274 
ftERAMIC STUDIO 
CERAMICS OF OLD JAPAN 
Randolph 1. Geare 
Probably the most ancient type of Japanese 
ceramics known is the Kaizuka-doki, of 
which specimens have been found at and 
around Omori. The pieces are described as 
heavy and clumsy, while the decorations, which are very prim- 
itive, are largely confined to a few lines, curves, or crosses. 
In 649 A. D., the Emperor Kotoku decreed that taxes might 
be paid in porcelain, and this gave a decided impetus to the 
production. From the tenth to the fifteenth centuries, how- 
ever, civil dissensions kept the ceramic art in a condition of 
depression, from which it did not commence to recover until 
1598, when Hideyoshi brought back some of the best native 
potters from his victorious invasion of Korea. Thus, the devel- 
opment of the porcelain industry in Japan since the sixteenth 
century is, as will be more apparent later on, largely trace- 
able to the advanced condition which had already been attained 
in Korea. 
It appears, too, that the Japanese learned something of 
the elements of the art of decorating porcelain from the Chi- 
nese about the year 1530, at which time their abilities were 
confined to one style of decoration, namely, blue under the 
glaze. Later they acquired the secret of laying the enamels 
over the glaze, while about the close of the sixteenth cen- 
tury, as already intimated, special methods of glazing were 
introduced from Korea. 
History relates that toward the middle of the sixteenth 
century a Japanese potter named Shonzui Gorodayu, traveled 
to China to find out something of the secrets of the kilns at 
Foo-chow. There he learned how to mix the pastes and to 
decorate with blue under the glaze. He attained considerable 
skill and brought back with him to his home in Arita the mate- 
rials as well as the secret of the art. Being then ignorant of 
the large deposits of kaolin in Japan he was sparing of his 
imported materials, and only a limited number of specimens, 
and small ones at that, were made. Settling in the village of 
Arita, he taught the art to his pupils Gorohachi and Goro- 
shichi, but the lack of a suitable clay restricted the growth of 
the industry, and it remained for Risampei, a Korean, to dis- 
cover a vast deposit of white clay (Shiro-tsuchi) on the slopes 
of Idzumiyama, or "Mountain of Springs". This clay, which 
in reality was a feldspathic rock, was so hard that it had to 
be broken and pulverized in mills before the potter could use 
JAPANESE DECORATING POTTERY 
it. The industry now grew apace, but still the decoration of 
the wares is confined to designs in blue under the glaze, 
and it was not until another half century had passed that the 
methods of applying verifiable enamels over the glaze were 
used in Japan. The discovery of this secret is attributed to 
Higashidori Tokuzayemon, who visited the port of Hagasaki, 
where he learned the new style of decoration from the master 
of a Chinese Junk. Hastening back to Arita he commenced 
to apply his newly acquired knowledge, at first confining him- 
self to imitating the Chinese enameled wares of the Wan-lieh 
period. But as the special attraction of these wares depended 
upon the brilliancy of their enamels, in which branch of the 
art the Japanese had so far had but little experience, the re- 
sults achieved were not very satisfactory. It chanced, how- 
ever, that one of Tokuzayemon's fellow-workmen, Kakiyemon 
by name, succeeded in producing a chaste and very beautiful 
porcelain. He made the decorations a subordinate feature, 
and sought by careful conceptions in design to make up for 
what was wanting in richness of effect. The pate of his ware 
was fine and pure, giving a clear bell-like ring when struck. 
The milk-white glaze, charmingly soft, yet not lacking in 
brilliancy, formed a ground that harmonized excellently with 
the ornamentation, which latter was simple almost to severity. 
The enamels were clear and rich in tone, and of few colors, 
principally a lustreless red, a grass-green and a lilac blue. 
Floral medallions were among the most common of his deco- 
rative subjects, while the dragon, the phcenix, the bamboo, 
the plum, birds fluttering about a sheaf of corn, etc. were con- 
stantly depicted. The characteristics of this ware were not 
only the sparseness of the decoration, but also its peculiar 
mode of distribution : for, instead of being spread over the 
surface, the designs were confined to a few places, the object 
apparently being to surround each little picture with as ample 
a margin as possible. "Imari" ware is the common appella- 
tion given to these porcelains, and the word is derived from 
the Japanese port of that name, near Arita, where Shonzui 
Gorodayu settled on his return from China. 
Having thus briefly sketched the origin of the porcelain 
industry in Japan, an attempt will be made to discuss a few 
of the most notable kinds of ware and their distinctive charac- 
teristics. It is proper to add, however, that the information 
given is largely derived from the writings of recognized au- 
thorities, such as Brinkley, Ernest Hart and others. 
According to some connoisseurs, Hirado porcelain shows 
