Chapter II: Preface

For assistance of many kinds in preparing this book the thanks of the author are gratefully offered to Mr. Frederick William Gookin, Mr. Howard Mansfield, Mr. William S. Spaulding, Mr. John T. Spaulding, Mr. Judson D. Metzgar, Mr. Charles H. Chandler, Mr. John Stewart Happer, Col. Henry Appleton, Mrs. Arthur Aldis, Mr. Ernest Oberholtzer, and Mr. Charles August Ficke. Though many obligations must perforce go unacknowledged, it would be improper to fail to state indebtedness to the writings of Von Seidlitz, Bing, Huish, Anderson, Strange, Binyon, Gookin, Kurth, Morrison, Happer, Koechlin, Vignier, Succo, Field, De Goncourt, Okakura, Edmunds, Perzynski, Wright, Fenollosa, and De Becker.

Many collectors have kindly allowed their prints to be used for illustration in this book. That all the examples are from American collections is due to considerations of convenience, not to any notion of their superiority. All prints not credited to another owner are from the collection of the author. The other collections from which illustrations are drawn are as follows:--

Spaulding (William S. and John T.), Boston, Massachusetts.

Gookin (Frederick W.), Chicago, Illinois.

Mansfield (Howard), New York.

Chandler (Charles H.), Evanston, Illinois.

Metzgar (Judson D.), Moline, Illinois.

Ainsworth (Miss Mary), Moline, Illinois.

Four of the poems herein printed appeared first in _The Little Review_. A number of the others are from the author's book "Twelve Japanese Painters." Most of the photographs here reproduced were prepared by Mr. J. H. Paarman, Miss Sarah G. Foote-Sheldon, and Mr. J. D. Metzgar.

DAVENPORT, IOWA, U.S.A.

