Page 406 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

elements were executed in slight relief, built up
with layers of lacquer, possibly mixed with other
materials, before being sprinkled with metallic
powder. This technique, called takamaki-e (relief
sprinkled picture) makes the design subtly three-
dimensional. J.u.

2 50
LACQUERWARE FOOTED TRAY
(RlNKA BON)
dated to 1455
Japanese
red over black lacquer on wood fnegoro-nurij
3
height 11 (4 /s); diameter 49.5 (1^/2)
Saidai-ji, Nara

This generously proportioned tray (bon) is of
a type popularly named rinka (ring of flowers)
for the petal-like fluting of its rim and foot. An
inscription on the underside, dated to lunar New with silver at the lip. A bamboo tea whisk is also 251
Year's Day of 1455, indicates that it was made for seen on the trays. These paintings amply attest LACQUERWARE EWER (Yuio)
use at Saidai-ji. A very similar tray, differing only the rage for the "Chinese style'' among Japanese
fractionally in size from the Saidai-ji tray and of the Muromachi period. Chinese ceramics were c. 1480
almost identically inscribed, is now in the collec- treasured, and their import was an important Japanese
tion of the Tokiwayama Bunko (Kanagawa). On source of income for some Buddhist monasteries. red over black lacquer on wood
the latter is an additional phrase indicating that Saidai-ji, founded in the mid-eighth century, 36 x 35 ( i4 /s x ij /4)
1
3
r
the tray is one of a pair; the Saidai-ji tray lacks has had a long association with tea. Moribund by Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo
this phrase but bears an erasure that may have the thirteenth century, it was revived by the
deleted those words from the inscription. noted monk Eizon (or Eison, 1201-1290), who
A red lacquer surface worn through in places to arrived at the temple in 1238. Among his many This vessel served as a container for hot water
reveal an undercoating of black lacquer is charac- pragmatic reforms Eizon encouraged the cultiva- used in the preparation of tea. Modeled after
teristic of negoro ware, although solid black and tion of tea and preached its restorative spiritual Chinese prototypes brought to Japan by immi-
solid red pieces, as well as some transparent-lac- and physical powers. He was not the first to have grant Chinese Chan (Zen) monks or by Japanese
quered ones, are also known. The name derives proclaimed the virtues of tea: in the preceding Zen monks returning from study in China,
from Negoro-ji (Wakayama Pref.), where this century the Japanese monk Eisai (1141-1215) this ewer and others like it show a strong yet
type of lacquerware is said to have appeared first, returned from China, bringing with him the unpretentious design, suitable for use in a Zen
some time in the thirteenth century. The softly teachings of Rinzai Zen and tea seeds of a variety environment. The coloring of cinnabar red lacquer
shaded red-to-black surface created by long use judged to be superior to the indigenous type. The
was highly prized, and in later years artificially ritualized preparation and drinking of tea had
rendered. In shape the negoro wares emulated long been a part of Chinese Chan (Zen) monastic
contemporaneous Chinese lacquers, which were life. Proselytizers such as Eisai and Eizon incor-
greatly prized in the late Kamakura (1185-1333) porated the element of tea into a populist Bud-
and Muromachi (1333-1573) periods by the mili- dhism which extended beyond the monastic
tary aristocracy and the Zen establishment. communities.
The function of such a large, sturdy tray is The Saidai-ji rinka bon is one of the pre-
revealed by genre details in several well-known eminent pieces of medieval Japanese lacquer. Like
narrative scroll-paintings. In the Boki Ekotoba many other extant works of that period, it was
(mid-i4th century) such a tray is in use in a large created as an implement for the serving of tea.
monastery; in the pungently satirical Fukutomi- The underside inscription, the commanding phys-
zoshi (early 15th century) it is one of the appoint- ical presence of the tray, and its state of preserva-
ments in the home of a nouveau riche commoner. tion suggest that it was highly regarded, even
In both instances the large tray holds the smaller from the time of its manufacture. By the close of
lacquerware cup stands into which conical ceramic the sixteenth century practitioners of the Tea
tea bowls were set. These were usually imported Ceremony had formulated an aesthetic that fur-
Chinese jian ware (J: temmoku), black or black- ther singled out for admiration the qualities of
brown glazed, sometimes with the prized streaked unassuming elegance and gentle aging which
or spotted effect in the glaze and often bound characterize this tray. J.u.

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