BackNo.88
APRIL 1939
ON KE WITH JADE-BLADES EXCAVATED IN ANYANG
BY SUEJI UMEHARA
Various kinds of relics excavated in Anyang, China, have given many important materials for study in Chinese archaeology, and the writer of this article has often published his studies on them. In the present article the writer discusses some of the special halberds called Ke with jade-blades excavated there.
Many of these old Ke are now owned by Mr. Winthrop in New York and the writer takes up here four pieces from them, which are shown in PL. V, both right and left in PL. VI, and in the illustration on page four. The diagrams on page three are also about them except the one in PL. V.
The Ke consists of, as seen in the pictures, so-called Yuan part of polished jade and Ku and Jou parts of bronze inlaid with green-stone along raised-lines of animal-pattern. And the Yuan part is connected to the Ku and Jou parts. It is obviously precious, ceremonial article and the artistic technique with which it is made is very fine. It is not sure, however, whether all the examples given here had originally the present form in its exact sense or not; especially the way of inlaying green-stone and of connecting Yuan with Jou seems as if some change had hen done. But the Ke in PL. V keeps the original style perfectly, and we might regard it as a standard to consider similar works.
The shape of Yuan part is dagger-shaped with variations; that of Jou is classified into two classes: one is square with the t'ao-t'ieh pattern on it and the other is more irregular corresponding the k'uei-lung Pattern on it; and on the Ku part, we generally find t'ao-tieht patterns. Mostly these t'ao-t'ieh patterns on Ku are independently put on both sides, but in this one illustrated on page four each side shows one half of a t'aot'ieh face which joints together.
The construction of the Ke with jade-blade is rolughly mentioned above. As for the age they were made, there are no positive proofs to assert them definitely as the relics of the Yin Dynasty. But we have some reasons here which guide us to arrive at a similar conclusion: first, in Mr. Lo Chen-yu's collection of relics excavated in the site of Yin capital we find an old fragment with K'uei-lung pattern inlaid with green-stone, and its construction and technique are exactly the same with those of Ke here presented; and secondhy, we find many differences in form and technique between these Ke and the find at Chin-ts'un in Honan, of the fifth to second century B.C., which certainly look later in comparison.
Judging from the fact that these Ke have jade-blades, they were perhaps made thoroughly as treasured articles apart from actual use and they might be considered as interesting examples how bronze weapons were imitated in jade for ceremonial purpose by those stone-loving people of ancient China.
Together with these Ke with jade-blades some Ke atnd halberds, made of bronze, which had surely been practical weapons, were found in the site of Anyang. Besides, there were found some others which, though they have the same shape, are supposed to have been made simply for burial purpose. Seeing these weapons of the same style made in various materials and for various purposes, we can easily imagine the many-sided grandeur of the ancient Yin civilization. The writer gives a diagram of a halberd with jade-blade on page tive as an example of jade-halberds excavated in the same district. From their technique these halberds and Ke seem to have belonged to the same class but the writer does not refer to them here in detail.
SEIKI KURODA AND THE JAPAN-CHINA WAR
BY KENJIRO KUMAMOTO
Most of Kuroda's sketch-books, almost all of which have been bequested to the Institute by the family of this great Japanese oil-painter, were once published in the Bijutsu Kenkyu No. 3, and specially a few of them which contain shetches df the "Mukashigatari or Reminiscence," his masterpiece, were given in No. 24 with an article on it.
Among the sketch-books the four volumes dated from December, 1894 to February, 1895 were used while the painter was at the front as a pictorial correspondent in the Japan-China War. Some of the sketches were used as illustrations in newspapers and magazines at the time and some others were made into woodcuts. In the present article the author introduces these sketches concerning the war, with special reference to his diary, to give us a clear information of the important period in his life and of his country.
Kuroda returned to Japan in July, 1893, in his twenty-eighth year, after ten years' stay in France. A year later, in August, 1894, the war broke out between Japan and China and he went to Hiroshima in November to offer his service as a correspondent of the French paper, Le Monde Illustre. The upper illustration of PL. VII describes the scene of captives arriving at Tokyo Station in October, and PL. VIII and PL. IX are glimpses of Hiroshima, a town where the General Statf was situated in the war-time.
At the end of November he sailed for the continent and, as soon as he landed at Dairen at the beginning of December, he started directly for Chinchow where there was the Military headquarters of the second army at that time, and there he met Hosui Yamamoto and Chu Asai, two famous painters who had been there for some time already as pictorial correspondents. With Yamamoto he worked together ever since. He stayed at Chinchow over the year and often visited the old battlefields thereabout. Among his works at the time there is a sketch of their common bed-room-a pen-drawing-and, interesting to know, the same subject was treated by Asai. Among the works might he mentioned sketches of the burial of the Chinese dead, graves of the Japanese dead, the Military headquarters, market scenes of the town, portraits etc.
After nearly two months'stay at Chinchow, he started for Weihaiwei on the eighteenth of January, 1895, following the army. The lower right and the upper and lower left ot PL. X are some of the sketches drawn since he landed at Eijo with the army: especially the latter one is well-sketched and it shows a skilful touch and a masterful command of the pencil.
