THE ART OF CASTING BRONZE IN JAPAN. 635 



foundries, but tlie above form is still in extensive use in the melting 

 rooms of artists. 



The crucible used (fig. 4) consists of a thin inner crucible of porcelain 

 inclosed in an outer one of fire clay; aud its construction affords a good 

 example of the ingenuity of the Japanese in overcoming the difficulties 

 arising from the uourefractory character of their fire clay. As has been 

 liointed out alreadj-, granitic clays, not very infusible, are alone avail- 

 able for metallurgical i)urposes in Japan, j)orcelain clays being expen- 

 sive and reserved for the potter. If the crucible were made entirely of 

 the former it wOuld soften and crack at intense heats; hence it is lined 

 with a cup of difficultly fusible porcelain just at that part where, 

 owing to the position of the twyers, the temperature of the furnace is 

 extremely high; so that, even if the outer part is partially fused or 

 destroyed the metal will not be lost, but be retained by the porcelain 

 cup within it. 



Blowing machines. — The machines used for producing the blast can not 

 be passed over without notice. They are of two kinds, both of which 

 are peculiar to the East, aud although defective in many respects when 

 compared with the more perfect forms of blowers, 

 such as Baker's and Root's, in use in this country 

 and also in the large commercial aud Government 

 works in Japan, yet their convenience and efficiency 

 is sufficiently great to enable them to hold their own 

 in the art foundries, where, indeed, they are still 

 universally employed. One of these, called the 

 "fuigo," is shown in the lantern slide. It is used for 

 X)roducing the blast for the crucible furnace pre- ^.^ ^ 



viously described, and also very extensively for other crucible for melting 

 metallurgical operations, such as copper, lead, and bronze. 



tin smelting. As the Chinese form, with which it is almost identical, 

 has been described more than once, I will not trouble you with a 

 detailed account of it. It is essentially a rectangular wooden box, fitted 

 with a piston, which is worked horizontally, aud with four valves so 

 arranged that it is double-acting, a blast being produced by both the 

 forward and backward motion of the piston. The air chamber generally 

 measures about 3 feet by 1 foot 10 inches by 7 inches. 



The other blowing machine, which is called "tatara," appears to have 

 escaped the observation of foreign writers, as it has not hitherto been 

 described. Fig. 5 represents it in plan aud sections. It consists of two 

 air chambers A A, in some cases constructed of wood, in others of clay 

 with merely a lining of wood at their sides. The bottom of each cham- 

 ber is an inclined plane sloi^ing from a central ridge. The top of this 

 ridge is fitted with metal bearings, in which the axle of the pressure 

 board B works. The pressure board is made of wood and is fitted with 

 two valves, C C, opening inwards, one being placed at each end. Its 

 edges are sometimes lined with a packing of fur or feathers, so that it 