CONTENTS

PAGE
PREFACE 11

GLOSSARY 19

CHAPTER
I. PRELIMINARY SURVEY 23

II. CONDITIONS PRECEDING THE RISE OF PRINT DESIGNING 47

III. THE FIRST PERIOD: THE PRIMITIVES 61

IV. THE SECOND PERIOD: THE EARLY POLYCHROME MASTERS 125

V. THE THIRD PERIOD: KIYONAGA AND HIS FOLLOWERS 205

VI. THE FOURTH PERIOD: THE DECADENCE 255

VII. THE FIFTH PERIOD: THE DOWNFALL 347

VIII. THE COLLECTOR 401

INDEX 449

ILLUSTRATIONS

HIROSHIGE: THE BOW-MOON _Frontispiece_

PLATE PAGE 1. MORONOBU: A PAIR OF LOVERS 71

2. SUKENOBU: A YOUNG COURTESAN 77

3. KWAIGETSUDŌ: COURTESAN ARRANGING HER COIFFURE
(_Spaulding Collection_) 81

4. OKUMURA MASANOBU: COURTESANS AT TOILET 93

5. OKUMURA MASANOBU: STANDING WOMAN 97

6. OKUMURA MASANOBU: YOUNG NOBLEMAN PLAYING THE DRUM
(_Chandler Collection_) 101

7. TOYONOBU: TWO KOMUSO, REPRESENTED BY THE ACTORS SANOKAWA
ICHIMATSU AND ONOYE KIKUGORO (_Chandler Collection_) 109

8. TOYONOBU: GIRL OPENING AN UMBRELLA (_Metzgar Collection_) 113

TOYONOBU: WOMAN DRESSING 113

9. KIYOMITSU: THE ACTOR SEGAWA KIKUNOJO AS A WOMAN SMOKING 117

10. KIYOMITSU: WOMAN WITH BASKET HAT 121

KIYOMITSU: WOMAN COMING FROM BATH 121

11. HARUNOBU: YOUNG GIRL IN WIND (_Gookin Collection_) 137

12. HARUNOBU: LADY TALKING WITH FAN-VENDOR (_Chandler Collection_) 141

13. HARUNOBU: GIRL VIEWING MOON AND BLOSSOMS
(_Chandler Collection_) 145

14. HARUNOBU: COURTESAN DETAINING A PASSING SAMURAI 149

15. HARUNOBU: SHIRAI GOMPACHI DISGUISED AS A KOMUSO 153

HARUNOBU: GIRL PLAYING WITH KITTEN 153

16. KORIUSAI: MOTHER AND BOY 161

KORIUSAI: TWO LOVERS IN THE FIELDS; SPRING CUCKOO 161

17. KORIUSAI: TWO LADIES 165

KORIUSAI: A GAME OF TAG 165

18. SHIGEMASA: TWO LADIES 169

KORIUSAI: A COURTESAN 169

19. SHUNSHO: AN ACTOR OF THE ISHIKAWA SCHOOL IN TRAGIC RÔLE 175

20. SHUNSHO: THE ACTOR NAKAMURA MATSUYE AS A WOMAN IN WHITE 179

21. SHUNSHO: THE ACTOR NAKAMURA NOSHIO IN FEMALE RÔLE
(_Gookin Collection_) 183

22. BUNCHO: COURTESAN AND HER ATTENDANT IN SNOWSTORM
(_Mansfield Collection_) 187

23. SHUNYEI: AN ACTOR 191

24. SHUNKO: THE ACTOR ISHIKAWA MONNOSUKE IN CHARACTER 195

25. KIYONAGA: THE COURTESAN HANA-ŌJI WITH ATTENDANTS 211

26. KIYONAGA: LADY WITH TWO ATTENDANTS (_Gookin Collection_) 215

27. KIYONAGA: THE COURTESAN SHIZUKA WITH ATTENDANTS IN THE
PEONY GARDEN AT ASAKUSA 219

28. KIYONAGA: TWO WOMEN AND A TEA-HOUSE WAITRESS BESIDE THE
SUMIDA RIVER (_Gookin Collection_) 223

29. KIYONAGA: YOSHITSUNE SERENADING THE LADY JORURIHIME
(_Spaulding Collection_) 227

30. KIYONAGA: GEISHA WITH SERVANT CARRYING LUTE-BOX 231

KIYONAGA: WOMAN PAINTING HER EYEBROWS 231

31. SHUNCHO: GROUP AT A TEMPLE GATE (_Mansfield Collection_) 235

32. SHUNCHO: TWO LADIES UNDER UMBRELLA 239

SHUNCHO: THE COURTESAN HANA-ŌJI; THE SUMIDA RIVER SEEN
THROUGH THE WINDOW 239

33. SHUNCHO: TWO LADIES IN A BOAT ON THE SUMIDA RIVER 243

YEISHO: TWO COURTESANS AFTER THE BATH 243

34. KITAO MASANOBU: THE CUCKOO (_Spaulding Collection_) 251

35. YEISHI: THREE LADIES BY THE SEASHORE 267

36. YEISHI: LADY WITH TOBACCO-PIPE 271

37. YEISHI: INTERIOR OPENING ON TO THE SEASHORE
(_Metzgar Collection_) 275

38. UTAMARO: OKITA OF NANIWAYA, A TEA-HOUSE WAITRESS
(_Chandler Collection_) 283

39. UTAMARO: TWO COURTESANS 287

40. UTAMARO: WOMAN SEATED ON A VERANDA 291

41. UTAMARO: A YOUTHFUL PRINCE AND LADIES 295

42. SHARAKU: THE ACTOR ARASHI RYUZŌ IN THE RÔLE OF ONE
OF THE FORTY-SEVEN RONIN (_Spaulding Collection_) 301

43. SHARAKU: THE ACTOR ISHIKAWA DANJURO IN THE RÔLE OF MORONAO 309

44. SHARAKU: THE ACTOR KOSAGAWA TSUNEYO AS A WOMAN IN
THE DRAMA OF THE FORTY-SEVEN RONIN (_Ainsworth Collection_) 313

45. CHOKI: COURTESAN AND ATTENDANT 321

SHUNMAN: TWO LADIES UNDER A MAPLE-TREE 321

46. CHOKI: A COURTESAN AND HER LOVER 325

CHOKI: A GEISHA AND HER SERVANT CARRYING LUTE-BOX 325

47. TOYOKUNI: LADIES AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN THE WIND
