Chinese Export Silver & Far East Trade Information

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WAN YUANMAO 萬元茂

Jiujiang (九江)

An example of the work and mark of Wan Yuanmao (萬元茂):



See: http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 29&t=23784

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A. DE HOOG

Weltevreden, Java


A. De Hoog - Weltevreden - 1925

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KO

Example of the work and marks of KO:





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STORCH BROTHERS

20-22, Mountbatten Road, Kuala Lumpur

An Adie Brothers of Birmingham teaset assayed in 1949, retailed by Storch Brothers of Kuala Lumpur:





Storch Brothers were taken over by B.P. De Silva (see above post) in 1954.

In 1954 Storch Bros (1949) Ltd., a Kuala Lumpur-based company retailing jewellery and watches, was purchased by B.P. de Silva Ltd. and has since been run as a wholly-owned associate company. The acquisition of Storch Bros. strengthened immeasurably the retail network of B.P. de Silva Ltd. in the region. In addition, a further branch was opened in Kuching, Sarawak, in 1959.

Source: B.P. de Silva - The Royal Jeweller of South East Asia - Richard Boyle - 1990

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ISMAIL & RAHEEM

Bras Basah Road, and Raffles Hotel, Singapore, and, 11, Farquhar Street, and E. & O. Hotel, Penang

A 1914 advertisement states:

FINE JEWELS

Every article guaranteed genuine and more than full value for the price.

We are now exhibiting a wide selection of valuable presents including Necklaces, Rings, Ear-rings, Watch Bracelets, Pendants, Cigarette Cases, Watch Chains, Brooches and a variety of designs in the latest styles of gold jewellery set with diamonds and other precious stones etc.

JADE JEWELLERY SPECIALITY

Every one a masterpiece, and at moderate prices.

Come and prove for yourself the genuineness of our unparalleled collection.

COMPARISON OF PRICES AND QUALITY INVITED

ISMAIL & RAHEEM

BRASS BASSAH ROAD

Local and Outstation Orders promptly attended to.

PENANG BRANCH: 11, FARQUHAR STREET


A 1917 advertisement states:

REWARD.

A suitable reward will be given to any person who shall afford such authentic information as shall lead to the detection of any individual or firm of Jewellers who has or attempted to claim connection with our reputed old established firm of Manufacturing Jewellers and Diamond Merchants at 82-1 and 82-2, Bras Bassah Road, Singapore, having branches only at Raffles Hotel, and at No.11, Farquhar Street, and E. & O. Hotel, Penang.

ISMAIL & RAHEEM



Ismail & Raheem - Singapore & Penang - 1919

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MY NGHE VN

Hanoi






MY NGHE VN, HANOI HTX.TINH HOA S X 0.900

The above set has additional Polish marks.

A similar mark noted in the past, with additional Soviet marking, reads: MY NGHE VN, HANOI HTX.TINH HOA.S.X. 0.900

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CHOP PIA HIN

622, North Bridge Road, Singapore

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
ONE PRICE ONLY
Goldsmiths and Diamond Merchants
No.622, North Bridge Road, Singapore
We beg to inform the public that our business has been established for many years, ans has been awarded medals for the display of jewellery, etc., etc., at the Malaya-Borneo Exhibition.
Our business has now been reorganised, especially in Goldsmith's work, from January 1, 1926.
We undertake to accept any gold ornaments bearing our Chop PIA HIN, returned by our customers, at the market price of gold, less costs of workmanship.
ALWAYS IN STOCK
Loose diamonds and brilliants of the first water, and of various sizes.
Artistic Jewellery of various descriptions and of the latest fashion. Emeralds, Sapphires, Rubies, Pearls, Opals and other precious stones.
Workmanship guaranteed and prices moderate. Orders promptly executed.
CHOP PIA HIN
Phone No. 2193

Source: The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser - 4th March 1926

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FANG JIU XIA

Shanghai

Fang-Jiu-Xia is one of the nine famous silver workshops in Shanghai.

