Page 405 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

The shrine at Sumiyoshi, its precincts now
enclosed in a public park within present-day
Osaka city, was long held to be the abode of the
God of Poetry. Sumiyoshi (also called Suminoe)
was distinguished by its beautiful beach, pine
trees, and a view of Awaji Island offshore in the
Inland Sea. Countless Japanese poems invoke as
muse the Sumiyoshi deity, whose physical mani-
festation is a particular pine tree within the pre-
cinct of the shrine. Poets also went on pilgrimage
to Sumiyoshi, as numerous poems relate.
To decorate an inkstone case (suzuribako),
therefore, Sumiyoshi is an appropriate subject,
calling attention to the high purpose of the imple-
ments contained within. The complex landscape
also allows for use of several lacquer decorative
techniques. As with most suzuribako, the lid is
decorated inside and out, and the two surfaces are
closely related in theme. On this suzuribako the
lid exterior and interior depict the same subject as
well: an elaborately conceived and specific land-
scape. A rocky shore line with pine trees, a por-
tion of a large building, and the moon are the
central features of the lid exterior. The interior of
the lid continues the landscape, providing further
recognizable features of Sumiyoshi environs. In
the foreground are wind-battered pines and, more
a rite of protection against evil spirits, and seems elements of phoenix, peony, and chrysanthe- prosaically, an oven for extracting salt from brine
to have been most strongly rooted in northeastern mum—auspicious symbols all —are seen. (shiogama). In the middle ground is the distinc-
Honshu. Many lion masks—like this one from On each side of the box is an applied panel, tive barrel-vault bridge connecting the shore with
Kuromori Shrine — have been found in this adding a slight dimensionality to each surface. a small island containing the shrine proper and
region, suggesting that this imported continental The top is a gently domed rectangle with a narrow the sacred pine. The mountain silhouette of
form found particularly sympathetic acceptance flat border around all four sides. The side panels Awaji, seen in the distant mists, is rendered in a
where certain native animistic practices were likewise allow for indented borders, which frame burnished red-gold color. Like the famous ink-
most prevalent. j.u. the decoration. This architectonic style contrasts stone case "Hana no Shirakawa," this one bears
with the soft and curving shapes so prominent in characters referring to a poem, but here they
Japanese containers dating from the Heian period are on the inside of the lid and written in kana,
(794-1185). The decorative program is not unlike the cursive form of phonetic syllabary that the
the roughly contemporaneous kinrande ceramic Japanese developed from Chinese characters.
248 style, created in China for the export market and Here, in kana, are the words Sumiyoshi, pine
particularly cherished by the Japanese. Kinrande tree, year, and cry, conjuring a poem by the Late
COSMETIC Box (TEBAKO) wares employed typically Chinese motifs on Heian poet Minamoto no Yorimasa (1104-1180).
rather elaborate shapes such as ewers, and the For the background of the designs, tiny irregu-
i6th century decoration was often organized into medallions larly shaped gold particles were suspended in
Japanese
lacquer on wood (?) with engraved and or panels. translucent lacquer, an effect called nashi-ji after
gilt decoration Although this box is described as a cosmetic the speckled skin of the nashi pear. The lacquer
length 38.4 (ijVs), width 24.6 (9 /4j, height 25.5 (10) box (tebako), other containers of this general style used on this piece is amber toned. Certain design
3
have been used to hold sutras. j.u.
Shirayamahime Shrine, Ishikawa Prefecture
Although made in Japan, this stately rectangular
container with gilt inlay design is faithful to its
Chinese stylistic origins. The decorative technique 249
of incising hairline designs in lacquer, then filling
the incised lines with gold dust over wet lacquer LACQUERWARE INKSTONE CASE
as adhesive, was called "inlaid gold" (C: qiangjin; (SUZURIBAKO)
J: chinkin). It was perfected in China during the
Southern Song period (1127-1279) and known i6th century
in Japan from the latter part of the Muromachi Japanese
period (1333-1573). In general, the Japanese lacquer on wood (?) with design in sprinkled gold
adopted the technique quite faithfully but and inlaid metals 3 l 5
S
employed it on distinctively Japanese designs. In 22.2 x 20.7 x 4.1 (8 /4 x /8 x i /s)
this box, however, rather typical Chinese design Kyoto National Museum
404 CIRCA 1492