Page 313 - Japanese marks and seals on pottery, paper and other objects.

LACQUER, ENAMELS, METAL, WOOD, IVORY, ETC. 275

artists, which, in this respect, bear a strong resemblance
to the Chinese enamels of the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, whilst still showing evidence of the greater
delicacy of manipulation, beauty and grace of design, and
refinement of colouring characteristic of the nobler works
of a later period, which appear to have been unknown to
Japanese writers, whose remarks refer only to the work
upon porcelain, and the coarse imitations upon copper,
which have been extensively produced during the past ten
years.
The ancient works are very seldom marked, indeed
two examples only have come under our notice upon which
the names of the makers appear, and four others upon
which there are inscriptions of a different nature, none of
which afford any information as to the date of the ware.
It does not come within the scope of this brief notice of the
art to speculate upon the uses to which these productions
may have been put, but the presence of the imperial insignia
upon many of the choicest pieces, and the character of
the designs and ornamentation of most of them, confirm
the opinion which has been expressed by the ablest
Japanese authorities, that they were made for the use of
the Mikados, or formed part of the treasures of the chief
temples, which were presided over by members of the imperial
family and this supposition receives support from the fact
;
that nearly all the finest examples were sent to this country
shortly after the revolution in 1868, when many of the temples
were dismantled.
The efforts of the Japanese workers in bronze, iron, and
other Metals, whether of the present day, or of ancient
times, are of great beauty and of endless variety. The art
appears to have originated in the eighth century, when
colossal figures of Buddha, and bells of great size and rare
workmanship, are said to have been cast, and erected in the
gardens surrounding the temples. But these ancient works
have disappeared, having been destroyed by the earthquakes,
which have always been of frequent occurrence in Japan,