The mark of Shanghai Fang-Jiu-Xia Run-Ji (Chinese “上海 方九霞 潤記):



The last two characters at the very bottom of the mark is the name of one of its sub-branches, Run-Ji, which probably closed down at around year 1922.

See: http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 729#p82729

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WING YICK

'The China Jade', 492, North Bridge Road, Singapore

WING YICK
GOLDSMITH
"THE CHINA JADE"
No. 492, NORTH BRIDGE ROAD

OUR SPECIALITY
Loose or mounted Necklaces
Wholesale and Retail
Prices from $20 to $2,000.

Outstation Customers
Cash with order. Phone 2997

Source: The Straits Times - 14th November 1928

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F.W. MARGRETT & Co.

Tewkesbury House, 179-181 New Road, Bangkok










The business of Frank Weaver Margrett (b.1867, Reading, England, d.1940, Bangkok). He was a director of The Association of Diamond Merchants Limited (S. Smith and Son Ltd.), and went to the Far East to represent their interests there. Whilst living in the Far East he set up his own company, F.W. Margrett & Co. in 1924.

Frank Weaver Margrett was born on the 23rd April 1867, the son of a Master Ironmonger, Thomas Margrett, and Julia Anna Weaver. In c.1885 he joined Samuel Smith & Son. In the 1891 census he was described as a 'jeweller's assistant', and in the 1901 census as a 'jeweller in gold'.

In 1909 he was at the centre of the sensational robbery of the Queen of Siam's pearls that were stolen in transit from London to Bangkok and assisted in the recovery of some of the lost pearls.


SIAM SILVER EXHIBITION

Work of a London Craftsman

Another "Silver Expert" has reached Singapore in the person of Mr. F.W. Margrett, a London Guilds craftsman and antiquarian of Tewkesbury House, Bangkok. Mr. Margarett is staying at Raffles Hotel where he is exhibiting a fine collection of unique chasing, engraving and niello work, all on a silver basis.
A member of a old West of England family who have for centuries been craftsmen in wrought iron, wood and precious metals. Mr. Margarett has been Siam studying and recreating the ancient metal industries of the country for the past twenty years.
He established a factory in Bangkok many years ago, collected round him a few workers of these almost forgotten crafts, taught others, and has now a flourishing business. He may open a branch in Singapore. Last year Mr. Margrett made a niello silver dinner service for H.H. the Sultan of Johore. In this set there were over 250 pieces, each with the Royal Crown Cypher. The set took Mr. Margrett six months to complete.
Mr. Margrett claims for his work a tone and character equal to that produced in Europe and America. This is not hard to believe. It has, moreover, a distinctively Oriental character and thus the art collector, for one, will find in his highly decorative pieces much that is truly unique. The less academic purchaser will simply glory in its sheer perfect workmanship and compelling association with the romance of the East.
In his rooms Mr. Margrett has two tables strewn with all manner of ornaments, caskets, cigar boxes, cigarette cases, sports trophies, napkin rings, and table-ware.

Source: The Straits Times - 10th August 1934


SIAMESE ANTIQUES

Possible Showroom In Singapore

Mr. F.W. Margrett, of Tewkesbury House, Bangkok, is contemplating the establishment of a factory and showroom for authentic Siamese antiques and curios in Singapore, also an art gallery, the Straits Times understands.
Mr. Margrett, an acknowledged expert craftsman of 25 years experience addressed Singapore Rotarians recently on "The Siamese as a Craftsman".
He exhibited a unique collection of Siamese silverwork during his Singapore visit.

