^26 THE ART OF CASTING BRONZE IN JAPAN. 



that the materials for a history of the men themselves, such as has been 

 comi)iled of tlieir fellow-artists the painters, do not exist; and are but 

 scanty and incomi)lete, even for a record of their works. 



This will conclude the first part of my paper. I must ai)ologize for 

 the fragmentary character of the account I have attempted to give you 

 of the rise and development of bronze founding in Japan, and will ask 

 you to regard it merely as a collection of notes which may be of use in 

 the compilation of its history when further materials are brought to 

 light. I have i)urposely omitted from it the consideration of tlie guards 

 (tsuba) and other furniture of the sword, because they are more partic- 

 ularly the work of the chaser and carver of metals than of the founder, 

 and also because the subjects of their designs and their technical exe- 

 cution extends over such a wide field that a special paper would be 

 required for their adequate treatment. 



Lantern slides were shown of si)ecimens dating from 1785 to about 

 1838 A. D. : 



Eigliteenili century. — A hawk. From the magnificent collection of 

 Japanese bronzes presented by M. Cernuschi to the city of Paris. 



1783. — A statue of Ban-kurobe in the garb of a pilgrim. By Murata 

 Kunihisa. Height li feet G inches, measured from the top of the pedes- 

 tal. Cernuschi collection. 



1824. — An incense burner. By Ta-uchi and Yaki-yajiro. Nearly 6 

 feet high. Cernuschi collection. 



Beginning of ihe nineteenth century. — A group of tortoises. By Sei- 

 min. Kindly lent by Mr. J. M. Swan, A. E. A. 



A brazier. By Toiin. Kindly lent by Mr. Alfred Cock. Both of 

 these are masterpieces of modeling and casting. 



An incense burner. By Toiin. About 3 feet in height. Cernuschi 

 collection. 



THE TECHNICS OF JAPANESE BRONZE FOUNDING. 



Several methods of casting metals have been practiced by the Jap- 

 anese. In the earliest times molds of stone, in which the shape of the 

 object was cut, sufficed for the simple forms of their ancient weapon; 

 and although they are no longer employed in the casting of bronze? 

 their use still survives in the casting of lead for some industrial pur- 

 poses, and of small silver bars, which have subsequently to be worked 

 with the hammer into jewelry and ornaments. Somewhat later, molds 

 of clay were introduced, probably by Chinese, and it is almost certain 

 that contemporaneous with their adoption the method of cera perduta 

 casting was first practiced. 



Casting in molds of sand or loam is also of an early date. In 708 

 A. D. it was in use in the mint for the production of bronze coins. At 

 present it is chiefly employed for small or flat objects — plain or only 

 roughly ornamented — and for castings for industrial uses. 



These methods have been followed in some form or other by almost 



