The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-09
THE JAPANESE ARTISANS.
Bomeofthe Strange Waysin Which They
Work and Their Wonderful Skill.
The Observations of a Journal Reporter Dur
ing Visit to the Village of San Ban
Changes in Japanese Customs.

Yesterday afternoon Journal reporter saun
Eered through the village of San Ban, as the
Japanese workshop at the Museum is called. He
was accompanied by Y. Tornita, the bright
young Japanese gentleman who acts as interpret
or. The japanese, all busily engaged at their
various occupations were Otani, porcelain-paint-
err H. Fushiki, artist; I. Katow, embroiderer;
Miss Yamada Uta, tailor and embroiderer; AM
ano. coisonne or shippo worker; Matsumoto
bronze worker; Yendow, bamboo worker; Yo-
koya carpenter; Konishi, bamboo worker and
wood carver Maxine. fower-maker and lacquer
worker. They are all young, vivacious and in
telligent, always in good humor, their laughter
evidently being very near the surface, and easily
set loose.
half dozen Cinnamon afforded them much
amusement, as they gazed with undisguised ad-
miration at Miss Yamada Uta, while she worked
on, the daughter of the Orient betraying only
by an occasional twinkle from the corner of her
large lustrous eyes that she was at all conscious
of the Celestial admiration she was evoking.
The young lady is lighter in complexion than
the highest of her countrymen and is really quite
handsome. The reporter noticed that she had
the pin habit of her sisters of the Occident.
using her pretty mouth as pin magazine while
at work
They were all seated taiIor-fasllion while at
work. and the reporter expressed the thought
that such habit must operate to the detriment
of their legs when they wanted to use them. He
was assured that such was not the case, that
they were very active, and could not only walk
as readily and gracefully as we of the West but
could actually spring up to any elevation they
could reach with their hands. They are ready
imitators. A colored woman employed about
&hn nj fpiYlY
. Japanese joker, following her. imi-
tated her movements so absurdly that every one
who it laughed. A very tall young man.
with very tall collar, afforded them much
amusement three or four of them giving fine
limitations of the awkward and uncomfortable
position in which the young man carried his
head.
Tho Japanese are surprisingly progressive
petition opened the country to Western civiliza-
ton. and in those thirty years their adaptation
of European and American manners, inventions
and ideas BIAS been the wonder and admiration
of the world. Her latest move and perhaps the
most difficult she has attempted is
Japan from the idiographs copied
from the Chinese, to an alphabetical system
similar to our own. The educated people
have recognized the fact that too much time is
wasted in acquiring these many thousands of
symbols, when twenty-four signs, representing
sounds, can convey the ideas just as adequately
In conversation with Y. Tomta, the inter-
prefer. he said tho modified alphabet that he had
learned was an arrangement of syllables, fol-
lows Where the letters are duplicated it is be-
cause the exact sound cannot be represented in
English e. ha, nj no., he, to, chi, dri, nu, du, o,
wa, ka, 20, ia, re- so, tsu. ne, ma ra, mu. &c, no.
o, ku, yah, ma, Ike. flu, ko. va, te, a, sa,
XII, yu, me, mi, shi, We. hi mo- Sc, su, kio, ku
1--WE count from one to ten in this way said
the interpreter "Ichi ne, san, shi go, roku,
bhi-chi, ha-ch ku, GU. Twenty is two,ten,
GU; forty, fourteen. shi-gu, ETC. One hundred is
hiya-ku, and sen is one thousand"
Noticing the reporter took his notes in short
hand, he said: I'VE have been writing short
hand in my country about ten years have
been going to school in Chicago, but learned
some English before I came over here
months. Some of these people with
me have been here that long, others only eight
months. We have been travelling six months
We sell what we make as we go along and usual
ly find ready sale. Some of them are from
Osaka, some from Yokohama some from Toxic
They have come over purposely to do this work
Besides, it is matter of education. We are all
young. and all learning something"
The reporter asked as to their religion. Mo-
was the answer I'VE are not Buddhists That
Is the religion Of the lower classes. The higher
classes have not now any religion to speak about
of any kind. Everything is in process of
change with us-our money, our army, our
navy. our customs generally-even our dress.
Some of our ladies dress in European style,
though our own national costume for ladies is
more beautiful and more graceful. The uni
forms of the army are modified from those OF the
French, of the navy from those of the En- lish"
The name of Matsada Sorokchi, tho wrestler
was mentioned: He must be poor wrestler
said Tomita. "We never heard of him in Japan.
We have many great wrestiers there. All our
people are short, but we have men of great mus
lie and agility"
The porcelain painter at his work unlike an
American workman, does not move his hand to
bis work, but moves his work toward his hand.
In using the brush he paints toward himself as
the Japanese carpenter and bamboo worker
work their tools toward themselves Indeed the
quaint little saws could hardly be made to work
at all used in onr fashion, the setting of the
teeth being so different
Japanese porcelain painters do not affect
Etrong coors, differing in that respect from
their embroiderers and screen painters
who revel in gaudy colors TheI porcelain
painters work shows that the simple modest
lowers of the field fill his artistic fancy. One
Of his prettiest pieces was flight of storks
\ willow -fronded stream
The cloisonne worker has perhaps the most
artistic and valuable work. He exhibits a
5lacque about ten inches in diameter which it
look him six months to make. It's value is from
$3.50 to $500, but he has not ventured to set
price on IL. Made by an American workman, if
It were possible for an American to make
it at all, it would probably be val
I'D at four or Ave times that
amount of money. 1t requires enormous
patience, well as unusual skill to 90 such
work The plaque is of copper, upon which the
figure is first traced. The lines thus traced are
inlaid with wire. "copper" brass or silver About
this is spread the porcelain mixture, which re-
quires great skill and profound knowledge to
prepare. The plaque, or vase, whatever it
may be- is then burnt Tor baked) in a charcoal
brazier, after which it is polished off, with
peculiar hard stone, the operation requiring
much time and care.
The bronx e-worker is a skillful artifcer. and
exhibits many wonderful specimens of his handi-
craft. A scarf-pin mounted with simple fly.
which is SO natural in appearance, even to mi
mute anatomy, as TO deceive tue closest observer,
Is one of the curiosities of his art
The men all have their hair cut pompadour,
the Japanese style, Japan, in all likelihood, be-
Ing the habitat of the fashion which has recently
come to these shores AID given the young. men