Source: The Straits Times - 7th September 1934


With the death of Mr. F. W. Margrett, one of the best known Bangkok personalities has passed on. Mr. Margrett was 73 and was a resident of Bangkok for 30 years. He first went to Thailand on behalf of his firm, S. Smith and Sons, London, and after the last war, in 1919, he became resident director of that firm. It then became S. Smith & Sons (Siam), Ltd. Later on, in 1924, he opened his own business as a jeweller and engraver which was in 1937, converted into the firm of F. W. Margrett (1937), Ltd. Mr. Margrett kept excellent health until three years ago, but since then he had been more or less an invalid. He, however, persisted in going to office until a month ago. In his younger days he was very keen on athletics, boxing, cycling and clay-pigeon shooting, but his main hobby was racing, and for many years he acted as a paddock steward. Another interest was amateur theatricals and several presentations at the Theatre Royal, Bangkok, owed their success to the long hours he put in at rehearsals, with Mrs. Margrett in the casts. Perhaps Mr. Margrett’s greatest thrill in his business life was the disappearance of 'one rope of 251 pearls of Orient hue' dispatched by his firm in London in 1909 for the Queen of Siam. The box arrived in Bangkok in May 1909, and was delivered to the Queen’s representative. When opened it contained empty cases only. The centre pearl weighed nineteen grains and the remainder were matched in pairs with a graduation of 20 per cent. to the end. The firm replaced the stolen necklace, and after long negotiations the underwriters paid about £35,000 and the leading underwriter presented Mr. Margrett with a James II silver loving cup as a memento of his assistance in solving the mystery of the pearls disappearance.

Source: The Straits Times - 16th June 1940

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NIPPON SOUVENIR & Co.

Marking by the Nippon Souvenir & Co. of Japan:


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SHIBAFU CHENLIANJI ZHENBAIQUE

Guangdong



廣东guangdong 十八甫shibafu 陳連记chenlianji 真白缺zhenbaique








Despite the above item, a vesta case perhaps, looking very much like Chinese Export Silver, it is not, and it is not even silver, it is a form of white copper. In the past I have come across spoons with pseudo English marks made of a similar metal. When polished, the colour is a good match for silver, but it tarnishes very quickly, within days, to a golden yellow finish.

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SATYA

Satya Jewellery Pte Ltd., 79, Serangoon Road, Singapore


Satya Jewellery Pte Ltd. - Singapore - 2011

Example of the marks of Satya:



Explanation of modern Singapore marks:



The gold standards for the above are: 999 - 916 - 750 - 585 - 375

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HONE WO (WOE)

Tai Ping Shan Street, Hong Kong (太平山街)

An example of the work of Hone Wo:







Hone Wo's working period was from c.1850 until c.1900.

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KEIJOU SHOURO 京城 鐘路

Jongno, Seoul 京城

An example of the work of Keijou Shouro, retailed by Yuushin Shoukai 有信商會 :







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BOREL & COURVOISIER

Neuchàtel, Switzerland

Borel & Courvoisier's mark applied to watchcases destined for the far eastern market:



The mark was registered on the 23rd August 1888.

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ROYAL DRAGON JEWELLERY Pte Ltd.

1 Jurong West Central 2 Singapore 648886


Royal Dragon - Singapore - 2011

Royal Dragon are certified by the Singapore Assay Office as a retailer and thus items can be assayed and struck with their mark, but it is uncertain as to whether they have a manufacturing facility or just retail the work of others.



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GIOK-HO DO

Naka-Cho, Ikenohata, Shitaya, Tokio


Giok-Ho Do - Tokio - 1906

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CLOISONNE ENAMEL-WORK. BY PROF. JIRO HARADA

(Part One)

There are two distinct qualities or types expressed in Japanese art : one suggesting endless patience in the execution of minute detail, the other denoting a momentary conception of some fleeting idea carried out with boldness and freedom of expression in form and line–profuse complexity and extreme simplicity. The people of the West, finding these apparently inconsistent qualities existing in old Japanese art, marvelled at the former quality, and were fascinated by the latter.

