482 ART INDUSTRY AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS. 



cording to another version, it was not Tamura Gonzayemon 

 but a certain Goto Saijiro who founded this first porcelain 

 factory at Kaga in 1650, aided by a very talented painter, who 

 settled in Kaga, Kuzumi Morikage by nanae. His wares met with 

 great approbation, not only with the prince of Kaga, but also with 

 the Shogun Tsunayoshi in Yeddo. Later the works of this fac- 

 tory declined in value, and toward the end of the i8th century the 

 business was given up entirely. In June, 18 10, the manufacture 

 was again begun by a merchant in Kutani. As Kutani, however, 

 lies high up in the mountains, and the long, severe winters hin- 

 dered the workmen very much, the owner removed his factory in 

 1 8 14 to the bathing-place Yamashiro-mura, i ri east of Daishoji. 

 It was still in operation when I visited it in 1874, but two larger 

 furnaces had been established since then, 8 cho (about a mile) outside 

 of the place, which manufactured Kutani-yaki and common pottery 

 with a kind of Faience also. The porcelain is sent for the most 

 part to Kanazawa, the capital of the province, and there decor- 

 ated. The Kaga porcelain is made from a paste which consists of 

 8 parts of Kutani-ishi, 2 parts Nabetani-ishi, 6 parts Gokoji-tsuchi, 

 and 4 parts of Yamashiro-tsuchi.^ The last of these materials is 

 a common potter's clay ; the Gokoji-tsuchi is a kaolin, similar to 

 that of Seto, sprinkled with many quartz grains. The Nabetani- 

 ishi, more rightly Nabetani-tsuchi, of Nabeya-mura is found 8 ri 

 from Yamashiro-mura on the way to Kanazawa, and is likewise 

 a white-grained kaolin. Most interest centres on Kutani-ishi, an 

 analysis of which is given in Table B II. This is a quartz por- 

 phyry, very much decomposed in its transformation into kaolin. 

 It is greyish white when freshly broken, and reddish brown from 

 the iron in its clefts and fissures. Small quartz crystals, isolated 

 crystals of orthoclase, and little decomposed particles of biotite may 

 be distinctly recognised in it and leave no doubt as to the character 

 of the rock. 



The preparation of the paste for Kutani-yaki is not so careful 

 as with most other porcelain. Nor does it bake so white and 

 smooth ; the potsherd shows a much stronger inclination to red or 

 grey and a granulated structure. If, nevertheless, the plates, vases, 

 teapots, bowls, cups, etc. manufactured from it have -a very high 

 reputation throughout Japan, and range higher in price than the 

 same articles made in other porcelain districts, it is due entirely 

 to the peculiar rich and careful decoration with gold, gold purple 

 and iron-red, to which in many cases sub-acetate of copper, but 

 seldom a fifth colour, is added. This mode of decoration on glaze 

 was introduced in 1814; before this, blue cobalt decoration under 

 glaze was used, as in Seto and Kioto porcelain. The most promi- 

 nent works of Kaga porcelain painting in the last fifteen years are 

 referable to a company of Samurai in Kanazawa, with Abe at the 

 head. The decoration of the Kaga-yaki is so strikingly peculiar 

 ^ The glazing consists of 6 parts Kutani-ishi and 4 parts Isu-bai. 



