Japanese & Oriental Ceramic. Hazel H. Gorham
demand that he read and explain the marks. Read them any literate Japanese can, but to explain them is a different matter. Briefly, marks may be (1) Date marks, that is, giving the name of the dynasty and the name of the ruler during whose reign the article was made. (2) Hall marks, that is, inscriptions giving the name of a hall or building which may be the studio name of the potter; the family hall for which the ritual ware was made; the name of one of the buildings of the Imperial palace for which it was made or even of the store or workshop from which it was ordered; as for example, "Beautiful vessel of (or for) the Jade hall" or "Antique made in (or for) the Shen te Hall." (3) Potters' names, in China these are rare but in Japan they are legion. (4) Marks of commendation or expressions of good wishes and dedications such as "A myriad happinesses embrace all your affairs" or "Virtue, culture and enduring spring" or "Great peace throughout the empire."
Inscriptions found on Chinese wares and copied on
Japanese wares:—
Yung pao wan shou:—Ever protecting for a myriad ages.
Yung pao fu Ch'i fien:—Ever ensuring abundant happiness reaching to heaven.
Fu ju tung tai:—Rich as the Eastern Ocean.
Feng fiao yu shun, fien hsia t'ai p'ing:—May the winds be propitious, the rain fall favourable and peace prevail throughout the world.
Yung Pao ch'ang ch'un:—Ever preserving lasting spring.
Ch'ien k'ung ch'ing t'ai:—Heaven and earth be fair and fruitful.
Wang ku ch'un Ssu hat lai ch'ao:—Through an everlasting spring of a myriad ages may tribute come from the four seas.
T'ien hsia t'ai p'ing:—Peace throughout the world.
Shing shou:—Wisdom and long life.
Yung pao ch'ien K'un:—Ever protecting heaven and earth.
Japanese Classifications:—
The Japanese system of classifying their ceramic wares according to type (densetsu) of decoration or thing produced leads to overlapping categories and one small article may be designated by the name of the kiln at which it was made, by the name of the first potter to use that style of decoration and by a name indicating the method by which the thing was potted. The most flagrant example is that of Oribe wares.
Oribe, whose real name was Furuta Oribe no Sho, died just three hundred and thirty-five years ago but wares produced in many different kilns in Japan today are still called oribe yaki that is, Oribe wares (See Page 34). Of course an American parallel can be found in the Bell telephone or the Edison lamps, but in the world of art it is an unusual phenomenon. And Oribe was neither artist nor potter, he was a teacher of, and authority on, all matters relating to the ceremonial serving of tea, cha no yu. Among the many cha jin (tea teachers), whose influence was strong on Japanese ceramics and who have given their names to certain types of wares are So ami, Shin o, Jo o, Rikyu, Sotan, Enshu, Shimbei, Kuchu, Ninsei and a host of others.
Japanese ceramic connoisseurs are apt to name a piece of pottery by the style or type of decoration, as Oribe yaki, Kakiyemon yaki, Ninsei yaki and usually disregard the actual maker of the article or the kiln at which it was made.
Names:—
It is practically impossible to identify a piece of Japanese ceramics by the name stamped, inscribed or written on it because a potter sometimes used two or more names on his wares, and sometimes several generations of potters used the same name and further, it has always been the custom of Japanese amateur potters to use the name of a famous master potter whose works they admire and copy.
The potters of old Japan, as indeed all people below the rank of samurai, had no family names. It is only since the establishment of modern Japan that artisans have felt the need of reconciling the name they were born to and used by other members of their family with their artist name. This custom and the practice of legal adoption causes difficulties in correctly recording the various generations of a line of potters. In many cases it is impossible to ascertain the birth and death dates of an individual potter, the best we can do is to give the period of years within which the potter worked using the name of the potter family of which he is an official "generation" (dai).
Seals and Signatures:—
The signatures found on Japanese ceramics, as indeed on all forms of art or artcraft, are usually "nom de plumes" or artist names; or names in some way connected with the artists productions, either the thing produced or the place at which they were made.
Early Imari wares had no potters' seals or marks; the marks found on early Imari wares are copies of Chinese marks.
Early Seto wares have no potters' identification marks—later the Kyoto artist-potters who worked at these kilns used their own seals.
Kyoto potters almost always sealed or signed their wares.
Kutani wares, except the very earliest, have identifying marks easily recognizable.
In general it may be said that the productions of the very earliest kilns have no marks of identification.
Since 1818 many potters have marked their wares with their personal names and it has also become the practice of some kilns to use a seal.
Japanese system of dates:—
In Japan dates are recorded firstly by the reigns of the various Emperors secondly by reference to the various Shogunates.
In speaking of ceramics prior to 1600 the imperial reign names are used but after that dates are established by the very loose classification of Early Tokugawa, Middle Tokugawa, Later Tokugawa, then the Meiji Period, Taisho Period and the present imperial reign, Showa Period.
The Tokugawa Shogunate lasted from 1603 to 1867—this is sometimes referred to as the Edo Period. This was the time of national seclusion when all the Japanese arts and crafts showed great native development.
The Meiji Period (1868 to 1912) is known also as the "Restoration." Actually it was the time of development of modern Japan and a time when European arts, sciences and all forms of civilization were adopted to the exclusion of native arts.
The Taisho Period (1912 to 1926) was a period of assimilation of European mores and a time of quiescence for Japanese things.
The Showa Period (1926 to)
Modern Kutani Plate
Kutani potters are still using traditional Japanese and Chinese designs. Note the pine, plum and bamboo motive; two of the floral panels have blossoming plum trees with bamboo, the other two feature the pine tree. The center design is a simplification of the Chinese peony growing from rocks. The strange little animal in the dark panels has the head of a bird with the tail of a dragon.
Modern interpretation of the hoo bird with the traditional Chinese peony flower modified to suggest the European rose motive.
Cha no yu
and Its Influence
on Japanese Ceramics
A curve of infinite beauty, a balance of forms, colours that blend harmoniously—that is what we want to look at. But no gazing at the finished object, however perfect it may be, can give the satisfaction that was felt by its creator while finishing it—because then the thing was still alive. Tea people realize the importance of this stage in creation at which a work of art is still alive, craving for the last perfection from its master's hand; and they take this task with its uncertainty and its joy away from the maker and give it to the beholder.
From Eleanor von Erdberg Consten (Res Artium).