While it is impossible to find either type applied exclusively to any one class of work, it must be admitted that certain branches of art industry are more adapted for the expression of one of these artistic qualities than the other. Like damascene work and the decorations on Satsuma ware, the work on
Japanese cloisonne ware generally exhibits the quality suggestive of unwearying labour and patience.

Cloisonne enamels are known amongst the Japanese by the name of shippo, a contraction of two words : shicki, denoting seven, and ho, meaning treasures. Some authorities endeavour to trace the term to an old Buddhist book, discrediting the Chinese origin on the strength of this particular ware being referred to in some old Chinese books as "ware of devil's country," suggesting thereby that they were of foreign importation. However, it is obvious that the name shippo has been thought most appropriate in Japan, inasmuch as the exquisite beauty of the work gave it the appearance of having been wrought with the seven precious things, commonly known to consist of gold, silver, emerald, coral, agate, crystal, and pearl. The term shippo is used by Soami to record the fact that Ashikaga Yoshimasa, in the second quarter of the fifteenth century, had considered it superior to inlaid work.

Many claim that the ware had been christened shippo yaki by the Japanese, although it was erroneously called orafida yaki, or Dutch ware, by Kaji Tsunekichi and others, when a piece of it falling into his hand led to his discovery of this art after years of hard labour, and to the manufacture in 1832 (or 1839 according to some accounts) of a plate six inches in diameter, the first piece of modern cloisonne enamel as we know it to-day.

While the writer keenly feels the need of a complete and systematic record of the development of this art, no attempt will be made in this short treatise to meet that want. Interesting as a minute account of the modern struggle during the last fifty years or so to develop shippo in Japan might prove to be, it is not the intention of the writer to make any effort along those lines. The purpose of the present article is little more than to set down a few observations which have occurred to the writer in connection with this branch of Japanese art, particularly as to certain characteristics of the Japanese people which are revealed in its treatment and craftsmanship. At the same time we shall not omit an introduction to a few of the best-known cloisonne artists of the present day, together with their work, however casual that introduction may prove to be.



It will be well to describe briefly at the outset the different kinds of shippo wares now produced. They are generally classified under two heads according to the quality of the paste: (i) dorojippo (shippo becomes Jippo when in combination with another word preceding it) or opaque enamel, and (2) suki-Jippo, or translucent enamel. The enamels are applied to the metal base or foundation in one of two ways : (a) Those parts of the design which are to be filled with the paste are channelled either in casting or by indenting, or (b) cloisons are formed by the aid of thin wire to receive the paste. The former is more properly called champleve' while the latter is designated cloisonne'. But the Japanese term shippo is applicable to both. It is also applicable to what is known as cloisonless enamel-work (commonly called musen-jippo) and to shotai-jippo or bodiless enamel (known as " transparent or plique a jour cloisonne "), in which the copper foundation is removed, generally by chemical process, leaving only the vitrified enamel, as also to several other variations.



The ordinary enamel-work with wire is called yusen-jippo ; the variety in which the work is slightly raised in relief by means of applying an extra amount of enamel is called mortage ; another variety in which the foundation is hammered out wherever the relief effect is required is called Hchidashi. Still another variety with translucent red enamel without any cloisons, but generally with carving on the base, is known to manufacturers as akasuke. Porcelain and other materials are sometimes used, but a copper base is employed for practically all opaque enamels, also for akasuke, as an equally brilliant red cannot yet be obtained upon any other metal. Silver and gold are used as bases for the translucent enamels : those with a silver base being known as gin-Jippo, and those with gold as kin-Jippo. Translucent enamels are also used, either in part or whole, for gitt-bari, a variety in which the copper base is covered over with silver paper, giving it the appearance of a silver foundation.



