JAPANESE ART INDUSTRY IN GENERAL. 323 



The Chinese origin of most of the forms and motifs of the pro- 

 ductions of Japanese industrial art is easily recognised. Pseonies 

 and chrysanthemums, the iris and the lotus flower, the slender, 

 graceful bamboo, and deformed, bizarre pines, leafless and blooming 

 branches of the mume plum and the magnolia, leafy branches of 

 Kerria and the wild cherry, the creeping Glycine with its hanging 

 clusters of blue flowers, the evergreen Nandine with its red berries, 

 the so-called seven autumn weeds, especially the ornamental Eulalia, 

 Lespedeza, Patrina and Hisbiscus mutabilis, the flag, rush and 

 arrow-head ; rock and water scenes in gardens with fishes and 

 turtles, cranes, herons, pheasants, the Japanese nightingale (Ugui- 

 su) and other singing birds, insects in motion and at rest, then the 

 animals of the Chinese zodiac,^ and several others like the elephant 

 and the peacock, renowned in Buddhism and Chinese legends. 

 These are the natural objects chosen by the Japanese as well as 

 the Chinese. Four others are also associated with them, the 

 Shi-rei or four animals of good fortune, fabulous animals, viz., the 

 Howo or Phoenix, Riyo (Tatsu) or dragon, the Kirin or unicorn, 

 and the Ki (Kame) or turtle.^ The dragon is pictured on the 

 Japanese coat of arms. Curled up like a snake, scaly, with the most 

 horrible expression of the head, a distorted animal figure, it is 

 found not only on the imperial escutcheon and coins, but everywhere 

 imitated, in bronze, in wood and even in woven fabrics. It is the 

 emblem of vigilance and strength. An animal which appears more 

 often than the unicorn, and as its substitute, is called the Kirin ; 

 it has the head and breast of the dragon, the posterior portion of its 

 body like a dog or cat, and the mane of a lion. It often forms the 

 knob on the cover of urns and smoking utensils, and is as much of a 

 favourite for this purpose as the lotus bud. The Howo is seldom 

 represented in reliefs, much more frequently in fabrics. The turtle 

 is very popular especially the Mino-game (mantle turtle) i.e. a turtle 

 with long green confervae attached to its shell. It is the symbol 

 of a peaceful old age, one of the seven felicities of human life. 



Another group of decoration-designs, employed extensively in 

 bronze reliefs, is from the Buddhist mythology and the old 



^ The Chinese zodiac consists of the Rat, Bull, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, 

 Serpent, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Cock, Dog and Wild Boar, answering to the 

 Ram, Bull, Gemini, Cancer, etc. 



2 In the Rei-ki, or Relation of Ceremonies, one of the five classic works of 

 the Chinese, they are classified briefly and in another order : Rin, Ho, Ki, Riyo. 

 They are the kings among beasts and stand at the head of the five classes of 

 the animal kingdom in the old Chinese natural history, as follows : — 



1. Man stands at the head of all naked animals. 



2. The Ki-lin (Jap. Ki-rin) or the Unicorn leads and protects all hairy 

 animals. 



3. The Howo (Fung-hwang) or Phoenix represents the feathered creation. 



4. The Riyo (Lung. Jap. Tatsu) or Dragon stands at the head of scaly 

 animals. 



5. The Ki (Kwei, Jap. Kame) or Turtle represents and protects all animals 

 provided with a shell. 



