Page 39 - Japanese marks and seals on pottery, paper and other objects.

MARKS AND SEALS ON

POTTERY.

or
placing marks
otherwise
T he custom of painting Keramic wares universal. The
the
seals upon
and
of Japan
has
been
although
not
very
general,
marks differ in many and important respects from those found
upon the productions of Chinese and European potters,
which seldom give definite information regarding the names of
the workmen or their residences. The circumstances under
which the industry has been carried on in Japan, the wares
being either the work of a single artist, or produced at one
of the small factories which abound in that country, lead
to the pieces being marked with the signature of the artist,
or the seal of the factory of which he is a member, together
with, in many cases, the name of the kiln, the town and
province in which it is situated, and other information
which renders the identification and classification of the
varied productions of the Japanese potter an easy and
interesting study.
Before entering upon the technical portion of the sub-
ject, it may be advisable to take a general view of the