A few terms used to designate different designs may also prove to be of some value. When the monochromatic ground of the ware is of a light colour the piece is described as tisuji. When the design is old, more after the old Chinese pattern (with kara-kusa, or ornamental vine scroll), generally with heavy wires, the cloisonne is said to have kodai-moyo. The rainbow-coloured enamel made to run from the top of a shippo piece of recent development after the fashion of a porcelain glaze is called nagare-gusuri (streaming or flowing glaze). Here a few words about the technique of enamel decoration may prove of interest. Let us take an ordinary example of yiisen-do-jippo, a copper cloisonne enamel. To prepare the base a piece of copper is hammered out into the desired shape and form, the surface being made smooth. Upon this copper base is traced with a brush in indian ink the design to be executed, which has been originally painted by an artist on paper or silk. Then thin wires or ribbons of gold, silver, or copper are placed edgeways upon the lines of the drawing with great accuracy in order to make the cloisons. The narrow metallic ribbon is cut into sections of various lengths and curved into the forms required, exactly fitting the lines of the drawing. In the more carefully made pieces the ribbons are not only bent but beaten with a hammer so as to obtain varying thicknesses of lines, and the ends of the wires filed so as to ensure that they meet perfectly.



The endless patience required, and the great difficulty involved in this preliminary part of the enameller's art, can be imagined when we learn that it is not unusual to find more than one hundred pieces of ribbon set in intricate designs in a space of one square inch. The writer has now before him a cigarette-box, made by Kumeno Teitaro of Nagoya, about three and a half inches long and a little less wide, literally covered with tiny butterflies, most delicate wire being used to give form to two sets of wings and a pair of antennse for each butterfly. At an arm's length the box appears to be covered simply with shapeless dots, and it is only by a closer examination that thousands of butterflies of perfect shapes and beautiful colours can be appreciated. How the minute work has been done is still a mystery to many of his friends.



A vegetable glue made from the root of a species of orchid is used to make these pieces of ribbon adhere to the base. Then powdered enamel or fine solder-filings are sifted over the work, which is then subjected to a gentle heat, thus securing the cloisons. Enamel pastes of various colours are then, with the aid of a bamboo pen, jammed into the cloisons formed by the wires, thus carrying out the design. Different firings are necessary, as some enamels do not fuse as easily as others, and since different layers of enamels are required to attain the desired effect. Finally the surface is polished with stones of different grades of coarseness, then with powdered charcoal, finally with hartshorn mixed with rape-seed oil. However, in the preparation of musen-jippo the process of firing in order to fix the cloisons is omitted. When the cloisons are filled with the paste the enamel is left to dry in the shade, and then the ribbons are pulled out before the work is put into the oven. Afterwards these ribbons are relaid on vitrified enamel and another layer of paste is applied. Thus the process is repeated until a perfect pictorial effect is attained.



Intricate as the process is, the modern cloisonne manufacture happens to lie one of the few industries in Japan which have been developed chiefly by European patronage. It is only in comparatively recent years, most markedly within the last few years, that shippo began to find a place in Japanese homes as an ornament. As is so often the case with arts and crafts, there are two more or less distinct types of enamel-work, one designed for foreign markets and the other for the home market–at least, such is one of the latest developments. However, in shippo the distinction between the two types is not so well marked as in other crafts, as cloisonne has not yet won an honoured place on the tokonoma or post of honour in the Japanese house. Specimens of the ware are found in what are known as the " European rooms " in Japanese houses,* either as decorations, when they are in the form of vases set on the mantelpiece or plaques on the walls, or as articles of use, such as cigar or cigarette boxes on tables. It is but natural that the true Japanese taste should make a concession here, giving in to what is termed " foreign taste," a term generally applicable to that which is vulgar according to the true Japanese standard. It may be added that an incongruous combination of gay and brilliant colours is generally considered the prime factor in " foreign taste," whereas harmonious blending of subdued tones is essential in order to appeal to the more aesthetic sense of the Japanese. A weird combination of absurd colours in the designs of shippo wares, as well as in other articles, is often the logical consequence of the former notion.



