THE ART OF CASTING BRONZE IN JAFAN. 615 



these statements have been repeated by many writers. Tbey are alto- 

 gether without any foundation in fact. I have had many opportunities 

 of examining it, and although I never succeeded in getting a portion 

 for analysis, yet from the streak, hardness, and color of the metal it is 

 undoubtedly a variety of "karakaue" (a copper-tin-lead alloy), and the 

 gold and mercury said to have been used in its manufacture were sim- 

 j)ly employed for gilding its surface and not as constituents of the alloy 

 of whicli it is cast. Four hundred and fifty tons of metal are said to 

 have been used in its construction. If its average thickness is as 

 much as 7 inches, and it is probably less, its weight must be less than 

 300 tons. The two following objects are examples of the smaller works 

 of the period : 



Bate 749 A. D. — Bronze bell, with curious ornamental tongue, now in 

 the temjile Todaiji (ISTara). Dated 2d day, 5th month, 1st year Tembyo 

 Shd-hd. This is of importance, as it is another of the earliest bronzes 

 which bears a date, but, unfortunately, no artist's name. 



Bate eighth century. — Lantern of bronze and incised gilt copper in the 

 courtyard of the same temple. Its eight sides are decorated with Bud- 

 dhist figures, conventional representations of hares and other auimals, 

 and fine arabesciues in opeu work. A photograi)h of this lantern is 

 exhibited. 



A gong-shaped bell, suspended between two well-modeled dragons 

 belonging to the temple KO-buku-ji, in Nara, is attributed to this period. 



A Buddhist image from the collection of M. Bing, of Paris, of the 

 the same period. 



FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE NINTH TO THE END OF THE TWELFTH 



CENTURY. 



Near the close of the preceding epoch the court was removed to the 

 city of Kioto, which from that time (794 A. D.) up to 1808 continued to 

 be the imperial capital. This removal of the court was a severe blow 

 to the art life of the ancient city; and the works and traditions of its 

 old bronze founders soon appear to have been forgotten or neglected in 

 the new metropolis. 



Prom tlie beginning of the ninth until near the end of the twelfth 

 century, a space of nearly four hundred years, we have a period of stag- 

 nation if not of decadence in all art, yet, strange to say, it embraces 

 the golden age of literature, during which the famous classical romances 

 were written. Its first half, as shown by these romances, was marked 

 by effeminacy; during its second the country was plunged in civil war. 

 The romances gives us but little information of the individual and art 

 life of the people, and the pages of its histories are solely devoted to 

 records of the jealousies and feuds of the great families of Pujiwara, 

 Taira, and Minamoto. 



Until near its termination we have no record of the erection of any 

 temple of note or of the execution of any groat art work; and I have 

 been unable to find any examples of tbe art of the bronze founder 



