Studio: international art (60.1914)

Studio-Talk

in spear and horsemanship at Hiroshima. At the
time of the Restoration, 1868, he threw aside his
paint-brush to serve his lord, but soon resumed
painting and kept it up to the end of his long life.
His gago (nom de plume) was Tokuga, but he only
used it on very rare occasions.

Prince Takehito Arisugawa, who passed away
recently, was a great patron of art, and as honorary
president of the Japan Art Association, he did
much towards its encouragement. For the famous
swordsmith, Sakurai Masaji, he built a forge
in the compound of his villa at Maiko, where
he spent the last years of his life. It was
customary for the prince to present the best swords
forged during each year to the Emperor and the

Crown Prince, and the master swordsmith always
marvelled at the prince’s excellent judgment in select-
ing the swords. An interesting incident brought
the swordsmith to the prince’s attention. It is said
that one day when Princess Arisugawa visited his
workshop in Tokyo, the swordsmith was far from
being pleased, and rebuked the distinguished visitor,
of course without knowing who she was, saying that
ladies had no business to be at his place of work.
Such behaviour was readily understood by the
prince, who knew that master swordsmiths re-
garded their workshops as sacred, inasmuch as the
“spirit of Samurai” is forged and the presence of a
woman was considered sacrilege to the god Inari,
who is believed to help the forging with a mysterious
hammer. It was this incident, it is said, that led
the prince to take an interest in him. H. J.

“monkeys at play” by kondo suisen
(Nihon Gakai.—Bought by the Empress of Japan)

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1 LANDSCAPE

BY MAKINO EISHO

(Nihon Gakai)