The development of this misconception in regard to foreign taste has worked disaster. It is deplorable when any art is degraded in order to please a buyer. The ludicrous part of it all is that in the West, especially in America, this depraved art, adapted with a view to winning Western favours, and in which the true Japanese ideals are sacrificed, is believed to be characteristic of Japanese workmanship. However, it is but fair to add that this failure to appreciate what is best in the other's art has been mutual, as may be realised from the fact that after several years' experience of selling Western goods in Japan an American firm in Yokohama was at last obliged to instruct the exporters in the West to " ship articles or the ugliest shapes and colours that can be found."



Appreciation for such objects cannot outlive a better knowledge of the nation by whom they are produced, nor can the more outre cloisonne enamels continue to be acceptable when produced under such false circumstances.



To be continued......

Source: The International Studio - 1911

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CLOISONNE ENAMEL-WORK. BY PROF. JIRO HARADA

(Part Two)



The shippo industry is already suffering a heavy penalty – at least that class of ware which depended solely upon the capricious demand of the West coexistent with ignorance of the Japanese and their artistic ideals.



Let us take as an illustration the case of Toshima, a village a few miles from Nagoya. It is known properly by another name, that of Shippo Mura, which means "village of cloisonne wares," because directly Kaji Tsunckichi, a native of the village, rediscovered the forgotten art of cloisonne manufacture and started its modern development, the whole village–of a considerable size–turned its entire attention to this industry, each craftsman guarding his own secrets and discoveries, until at one time the inhabitants of Shippo Mura turned out no less than seventy per cent, of the total cloisonne enamels produced in Japan. But nearly all the kilns in Toshima are now idle and their workshops closed, while the annual output of Japanese cloisonne has dwindled during the last six years to less than one-third of what it used to be.



The appearance of the village was almost unbearable to the writer when he re-visited it nearly two years ago, and remembered the thriving state of affairs that had greeted his eyes on the occasion of his former visit made several years before. The whole aspect of the place suggested something little short of a tragedy. While we are conscious of various other causes (one of which we shall deal with later) contributing to this downfall, it is our belief that the keynote of the tragedy lies in a misconception of Western needs and the flooding of Western markets with cheap, low-class wares. This mistake dates especially from the time of the Paris Exposition in 1900 and was carried on until the close of the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904.



It was in that period that an enormous amount of cheap gin-bari was made at Toshima and sent out of Japan. This was the immediate cause of the decline and was assisted by a better knowledge of things Japanese on the part of the buyers.



It must be stated, however, that some fine specimens of this work are still being produced, although the practical ruin of the industry at Toshima indicates the general decline of the enameller's art as an industry throughout Japan. For the production of shippo ware there have been three centres, speaking in reference to the locality in which they are produced–Nagoya and its vicinity, Kyoto, and Tokyo, the last two places having learned the art from the first, where the bulk of cloisonne enamels are still produced at the present day.



It may be well to note that there is a certain class of work known as "Kyoto Jippo" in which the whole surface of the piece is generally covered with decoration of gilt wire, which used to be the characteristic production of Kyoto, while in the product of all other branches the artist aimed chiefly at pictorial effect, placing a design in a monochromatic field of a pale or dark tone. But "Kyoto Jippo" has long been manufactured at Toshima, where every variety of shippo ware has been successfully produced.



Thus, although the local peculiarities of the product have largely disappeared, it will still be of some interest to observe a few salient points in the life and work of famous shippo artists of more recent times who are to be found in these localities.



Tokyo–if, indeed, we may not say Japan–has never had a greater shippo artist than Namikawa Sosuke, who died a year ago last February. Credit should be given to him for first elaborating a device by which a large surface of the piece is covered with monochromatic enamel without the use of cloisons. Namikawa Sosuke is also credited with the invention of musen Jippo, or " cloisonless enamel." The excellence of his workmanship in this particular method can well be discerned in the thirty-two plaques now decorating the walls of the palace of the Crown Prince of Japan. Moonlight on the Sea and Wild Goose under the Moon, two plaques in musen which were exhibited at the Palace of Fine Arts at the Japan-British Exhibition, are some of his last triumphs in the execution of difficult subjects by a still more difficult method. His work is now carried on by his grandson, and there is no one else in the capital whose work has any distinction.