He was observing the general attack of Weihaiwei till the beginning of February and described the scenes in his diary as well as in sketches which were put in newspapers afterwards. After the fall of Weihaiwei, however, he had to start for Japan because he was appointed as one of the jury of the Industrial Exhibition at Kyoto, and so his works at the front were ended.
In this rather short period at the front he produced not only many sketches but some accomplished works, toiling hard in spite of the severe cold and inconvenient life. This trip of his following the army was an important event in his life and had an influence on his art as well.
THE HONCHO-GA-SAN (ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHIES OF JAPANESE PAINTERS) NEWLY COMPILED AND REPRINTED FROM VARIOUS EDITIONS. (PART III)
The third part of the reproduction of the Honcho-Ga-San was originally compiled by Tani Buncho; the six volumes shown here are halt the original size. (Cf. the article by Kisaku Tanaka, The Bijutsu Kenkyu, No. LXXXVI)
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES
Pls. I (Colour) and II "Portrait of a Lady."
Colour on paper. Kakemono.
Height: 54 cm.; width: 38.6 cm.
Collection of Mr. Kinya Nagao, Tokyo.
Though quite many portraits of samurai were produced both in the Muromachi and the Momoyama periods, those of ladies were rather few. The present example is one of the few and is now for the first time introduced to the public. We are, however, a little disappointed to find the picture somewhat different from the original: the inscriptions on it were erased and the upper and lower parts of it were cut off. Therefore we can not recognize who she is, yet, judging from the gracefulness of her figure and costume which immediately attract our attention, she must have belonged to the distinguished class of the time.
The description of her features was done with special care. The whole atmosphere which the portrait gives us is dignified. And the gorgeous colours of the garments are well preserved.
The style of painting and the type of the garments tell us that the present piece was surely painted in the Momoyama period. It is one of the best female portraits of the time.
Pl. III "Amitabha Appearing with Twenty-five Bodhisattvas."
Colour on silk. Kakemonos.
Height: (each) 128.5 cm.; width: (each) 62.2 cm.
Collection of Jofukuji Temple, Kyoto.
The "Amida Raiko," the buddhistic subject which represents Amida coming down with follower-Bodhisattvas, has made special progress since the Fujiwara period, keeping up with the wide diffusion of the Jodo doctrine of Buddhism.
In point of composition, we can devide these numerous series of the "Raiko" paintings into two groups: one group shows a circle of heavenly beings coming down from the above to an earnest worshipper who is generally painted in the right-hand coener of the picture: and in a painting belonging to the other group, the worshipper is not painted in the picture but only the circle of deities on clouds descending to us spectators. The present picture belongs to the latter group. It was origirnally a triptych, of which the lateral pieces are preserved and the central one with Amida trinity who are the leaders of other deities was lost. So the original composition of the triptych must have been much like that of the famous "Raiko" of Koyasan, but the date of production is not so old. The Buddhistic beings in various poses on white clouds with colourful landscape seen through give dynamic effect and elegance to the picture. The painting itself is very carefully done, technically speaking, and the delicate designs in gold-leaf are used in abundance. Considering these points, the present piece may be attributed to the middle of the Kamakura period.
Pl. IV "Waterfall," by Motonobu (1476/7-1529) (Attributed).
Slight colour on paper. Kakemono.
Height: 45.5 cm.; width: 87.1 cm.
Collection of Mrs. Sueko Hara, Yokohama.
There are many works attributed to Motonobu, but almost all of them, with few exceptions, are still undecided among scholars. Among these rare exceptions the screen-paintings which were originally in Daisenyin Monastery in Daitokuji Temple and those of Reiunyin Monastery in Myoshinji Temple are especially well known and, judging from the date of their production, they are rightly considered at least from Motonobu's lifetime. Yet as they show many different styles, we can not consider them to have been all painted by one hand. Studying these works in detail, the series of "Founders of Zen-sect" in Daisenyin Monastery, "The Four Artistic Accomplishments," and "Wild-Geese in Landscape" both in Reiunyin Monastery-these three series of works may be safely attributed to Motonobu.
In the "Waterfall" here illustrated it is apparent that the rapid stream dashing against huge rocks can not be painted by mediocre hand and, moreover, the style of painting is very similar to that of above mentioned pictures. So we might possively conclude that it is a Motonobu.
Pls. V & VI (i) (ii) "Ke" with Jade-Blades Excavated in Anyang, China.
Bronze and jade.
Length: (i) 21.2 cm.; (ii) 24.2 cm.
Collection of Mr. G. L. Winthrop, New York City.
(See the article by Sueji Umehara.)
PI. VII (i) "Chinese War-Prisoners at Tokyo Station," by Seiki Kuroda (1866-1924).
Drawing. Height: 15 cm.; width: 22.5 cm.
Collection of Mr. Koichi Goda, Tokyo.
(See the article by Kenjiro Kumamoto.)
(ii) "The Chinchow Castle after the Capture," by the same artist.
Print.
Height: 15cm.; width: 22cm.
Collection of Institute of Art Research, Tokyo.
(See the article by K. Kumamoto.)
Pls. VIII - X Sketches in the time of the Japan-China War, by the same artist.
Collection of Institute of Art Research. Tokyo.
(See the article by K. Kumamoto.)