Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 8.djvu/72

 liarity very rarely found in Japan. Classed with Ido ware is a kind called Ao-Ido, or green Ido, because its rough, coarse glaze is pervaded by a tinge of dirty green. This change of colour is obtained at the cost of even greater technical inexpertness than the Ido faience proper shows. Yet more valued in Japan is the Kata-de, or "hard variety." It has very heavy reddish paste, and thick, greenish blue glaze passing into white, delicate in colour and soft in texture, but associated with marks of such crude technique as to be quite unworthy of admiration. Belonging to the same species is the Ama-mori-Kata-de, or "rain-spotted Kata-de," so called because the numerous blemishes it possesses in common with all these primitive productions, are supplemented by irregular blotches, as though drops of dirty rain had fallen on and permanently corroded its surface. Sometimes this unsightly faience has the ideographs Kin-kai, or "golden sea," engraved in its pâte. It then becomes almost priceless. Similarly distinguished by engraved ideographs is a variety of the already described Mishima class, known as Tsuka-hori Mishima. A still more inscrutable faience is the Kaki-no-heta, so called because of the resemblance its rough, lustreless, rusty-iron-coloured glaze bears to the calyx of the persimmon (kaki). Worthy to stand side by side with it are the Ko-fuki, or "powdered" variety, in which a very heavy brown pâte is covered with dull, dark, ochrey glaze running into grey; and the Toto-ya, or "fish-monger's" variety, with similar paste and equally lustreless but thicker and softer glaze, showing a distinctly yellow tinge. But enough has been said to convey a general idea of the exceedingly homely kinds of Korean faience most affected by Japanese virtuosi. The amateur who desires to pursue the subject may be interested to know that, in addition to the varieties mentioned above, he can make himself acquainted with the Ido-waki, the Hori-Mishima, the Ma-kuma-gawa, the Oni-kuma-gawa, the Han-su, the Go-sho-maru, the Sobakasu, the Ko-irabo, the Ki-irabo, the Hari-bori, and the Koma-gorai. He will find each of these more astonishing, if possible, than the other in lack of attractive features and in abundance of blemishes. Yet by the Japanese chajin they are treasured with infinite reverence and affection.