The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-22
c)OM7Y

|~OWLxY
The Alpha and Omega Of a visit to
a newly completed Japanese room Of a
Topeka home. is a group Of exclama-
ton points, and they punctuate the
conversationthrough out the call. Mr.. and
Mrs. T. w. Watson have just finished
remodeling and furnishing room in
their home on Topeka avenue. A tenn
pie builder from Japan had charge OF
the work, and the designing and fur
nishing is patterned after the art rooms
of the Far East. The old dragon, omni-
present in Japanese decorating, sprawls
on the ceiling of the room, and the
walls are finished in a rough, dark
brown paper made to represent the
Sand-Sprinkled walls OF Japanese build
ings. Built into the south wall is a
''Tokonoma." Don't know what a
mense open cupboard. The upper part
is made of lattice work wrought from
the wood by hand and. woven togeth-
er without glue or nails Below that
are open shelves, filed with vases,
plates, and Japanese curios. Below
are a series of enclosed shelves with
sliding doors. These four doors are
decorated with panel pictures of scene
ry during the different seasons. They
are done in water colors, showing the
blossoms of spring, the denseneSs and
sameness of color in summer, which
they show by making the picture all
in black and white, the multi-colors or
autumn, and the whitenesS of winter.
The pieces that go to make up the
furnishing of tine shelves are those
that Mr.. and Mrs. Watson have been
collecting for years. One OF the pieces
is a Satsunaa plate or modern make
which shows a birthday procession All
Japanese girls celebrate their birthday
in May, and all the boys celebrate
theirs in February, thus combining
pleasure and economy by having but
fxx-0 firth
the year. An idol OF the grinning god
of prosperity, with his beads and his
jewels carved into the image, and a
look of glutinous content on his ugly
visage, stands in one corner. Behind
the doors of the lower shelves are 9TH
err pieces to be put on display when
the family are tired of looking at the
collection as originally arranged. This
is Japanese style, to have forces in
reserve. The Watsons, by the way,
change the assortment every Sunday.
The chairs in the room are teak wood,
heavily carved. A large cabinet carv-
ed with many dragons, contains other
treasures to delight the lover of those
curious foreign things that appeal so
strongly to the American mind. A lit
tie Japanese garden, carved out OF w
DRY. shows waterfall, decayed tree
trunks in the bed of the stream, the
fisherman with his rod, a bridge, and
pedestrians with their baskets of fish.
Another of the pieces is a, little ivory
elephant, carrying on his back the
lotus flower, and in the cup of the flow
er a large crystal. Japanese orna-
ments are all symbolical, and this piece
lis precious in their eyes, because the
elephant is a sacred animal; the lotus
I flower was the boat that brought the
| first emperor across the sea from India
and the crystal is the fitting repre-
sentation of the Sun of Heaven, since
it is their most valuable mineral. A
large Satsume vase Stands in one cor
ner of the room on a teak wood stand,
showing the seven great gods of the
Japs and around the top of the jar the
dragon is visible In sections; one sec
ton representing his reign of thou
sand ION the earth, (htat's now);
blank space means his reign under the
sea, and when he52appears again, 1t
means his reign above the earth.
| Among the most Interesting piece54is an
image of the mounted war god, carved
out of teak wood. with cloisonne dec
Grafton in silver. A large bronze vase,
wreathed in a blooming vine in pure
silver, is another handsome piece of the
| collection. Even the pictures on the
wall are Japanese. "A hydrangea pic
ture made from mother pearl on
! black background "a and framed in
black, and another wildrose in mother
| of7pearl, with a Similar setting, are
especial beautiful. Another picture
is a chrysanthemum done in tinted sill
ver Among the vases is an old piece
of Chinese wear. painted in brilliant
yellow, when the decorative art in
China was apparently in it's infancy;
for it was at a time when perspective
was not understood, and the desired
effect was obtained by making the dec
orations iut out from the surface OF
the vase. An incense burner, a tenn
pie lantern, a piece supposed to show
a group of monkeys examining the
moon. are among the unusual features
of the place. An ivory statue show
ing the old bag, who sends the wicked
to their eternal punishment, is rather
startling, with the all too-reallstlc
frogs slipping through the holes in the
basket she carries.
And this is only a hint of the in
teresting articles in the. room. Their
wonderfully intricate designs worked
out by hand in their minutest detail,
all express something of the Japanese
views of life-inverted as they seem
to us-as well as their strange ideas
of art We are told that western civ
ilization will revolutionize their ideals,
and if this is true the lover of the
bizarre in art could be pardoned Tor
hailing a renaissance of the Shinto
faith which is said to be taking place
among the Children Of the Sum-
/ y
The Chandos club will meet Thursday
afternoon with Mrs. D. ]. Hathaway,
S21 Western avenue, instead of with
Mrs. Elmore, as formerly announced
Mrs. c. E. Gault gave party this
afternoon in celebration of the birthday
anniversary f.her little daughter, Bar
bara. About twenty guests We're asked.
| Miss Virginia Meade and Miss Alice
Meade will entertain their Shakespeare
club tonight at their home on Western
avenue.
Pursuant to an agreement of the
State E,u.1oI CI1ffra aSS0ri2fion hOa rfl