International studio (43.1911)

Japanese Ornamental Basket IBork



: 11 4 t , o W • * W •* v •> w W *.»•** * *
■ <<<<.«<<•«»• • * • < • ‘ *• *> ‘>“>‘*■''“‘7,
' r«•«•<• <«•'» « •'< *: <<<•>» »»**•*,“
o «•<*««<»<« * k *..■»> *
’ <»<<<.<« r < « A*«« * ‘ ‘‘““7’,,
.„■<<< ,■*'* <■» «<««*:« <«■. '
"’■’I ••..».«<<< r ■««■«■ « • <<■*><» < • * *"'7. i-rf
.. '
' ’ • < ... . . ....... , . . . . ...

FIG. 3.—CHARCOAL BASKET

monotony compared with Oriental and native work,
though this need not necessarily be the case, and
wherever conditions permit, as with native peoples,
it can assume forms of beauty. But it is the
Chinese and Japanese, both so liberally endowed
with the artistic spirit, who have carried the art to
a pitch of excellence on a level with the finest pro-
ductions of any art or of any period.
An examination of the examples here repro-


fig. 4.—
FLOWER BASKET
this simple primitive
craft. Prof. Jiro Har-
ada, whose name is
familiar to readers of
this magazine as the
author of recent articles
on the Art of Japan,

duced will convey better
than can any words an
idea of the power of
design which the Japan-
ese so freely infuse into


fig. 5.—
FLOWER BASKET

has kindly supplied the following very interesting
particulars of the baskets in use in that country : —
'“Europeans who have travelled in Japan—even
though their observation in that country may
have been made, as is so often the case, at the
rate of 30 miles an hour—must have been attracted

FIG. 6.—FLOWER BASKET


by the daintiness of the bamboo baskets in which
fruit is sold to the passengers at some of the
railway stations. If a lengthened stay in the
country has afforded them opportunities of seeing
the life of the people, they could scarcely help
noticing the very important part that bamboo
baskets play in general usefulness as well as in
decoration. A closer examination of the articles
will enable them to discern the peculiar quality of
artistic merit that some of them possess, while a still
closer study will convince them that in the design and
workmanship of these baskets, the artistic skill and
temperament of the people have found expression.
“ Take, for instance, the sumitori-kago, used to
hold charcoal for the braziers which have always
been the principal means of warming the rooms of
the Japanese houses. Although adopted for such
a humble use, they present a .wealth of shapes and
an extraordinary delicacy of finish, while certain
examples will be found to possess unusual beauty.
Even among the salt baskets nailed to the kitchen
wall, beautiful workmanship can be found.

44