Page 271 - Japanese marks and seals on pottery, paper and other objects.

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS AND PRINTED BOOKS. 233

The upper character in each of the foregoing inscrip-
tions is the Chinese word mono, and the lower ones form
the word gatari, written in Hira-kana letters ; the letters of
this alphabet are in many cases derived from different
Chinese words, and are written in various forms and styles,
which renders their translation a task of extreme difficulty.
The characters Riu, a school, and Sotei, the disciple of
a school, are seldom found in the marks upon books, but
they are occasionally used in the following manner :

YENSHIU KAN DA
RIU. RIU. SOTEI. SOTEI.
A School. The School of Vcftshiu. Disciple of a School. Disciple of Ihe School of Kanda.

The list of marks furnishes three instances of the titles
which were conferred upon painters, or were assumed by
them. Two of them are of considerable interest, from the
fact that they are found in connection with the names of
distinguished members of the families of Tosa and Kano.
The title of Sakon no Shogen was one which proceeded
directly from the Court of the Mikado, and was of the highest
honour, being reserved for men distinguished in the arts of
war and peace. It was of a purely honorary character, being
that of the chief inspector of the palace, a nominal office of
the Court. The instance given upon the next page is taken
from an oribon, in the Bowes Collection, entitled Sanju Roku
Kasen, containing the portraits of thirty-six poets and poetesses
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