inland Sea, to a large portion of which it gives its name (Harima Nada). It has never been remarkable for its potteries. The best ware manufactured there is the

This is porcelain of two varieties, blue-and-white and céladon. The factory was established at Himeji, one of the principal towns in the province, during the Kan-ei era (1624-1643) under the patronage of the lord of the fief—Sakai Uta no Kami—for whose family and retainers the ware was principally destined. Materials were obtained from a hill, called Tōzan, in the vicinity of the town; hence the term Tozan-yaki. The biscuit was not of first-class quality, but the blue decoration was often spirited in execution and of pure, brilliant tint. The céladon was tolerably good, but distinctly inferior to that of Nabeshima (Hizen). The productions of the kiln consisted, for the most part, of small pieces, such as wine-bottles, cups, bowls, teapots, ewers, and so forth. The manufacture ceased to be profitable after the abolition of feudalism