THE ART OF CASTING BRONZE IN JAPAN. 639 



throagli one of the ingates it was seen to be a dull red heat. The 

 bronze was then tapped intofoar iron ladles, each of which was held by 

 a workman, and a small quiintity of Avood ashes was thrown upon its 

 surface. The workmen then took up their positions opi)osite the lower 

 iugatesand on a signal being given poured the contents of their ladles 

 simultaneously into the mold. The quautity of metal had been very 

 accurately estimated, as it just reached gbout half way up each ingate. 

 These ingates were then closed with clay stoppers luted in with fire- 

 clay. Three of the ladles were filled again and poured in the same man- 

 ner as before, but into the upper ingates, completly filling the mold. 

 During i)ouring very finely powdered rice bran was thinly sprinkled on 

 the metal as it flowed from the mouths of the ladles. The mold was 

 allowed to stand for six hours before breaking it from off the casting. 

 Several other smaller molds were then filled in a similar manner, and as 

 one ladleful of metal was sufficient to fill each, they had only one ingate 

 and one air outlet. While the bronze was being poured into them 

 they were rather vigorously tapped with a short stick to dislodge any 

 air bubbles which might have adhered to their sides. 



For castings of very large size ladles are not used, but the bronze 

 is run from one or more of cupola furnaces, first into a receptacle 

 lined with fire clay, and then from this through an aperture in its 

 bottom into the mold. The outflow is regulated by means of a plug, so 

 that a considerable depth of metal is always retained in the receptacle 

 in order that scoriiie and oxidized scums may be prevented from enter- 

 ing the mold. To prevent oxidation as far as possible, the surface of 

 the metal is kei)t carefully covered with a layer of charcoal or of jiar- 

 tially carbonized straw. 



A subsidiary but often necessary part of the founder's work, and 

 one in which the Japanese exhibit very great skill, is the repairing of 

 any defects that the castings may show on their removal from the 

 molds. Thus, for example, occasionally the rim or other part of a vase 

 may be imperfect owing to the retention of air in the mold when the 

 metal was poured in. In this case the imperfect part is carefully 

 remodeled in wax on the defective casting, a clay mold is made over it 

 in the usual way, and the wax is melted out. A certain quantity of 

 metal is then j^oured in and allowed to run out until the edges of the 

 defective part have been partially melted, when the outlet is stopped 

 and the mold allowed to fill. When it has solidified the clay mold is 

 broken away and the excess of metal filed off". 



Handles and ornamental appendages, which have been separately 

 cast, are frequently attached to objects in this manner. Separate 

 parts of complicated groups and of colossal figures are similarly united, 

 and often this is so skillfully done that it is impossible to say whether 

 the whole is a true single casting or is composed of several pieces which 

 have been separately cast. 



Eude as the appliances and methods of the Japanese art founder 