While there are in Kyoto a few shippo artists of some note, such as Takahara Komajiro–who continues to produce " Kyoto jippo " and has recently made some considerable improvement in the ware, giving it the appearance of damascene work and Inaba Nanaho, who produces some excellent specimens of gin-jippo and yusen-do-jippo with intricate work in wires, none have excelled Namikawa Yasuyuki (or Seishi) in the utmost delicacy of craftsmanship and perfection of technique, in purity of design, harmony of colour, and subdued tone. Some of his marvellously minute workmanship can best be appreciated under a magnifying glass, bespeaking his endless patience and the faithful quality of his labour. He has never lowered his standard of production. His work is strictly high class, and he excels in the employment of fine gold wires in the most intricate of designs. He is the only Court artist now living among the shippo manufacturers.



A few names, at least, must be mentioned in connection with Nagoya. Perhaps the best-known Japanese shippo manufacturer is Ando Jubei of that city. He and his brother Juju have done much for the encouragement in this art industry. It was late in 1881 when Kaji Sataro, a grandson of Kaji Tsunekichi (already referred to), came to Ando for his assistance, as Kaji Sataro was unable to carry on his business ; and that was the beginning of Ando's engagement in the present undertaking. Ando's rare insight in noting what is best suited for the time and his valuable judgment of colour and form, together with the talent to get the best out of each of the large number of expert enamel artists that came to work for him, enabled him to send out unusually good specimens of shippo ware. He has one large factory, but he also has many artists in different parts of Nagoya and Toshima working exclusively for him. But his reputation was established chiefly by the splendid work turned out by his chief enamel artist and designer, Kawade Shibataro, who is deservedly considered the greatest enamel expert in the manufacture of shippo at the present time. Perhaps no other living person has done more towards the improvement of Japanese enamels and the invention of new methods of application than Kawade. He has been engaged in the shippo industry for the last forty years, and the advantage of his scientific knowledge and his indefatigable devotion to the work have enabled him to invent new colours in enamels. Both uchidashi and moriage' are the result of his untiring efforts. Kawade has recently found a novel way of decorating his pieces with rainbow-coloured porcelain-like glaze called nagare-gusuri. He also excels in the production of musen jippo.



Mention should also be made of Kumeno Teitaro (or Shimetaro) of the same city. While the honour of being the inventor of gin-jippo (silver cloisonne)
is claimed by many, the success of gin-jippo is no doubt due to Kumeno's discovery of a method that prevented the enamels covering the silver foundation from getting cracked in the course of a year or so, as was formerly the case. According to Kumeno's own story related to the writer, he happened to notice, while waiting for a train at the station one day, that a considerable space was allowed where the rails were joined. When it was explained to him that the space was necessary for the expansion of the steel in heat, an idea flashed through his mind that the difficulty with gin-jippo might lie in the fact that the silver base was too thick to allow of a uniform contraction and expansion of the metal with the enamel covering it. He began hammering the silver base very thin, and the result proved satisfactory.



Hayashi Kodenji of Nagoya, now eighty years old, is another great benefactor of this art industry. How devoted he was to his art will be recognised when it is remembered that he exhausted his ample wealth in struggling to manufacture and improve shippo, and that in order to obtain further capital for his work by selling his productions to foreigners at Yokohama (though it was unlawful then to sell gold, silver, copper or iron to the foreigner) he walked the whole distance of nearly five hundred miles from Toshima to Yokohama and back, disguising himself as a silk merchant, and carrying his shippo in cocoon baskets suspended from the ends of a pole across his shoulders. His wares are still noted for the excellent quality of their monochromatic enamel and for faithful technique.



