DOI issue:
No. 216 (March, 1911)
DOI article:Harada, Jirō: Japanese art and artists of to-day, [5]: Metal work
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20972#0118
Japanese Art and Artists of To-Day.—V. Metal-Work
guest being an aggressive sort of man who Japanese metal-work is not of the highest for
paid but little respect to old traditions, it will some reason or other. This, I am satisfied,
be sufficient to show the high degree of rever- is not due to a low standard of workmanship,
ence paid to this weapon. It was but natural Upon careful study of similar work in the
that an object of this character should develop West, I am quite convinced that in this par-
an art imbued with the highest of ideals. An ticular branch of art we Japanese have many
examination, with this in view, of the work- points in our favour. The skill and expert
manship on the tsuba (sword hilt) will reveal knowledge attained by some of our present
the high artistic attainment and creative genius artists in metal are the results of infinite
of these artists in metal; and even modern patience and the widely varied experience of
productions, in which the ancient art has been centuries.
applied, will be found to possess high qualities " Japanese metal-work made remarkable pro-
of workmanship. Most of our eminent artists gress during the period when swords, bows and
in metal belong to families that have been arrows were the weapons chiefly used in Japan,
engaged for generations past in work connected Sword hilts and sword guards especially were
with weapons or armour. richly ornamented with metal-work engraved
We give below an interesting account of and damascened with gold. Some of the finest
this art from the lips of Professor Unno Yoshi- examples are to be found among the works of
mori (Bisei), of the Tokyo School of Fine Art, the middle Ashikaga regime (1338-1573), a
whose own work we shall deal with later:— climax being reached in the Toyotomi (1583—
" European appreciation of present-day 1603), and also in the Tokugawa (1630-1867)
PAIR OF INLAID SILVER VASES BY UNNO SHOMIN
96
guest being an aggressive sort of man who Japanese metal-work is not of the highest for
paid but little respect to old traditions, it will some reason or other. This, I am satisfied,
be sufficient to show the high degree of rever- is not due to a low standard of workmanship,
ence paid to this weapon. It was but natural Upon careful study of similar work in the
that an object of this character should develop West, I am quite convinced that in this par-
an art imbued with the highest of ideals. An ticular branch of art we Japanese have many
examination, with this in view, of the work- points in our favour. The skill and expert
manship on the tsuba (sword hilt) will reveal knowledge attained by some of our present
the high artistic attainment and creative genius artists in metal are the results of infinite
of these artists in metal; and even modern patience and the widely varied experience of
productions, in which the ancient art has been centuries.
applied, will be found to possess high qualities " Japanese metal-work made remarkable pro-
of workmanship. Most of our eminent artists gress during the period when swords, bows and
in metal belong to families that have been arrows were the weapons chiefly used in Japan,
engaged for generations past in work connected Sword hilts and sword guards especially were
with weapons or armour. richly ornamented with metal-work engraved
We give below an interesting account of and damascened with gold. Some of the finest
this art from the lips of Professor Unno Yoshi- examples are to be found among the works of
mori (Bisei), of the Tokyo School of Fine Art, the middle Ashikaga regime (1338-1573), a
whose own work we shall deal with later:— climax being reached in the Toyotomi (1583—
" European appreciation of present-day 1603), and also in the Tokugawa (1630-1867)
PAIR OF INLAID SILVER VASES BY UNNO SHOMIN
96