Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 8.djvu/71

 longing essentially to the type discussed above, it is nevertheless distinguished by two features, the light grey colour of the translucid surface glaze, which is craquelé, and the presence of reddish clouds or spots, owing to the pâte peeping out through the glaze. It is generally in this Go-hon-de that dark brown pigment occurs in combination with white incised designs sous couverte. Yet another variety is called Komo-gai or Kuma-gai, a name of uncertain origin, but supposed to be connected with a river named the "Kuma-gawa," in the province of Higo, where some of the Korean potters brought over by the Taikō's generals settled. Of this class the most interesting is faience having dense, coarse pâte, over which is run creamy, buff-coloured glaze, finely crackled. There is no attempt at decoration. This is the unquestionable prototype of the first craquelé Satsuma-yaki. In the same class is included a faience of wholly different appearance. It has close, light grey pate, and opaque, milk-white glaze, applied in a very thin coat. This glaze stands alone in Korea, Japan, or China. Its colour is so pure and its opaqueness so complete that it acts like a coating of paint, converting a bowl of grey pottery into white, but of course non-translucid, porcelain.

Passing from these varieties, good specimens of which present features at least interesting if not pretty, wares are reached that could never have been tolerated outside the atmosphere of the tea-clubs. Of these the general character is repellent homeliness. One and all suggest the idea of pottery primitive in the extreme. They admirably illustrate the morbid æstheticism and perverted tastes of the tea-clubs. Among the most highly appreciated by Japanese connoisseurs and perhaps the least objectionable to Western eyes is a variety called Ido. It is distinguished by waxy white glaze, showing little lustre, covered with a network of coarse or fine crackle. The amateur may easily mistake this faience for the Japanese ware called Hagi-yaki, of which it was certainly the prototype. The Korean faience, however, is distinguishable by its greater weight and darker pâte. Mention may also be made here of a common characteristic of Korean ware, namely, that the lower rim is partially glazed; a pecu-