Again, there is Hattori Tadasaburo, noted for the shotai-jippo or "transparent cloisonne " ; Hayakawa Kamesaburo and Ichikawa, the best manufacturers
of akasuke : and such others as Miwa Tomisaburo, Tsukamoto Tojuro of Toshima, Gonda Hirosuke, and Kawaguchi Bunzaemon. But space does not permit a detailed account of them and their work. Suffice it to note here that Nagoya is still the centre of the shippo industry, which is one of the principal industries of Owari province.



The characteristics indicated in the quality of this work in cloisonne enamel and its development are unswerving devotion and steadfastness of purpose,
combined with a spirit of sacrifice, entailed by the lack of scientific methods of investigation. A glance at the history of any of the shippo artists will be sufficient to convince us of the extreme hardships encountered by the craftsmen in trying to obtain a result by haphazard yet infinitely laborious experiment, always with the hope that the patient worker might be fortunate enough to hit on a new and valuable secret. They wooed chance with loyal constancy, taking every rebuff cheerfully. Two or three concrete instances which illustrate the strange conditions under which Japanese enamellers have developed their art may be mentioned. First, the chance observation at a railway station by Kumeno, already alluded to.



Then the case of the craftsman who stumbled on the secret of chakin (tea gold) while experimenting with copper, some shavings of which fell into the molten enamel and gave an exquisite golden lustre.



Another instance was the discovery, by a mere smell of burning wood, of a grey enamel by Hayashi while he was working under Dr. Wagnel in Tokyo, to whom the enamellers of Japan as well as porcelain manufacturers owe so much of their success. Such stories might be multiplied, but these should be sufficient to indicate the somewhat haphazard way in which the shippo artists arrived at their most treasured secrets, though they worked with great constancy of purpose.



At the same time another national trait may be discerned, namely, the love of overcoming difficulties, which leads to the adoption of a more difficult method even at the expense of its effect upon the art itself. As the manifestation of this idiosyncrasy in Japanese music has been somewhat disastrous, it is to be feared that shippo may suffer in like manner. Are not musen and nagare-gusuri, whose characteristics consist in the heroic achievement of effects properly inconsistent with cloisonne art, clear manifestations of this idiosyncrasy ? The artist is in danger of becoming merged in the clever craftsman, and the art itself of being lost in the pursuit after enormously difficult technique. However, it is perhaps merely a matter of taste.



But it is people's taste that often determines a vital point in art. The difference in the points of view from which East and West appraise and appreciate an art object is another factor which may have serious effects. In Japan the object is admired or condemned chiefly on its own intrinsic merits without regard to its decorative appeal. Most of the articles decorating our tokonoma are decorated, not decorative, art objects, whereas in the West the decorative quality is nearly always demanded. As is the case with many other Japanese works of art, much of the best cloisonne depends for its appeal on fine workmanship, which can only be appreciated on close examination, and it has but little value as a decoration in a room. As the cloisonne industry depends largely on its Western markets, this difference in the point of view between the artists who produce it and the people who buy it is bound to present a serious difficulty.



The problem is whether the characteristic Japanese genius for fine workmanship can be made to produce a definitely decorative object suitable for ornament in a Western home, without sacrificing both the Japanese artistic ideal and the essential characteristics of cloisonne art.



Such problems are not confined to the future of shippo art. They confront the new Japanese art, which aims at the perfect harmonisation of the best in Occidental art with the best in Japan's own art. Not the least interesting phase of such a problem will be to determine the value of technique in relation to its effect on art, especially in a country like Japan where particular importance is attached to the spiritual and idealistic side of art. Suffice it to note here that there is a strong tendency even in shippo art to aim at that which is most difficult regardless of the effect obtained.

Jiko Harada.



Source: The International Studio - 1911

Trev.