Page 122 - Catalogue of the Edward Morse collection of Japanese pottery MFA BOSTON

j6 THE CATALOGUE ;
KODA (Case 8 and Plate IV. 814, 835, 836)
This pottery is known as Koda In the province it is often called Takata, which
is another pronunciation of the same name. Elsewhere in Japan it is known as Yatsu-
shiro, for to this place the pottery has, within a hundred years, been consigned for
sale. Its origin is due to Korean potters. Early pieces have white brush-marks under
^ gray glaze ; following this came simple conventional lines in Mishima. These two
methods were strictly Korean. Finally, Japanese methods brought in exquisite
designs of natural objects, usually impressed, rarely incised, of plum blossoms,
bamboo, etc., filled with white, rarely black, and of extreme rarity, blue. The pottery
is made of finely sifted reddish clay covered with a warm gray glaze, rarely white.
The utmost nicety is shown in the fashioning of the pieces, which are usually in the
form of small tea-pots, cups, and little plates. Most of the signatures are evidently
furnace-marks of different potters who baked in a communal oven. The great merit
of the K5da potters is that in addition to the beautiful and attractive character of their
work they have been true to themselves and their country's art ; they have never
been tempted to make stuff for the foreign trade.
The work Toki Sh5shi, by Koga Seishu, gives the generations of Koda potters
as follows : The first pottery was made in Koda in 1632 by a Korean named Sonkai,
who afterwards changed his name to Agano Kizo, who represents the first generation
;
second generation Chubei, pseudonym Hosan ; third generation Chubei, pseudonym
Ippu ; fourth generation Chubei ; fifth generation Chuzo ; sixth generation Chubei
seventh generation Saibei, pseudonym Suzo ; eighth generation, the present one,
Teizo.
Mr. J. Tokutomi, the distinguished writer and editor of The Nations Friend, has
kindly sent to Higo, his native province, for information regarding certain Higo marks
which I sent to him, and to him I am greatly indebted for the following information.
There appear to have been two branches of the original Kizo. The first Kizo
is represented by eight generations. From the second to the sixth the families bore
the name of Chubei, the seventh was known as Hosan, the eighth as Teizo. The
impressed mark To was used by the sixth, the impressed mark Sai by the seventh,
the incised mark Tei by the eighth. The objects in the collection bearing these marks
do not accord in age with the probable period of these families. A branch of Kizo had
for its founder Tarosuke Agano, and the second, third, and fourth generations bore
the same name. The fifth generation was Gentaro, and the sixth was Yaichiro. The
impressed mark Gen in two forms was used by the fifth generation. Another branch
springing from Kizo was as follows : 2d, Toshiro ; 3d, Kuriyemon ; 4th, Toshiro ; 5th,
Soshiro ; 6th, Toshiro 7th, Yayei ; 8th, Toshiro ; and 9th, Jirokichi. Of this line
;
the impressed mark To was used by Yayei, the incised mark Katsu was used by one
of the Toshiros, and the impressed mark Ka by Jirokichi. It would seem more likely
that Ya was the mark of Yayei, and To was the mark of one of the Toshiros.
As there is no accordance between the memoranda furnished by Mr. Tokutomi
and the account as given by Koga Seishu, and, furthermore, as the objects in the
collection bearing the above-mentioned marks do not correspond in age with the sup-
posed dates of the generations to which they are attributed, I find it impossible to