Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-04
ART WORK OF JAPAN.
Eli Perkins at the Shops Where the
Worlds Finest Ware Is Made.
THE HIGHEST WAGES is 81 25
While Many Men Work for Ten Cents Day
and Some for Their Lice.
BEAUTIES FOR THE WORLDS FAIR
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH l

is the lovely welcome given to him by the
Japanese people. Everywhere high and
low open to him their hearts. They will
never forget how, in 1854, Perry first opened
their sealed port of Yeddo, not with grape
and canister, as the English opened
Shanghai, but with love and champagne.
They will never forget how their first Japan
csc Embassy fell into our outstretched arms
at San Francisco and was fsted from. ocean
to ocean, and how little Japane'e Tommy
was allowed to fall in love with every
golden haired Yankee girl whose hand he
| touched in the grand chain of dances from
| San Francisco to Boston.
To-day at Kioto, this cultured seat of
Japanese learning. while visiting Cloisonne
and Bronze factories, the bare mention of
| America has opened every door from the
| to the cottages of the Kioto potters sitting
| cross-legged at their wheels. The first pot
| terry 1 visited was that of the old Kioto pot
| ter Kinkozan. His pottery covers about
half an acre. 1t consists of one-story build
ings in the midst of gardens, lakes, flowers,
picturesque rocks and miniature brooks.
These back yards are little parks, and one
OF the beauties of Japan. The poorest
workmen always have them. Mr. Kinko-
zan tells me that they have about ceased to
make the old Kioto ware.
''The Americans" he said, demand
something more snowy and brilliant. So
place. 1t is not porcelain, but simply
white clay, baked, glazed, painted and
gilded. It is a cheap gaudy ware, but the
people want it, and America is taking ship
loads of it.
The gaudy cheap vases seen in every
porcelain sellers window in America Is this
cheap Awata ware. 1t is made from SIM
! liar clay to that used by the lockwood pot
terry of Cincinnati only it is white. 1t is
as porous as terra Gotta until glazed.
Here were hundreds of men, girls and
boys squatted in little rooms decorating the
big vases which they held in their laps.
They worked in teams, Yankee style. One
| man would cut in trees or faces, another
paint clouds and another gild. 1t was all
quick work and cheap, the decorators
getting about Is cents per day. They all
sang or hummed sweet symphonies while
they worked. The room they sat IN was,
like a pagoda, open to the garden all
around And such garden! The shrub
berry had been growing 200 years-all
dwarfed and trimmed into fantastic shapes.
''This old pine tree" said the potter,
pointing to gnarled pine tree about 10 feet
high, "was planted by my ancestors 300
years ago. My grandfather planted this
palm and made this little pebbly brook, and
my father trimmed this Wisteria vine and
copied it onto his vases"
"But do you never change the garden?"
I asked.
"Never The same trees, the same old
we'll, the same rocks, the same cherry bios
SONS always We trim il every year to
keep it as our ancestors left It The garden
Is our live curio."
Then our jinriksha man wheeled us up to
Ikeda's bronze and cloisonne factory. Out
side it was private one-story cottage with
no sign. We stopped down and crawled
through wicket gate into garden 6 feet
wide and IL fedt long. In this were 8
thousand varieties OF dwarfed shrubs and
plants. AT the end of the yard was little
open portico on which were cloisonne
vases and curios. The floor was covered
with mats and we had to remove our shoes.
On two sides of the porticos were open
screen windows, giving us view OF another
little Japanese garden. This garden was
perhaps 20 feet square, typical garden
seen in the rear of almost every house in
Japan. In the center was a little lake with
fish. Standing in the lake were big and lit
tie bronze storks. Then there were Jagged
rocks, rustic bridge, a few graceful bam-
boos, dwarfed pines and cherry trees and at
one end nigh climbing Wisteria There
were little woods where baby could hide
and two towering palmettoes. 1t was
Schenley Park miniffed million times
There was q green and blue beach tree grow
ing from the same trunk.
"My great-grandfather grated it hun
dred years ago." said Mr.. Ikedas, clasping
bis hand reverentially. sometimes we
think our fathers and grandfathers' spirits
IL Al -, I'D
Looking out on this beautiful. garden, sit
cross legged the great bronze, cloisonne and
lacquer artists of Japan. One was pound
ing out bronze incense burner. I say
pounding out because almost all the smaller
Japanese vases are pounded out. If piece
of bronze is cast it is done SO crudely that
it has to be finished with the mallet. The
bronze fnisher is the real artist who with a
chisel and mallet makes the perfect bronze.
saw them making big bronzes in Toxic.
The object to be made was first moulded in
bees wax. This wax object was covered
with rough plaster. When dry the wax was
melted out and the mould run full OF bronze
metal. When cold the plaster was knocked
off with mallet.
This piece of bronze" said Mr.. Idekas,
pointing to the incense burner, "is TOR the
Chicago Fair If I can get it done in time.
You know Japan is to make a s., 900, 900 e1-
hibit, and all our best bronze, lacquer, ivory
and porcelain artists are at work.
''Is this man q noted artist?" asked,
pointing to a venerable-looking man at
work on the incense burner.
"Yes it is Kaishi. Everybody knows of
him in Japan. He works years on q piece
and we pay him well, but he cares more for
glory than money"
"How much do you pay him?"
"a dollar q day. Many workmen work
for 10 cents, and these assistants around
him work for their rice," and he pointed to
several young men making pieces good
enough for o museum. Think of it, an ar
tist pounding out original bronze figures of
SURPRISING beauty-for his rice!
'This laquer artist" said Ikedas, "can
do the best laquer work in Japan, equal to
any of the ancient workmen.
"And you pay him how much?'
20, the highest wages in Japan-S1 25
o day."
''fhis old laquer cabinet, continued
Ikedas pointing to gold laquer cabinet
about four feet square, sis worth $4,000
and this man can reproduce it, but the new
one would sell for 5000. Mr.. Heber Bishop,
New York connoisseur, paid S., 600 for an
antique gold laquer cabinet to-day. They
are very rare"
AT another place a man was at work on
superb cloisonne vase for Chicago. 1t was
Is inches high.
81 have been at work on it year, he
said, "and may-not get it there in time, but
I'm working night and day."
One workman was making q silver
cloisonne tea set to be the chef d 'oeuvres of
Japanese art at the fair.
The men who make these works of art are
all so patient, polite, temperate and re-
ligious! No scolding, no commanding, but