(_Metzgar Collection_) 333

48. TOYOHIRO: A DAIMYO'S KITE-PARTY 341

49. HOKUSAI: FUJI, SEEN ACROSS THE TAMA RIVER, PROVINCE OF MUSASHI 361

50. HOKUSAI: FUJI, SEEN FROM THE PASS OF MISHIMA, PROVINCE OF KAHI 367

51. HOKUSAI: THE MONKEY BRIDGE; TWILIGHT AND RISING MOON 371

52. HIROSHIGE: HOMING GEESE AT KATADA; TWILIGHT 377

53. HIROSHIGE: THE SEVEN RI FERRY, KUWANA, AT THE MOUTH
OF THE KISO RIVER; SUNSET 383

54. HIROSHIGE: THE VILLAGE OF THE FUJI KAWA; EVENING SNOW 387

55. HIROSHIGE: THE OMMAYA EMBANKMENT, ON THE SUMIDA RIVER
AT ASAKUSA; EVENING 391

56. HIROSHIGE: BIRD AND FLOWERS 395

GLOSSARY

BENI.--A delicate pink or red pigment of vegetable origin.

BENI-YE.--A print in which _beni_ is the chief colour used. The term
is generally employed to describe all those two-colour prints which
immediately preceded the invention of polychrome printing.

CHUBAN.--A vertical print, size about 11 × 8, sometimes called the
"medium size" sheet.

DIPTYCH.--A composition consisting of two sheets.

GAUFFRAGE.--Printing by pressure alone, without the use of a
pigment, producing an embossed effect on the paper.

HASHIRA-YE.--A very tall narrow print, size about 28 × 5, used to
hang on the wooden pillars of a Japanese house; a pillar-print.

HASHIRAKAKE.--See _hashira-ye_.

HOSO-YE.--A small vertical print, size about 12 × 6.

KAKEMONO.--A painting mounted on a margin of brocade; hung by its
top when in use, and rolled up when not in use.

KAKEMONO-YE.--A very tall wide print, size about 28 × 10.

KEY-BLOCK.--The engraved wooden plate from which the black outlines
of the print were produced.

KIRA-YE.--A print with mica background.

KOBAN.--A vertical print slightly smaller than the _Chuban_ (q.v.).

KURENAI-YE.--A hand-coloured print in which _beni_ is chiefly used.

MON.--The heraldic insignia used by actors and others as
coat-of-arms; generally worn on their sleeves.

NAGAYE.--See _hashira-ye_.

NISHIKI-YE.--Brocade picture--a term used at first to describe the
brilliant colour-inventions of Harunobu, but now loosely applied to
all polychrome prints.

OBAN.--A large vertical print, about 15 × 10--the normal full-size
upright sheet.

OTSU-YE.--A rough broadsheet painting, of small size, on paper; the
precursor of the print.

PENTAPTYCH.--A composition consisting of five sheets.

PILLAR-PRINT.--See _hashira-ye_.

SUMI.--Black Chinese ink.

SUMI-YE.--A print in black and white only.

SURIMONO.--A print, generally of small size and on thick soft paper,
intended as a festival greeting or memento of some social occasion.

TAN.--A brick-red or orange colour, consisting of red oxide of lead.

TAN-YE.--A print in which _tan_ is the only or chief colour used.
Such prints, in which the _tan_ was applied by hand, were among the
earliest productions.

TRIPTYCH.--A composition consisting of three sheets.

UCHIWA-YE.--A print in the shape of a fan.

URUSHI.--Lacquer.

URUSHI-YE.--A print in which lacquer is used to heighten the colour.
The term is generally employed to describe only the early
hand-coloured prints in which lacquer, colours, and metallic dust
were applied to the printed black outline.

YOKOYE.--A large horizontal print, about 10 × 15--the normal
full-size landscape sheet.

I

PRELIMINARY SURVEY

THE GENERAL NATURE OF JAPANESE PRINTS

GROWTH OF INTEREST IN THEM

THE TECHNIQUE OF THEIR PRODUCTION

THEIR ÆSTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS

Bring forth, my friend, these faded sheets
Whose charm our laboured utterance flies.
Perhaps our later search repeats
The groping of those scholars' eyes

Who, ere the dawned Renaissant day,
With duskèd sight and doubtful hand,
Bent o'er the pages of some grey
Greek text they could not understand;

Drawn by the sense that there concealed
Lay key to spacious realms unknown;
Held by the need that be revealed
Forgotten worlds to light their own.