DOI issue:
No. 200 (November, 200)
DOI article:Taki, Seiichi: The application of nature subjects to designing in japanese art
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20968#0154
Nature Subjects in Japanese Design
borrowed its conception from the
Ashide-ye. Among the host of
ancient masterpieces in lacquer,
few can rival this in grace and
suggestiveness. Tradition erron-
eously alleges this production to
have been brought from China by
the priest K5ho-Daishi. But on
the face of it this is not a Chinese
work; both in the mode of lac-
quering and in conception it is
wholly Japanese. By consensus
of opinion, this remarkable piece
of work is now accepted as a
Japanese product, of between the
eleventh and the twelfth centuries.
Coming down the later ages,
we find Koetsu, who may be called
the first who adopted Japanese
designs in the industrial arts, had
unusual talent in executing scenic
designs. He turned out a host of
,, , . masterpieces both in lacquer and
" midare-bako or tray (inside) by kenzan ogata f _ _^
keramics, but his choice works
extant are mostly lacquer. Among
the Ashide-ye thus developed has been bequeathed these, the one most reputed is the writing case
to the present generation, which still appreciates with Sano-no-Funahashi design (p. 130). It is
it with unabated interest. The Ashide-ye is not, a kind of Ashide-ye, the whole conception being
of course, the only industrial designing of native based on the famous poem of antiquity on the
origin ; there may be several others,
but none has asserted its influence
on other kinds of design so power- • «■■•_ ^"'*■' *.'">[
fully as the Ashide-ye, because of
its wide and enduring prevalence
as designing of an exceptionally
unique character. In other words,
even those designs which are
devoid of calligraphic ornamenta-
tion have been made to give an
effect similar to that produced by
the Ashide-ye. The lacquered
Karabitsu chest (p. 129), in the
collection of the Kongobu-ji temple
on Mount Koya, is a capital illus-
tration of this. The design thereon
consists of aquatic plants (partly
bathed in mist), flying birds, and
rocks, and is intended to present
a river-side scene. This design
may not be properly called Ashide-
ye, because calligraphic elements
are wanting in it, but neverthe-
less the way the plants and stones
are distributed shows that it outside of "midare-bako" or tray by kenzan ogata
132
borrowed its conception from the
Ashide-ye. Among the host of
ancient masterpieces in lacquer,
few can rival this in grace and
suggestiveness. Tradition erron-
eously alleges this production to
have been brought from China by
the priest K5ho-Daishi. But on
the face of it this is not a Chinese
work; both in the mode of lac-
quering and in conception it is
wholly Japanese. By consensus
of opinion, this remarkable piece
of work is now accepted as a
Japanese product, of between the
eleventh and the twelfth centuries.
Coming down the later ages,
we find Koetsu, who may be called
the first who adopted Japanese
designs in the industrial arts, had
unusual talent in executing scenic
designs. He turned out a host of
,, , . masterpieces both in lacquer and
" midare-bako or tray (inside) by kenzan ogata f _ _^
keramics, but his choice works
extant are mostly lacquer. Among
the Ashide-ye thus developed has been bequeathed these, the one most reputed is the writing case
to the present generation, which still appreciates with Sano-no-Funahashi design (p. 130). It is
it with unabated interest. The Ashide-ye is not, a kind of Ashide-ye, the whole conception being
of course, the only industrial designing of native based on the famous poem of antiquity on the
origin ; there may be several others,
but none has asserted its influence
on other kinds of design so power- • «■■•_ ^"'*■' *.'">[
fully as the Ashide-ye, because of
its wide and enduring prevalence
as designing of an exceptionally
unique character. In other words,
even those designs which are
devoid of calligraphic ornamenta-
tion have been made to give an
effect similar to that produced by
the Ashide-ye. The lacquered
Karabitsu chest (p. 129), in the
collection of the Kongobu-ji temple
on Mount Koya, is a capital illus-
tration of this. The design thereon
consists of aquatic plants (partly
bathed in mist), flying birds, and
rocks, and is intended to present
a river-side scene. This design
may not be properly called Ashide-
ye, because calligraphic elements
are wanting in it, but neverthe-
less the way the plants and stones
are distributed shows that it outside of "midare-bako" or tray by kenzan ogata
132