Page:Things Japanese (1905).djvu/403

Rh coarse clay vessels attributed to the eighth century saint, Gyōgi Bosatsu, the black and chocolate-coloured tea-jars of Seto, which date from the thirteenth century, and Shonzui's imitations of Chinese blue porcelain, which date from the first half of the sixteenth century. These early efforts may greatly interest the antiquary; and the association of some of them with the celebrated "tea ceremonies" (cha-no-yu) gives them a succès d'estime in the eyes of native collectors. But they are not art properly so called. Japanese ceramic art dates, roughly speaking, from the year 1600. It reached its zenith, also roughly speaking, between the years 1750 and 1830. The "Old Satsuma" crackled ware, of which European collections contain (query: do they?) such numerous specimens, possesses therefore no fabulous antiquity; the only thing often fabulous about it is its genuineness. The real golden age of Satsuma faience was the half-century from 1800 to 1850.

The other principal centres of the Japanese ceramic art are the province of Hizen, noted for the enamelled porcelain made at Arita—the "Old Japan of European collectors besides other varieties; Kaga, which, after a long and checkered history, is now known chiefly for the Kutani porcelain richly decorated in red and gold; and Kyōto, whose Raku faience has long been associated with the tea ceremonies. Kyōto is also the home of the Awata faience originated by the celebrated artist Ninsei about A.D. 1650, and of other varieties known by the names of Kiyomizu, Gojō-zaka, Iwakura-yaki, etc. The potteries of Kyōto are those within most easy reach of the traveller, and a visit to them should on no account be omitted. Then there is Owari, which produces many varieties of porcelain and certain descriptions of faience and stoneware. Though here named last, the Owari potteries would seem to be the most ancient of all; and the village of Seto in this province has given its name to pottery and porcelain in general, such objects being familiarly spoken of by the Japanese as seto-mono, that is, "Seto things," much as we use the word "china."