,,japan ,,other ,,beautiful ,,books ,,on ,,japan ,,each ,,containing ,,full-,,page ,,illustrations ,,in ,,colour 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ancient ,,tales ,,and ,,folk-,,lore ,,of ,,japan ,,by ,r4 ,,gordon ,,smith1 ,f4,r4,g4,s4 #eg ,,illustrations ,,by ,,japanese ,,artists 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,flowers ,,and ,,gardens ,,of ,,japan ,,described ,,by ,,florence ,,du ,,cane #ej ,,illustrations ,,by ,,ella ,,du ,,cane 99 99 99 99 99 ,,japan ,in the ,peeps at ,many ,lands and ,cities ,series ,,by ,,john ,,finnemore #ab ,,illustrations ,,in ,,colour 99 99 99 99 99 ,,peeps ,,at ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,japan ,,by ,,john ,,finnemore #h ,,illustrations ,,in ,,colour ,,and ,,numerous ,,line ,,drawings ,,in ,,the ,,text ,,published ,,by ,,adam ,,charles ,,black1 #d1 #e ,,and #f ,,soho ,,square1 ,,london1 ,w4 ,illustration3 ,,miss ,,pomegranate ,,japan ,a ,,record ,,in ,,colour ,,by ,,mortimer ,,menpes ,,transcribed ,,by ,,dorothy ,,menpes ,,published ,,by ,,adam ,,charles ,,black ,,soho ,,square ,,london ,w4 ,published ,december #aija ,reprinted ,may #aijb1 ,january #aijc1 ,january #aijd ,january #aije ,,to ,,my ,,friend ,,the ,,lady ,,edward ,,cecil ,,to ,,whose ,,enthusiastic ,,sympathy ,,my ,,work ,,in ,,japan ,,owes ,,so ,,much ,,of ,,the ,,success ,,it ,,has ,,attained ,note ,in this book ,i endeavour to present1 with whatever skill of penmanship ,i may possess1 my father's impressions of ,japan4 ,i trust that they will not lose in force and vigour in that they are closely intermingled with my own impressions1 which were none the less vivid because they were those of a child1--for it was as a child1 keenly interested in and enjoying all ,i saw1 that ,i passed1 four or five years ago1 through that lovely flower-land of the ,far ,east1 which my father has here so charmingly memorialised in colour4 ,,dorothy ,,menpes ,november #aija4 ,contents ,,chapter ,i ,,page ,,art ,,and ,,the ,,drama #a ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,living ,,art #bi ,,chapter ,,iii ,,painters ,,and ,,their ,,methods #di ,,chapter ,,iv ,,placing #ge ,,chapter ,v ,,art ,,in ,,practical ,,life #ia ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,gardens #aje ,,chapter ,,vii ,,flower ,,arrangement #aac ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,geisha #abc ,,chapter ,,ix ,,children #ace ,,chapter ,x ,,workers #aea ,,chapter ,,xi ,,characteristics #aii ,list of ,illustrations #a4 ,miss ,pomegranate ,frontispiece ,,facing ,,page #b4 ,an ,actor #b #c4 ,watching the ,play #d #d4 ,the ,bill of the ,play #f #e4 ,a ,garden #h #f4 ,the ,road to the ,temple #aj #g4 ,the ,street with the ,gallery #ab #h4 ,sun and ,lanterns #ad #i4 ,summer ,afternoon #af #aj4 ,apricot-,blossom ,street #ah #aa4 ,outside ,kioto #bj #ab4 ,a ,blond ,day #bb #ac4 ,a ,blind ,beggar #bd #ad4 ,the ,giant ,lantern #bf #ae4 ,sun and ,lanterns #cb #af4 ,the ,scarlet ,umbrella #cf #ag4 ,leading to the ,temple #ch #ah4 ,by the ,light of the ,lanterns #dj #ai4 ,news #db #bj4 ,a ,sunny ,temple #dd #ba4 ,on the ,great ,canal1 ,osaka #df #bb4 ,after the ,festival #eb #bc4 ,the ,lemon ,bridge #ed #bd4 ,bearing a ,burden #eh #be4 ,the ,end of the ,day and the ,end of the ,festival #fj #bf4 ,in ,front of the ,stall #fb #bg4 ,the ,stall by the ,bridge #fd #bh4 ,archers #fh #bi4 ,reflections #gb #cj4 ,the ,red ,curtain #gh #ca4 ,flower of the ,tea #hj #cb4 ,a ,street in ,kioto #hb #cc4 ,heavy-laden #hd #cd4 ,peach-,blossom #hh #ce4 ,the ,tea-house of the ,slender ,tree #id #cf4 ,blossom of the ,glen #if #cg4 ,a ,family ,group #ajj #ch4 ,the ,venice of ,japan #ajb #ci4 ,an ,iris ,garden #ajh #dj4 ,a ,sunny ,garden #aaj #da4 ,iris ,garden #aab #db4 ,a ,wistaria ,garden #aaf #dc4 ,flower-placing #aah #dd4 ,wistaria #abj #de4 ,butterflies #abf #df4 ,daughters of the ,sun #abh #dg4 ,by the ,light of the ,lantern #acj #dh4 ,a ,street ,scene1 ,kioto #acb #di4 ,baby and ,baby #ach #ej4 ,a ,jap in ,plum-colour #adj #ea4 ,sugar-water ,stall #adb #eb4 ,advance ,japan #add #ec4 ,chums #adf #ed4 ,a ,sunny ,stroll #adh #ee4 ,the ,child and the ,umbrella #aej #ef4 ,a ,little ,jap #aed #eg4 ,a ,by-canal #aef #eh4 ,swinging along in the ,sun #aeh #ei4 ,a ,metal-worker #afj #fj4 ,bronze-workers #afb #fa4 ,in ,theatre ,street #afd #fb4 ,the ,carpenter #aff #fc4 ,making up ,accounts #afh #fd4 ,finishing ,touches #agj #fe4 ,a ,back ,canal1 ,osaka #agb #ff4 ,stencil-makers #agd #fg4 ,a ,sign-painter's #agh #fh4 ,a ,cloisonn ,worker #ahj #fi4 ,a ,toy-shop #ahb #gj4 ,a ,sweet-stuff ,stall #ahd #ga4 ,a ,canal in ,osaka #ahh #gb4 ,umbrellas and ,commerce #aij #gc4 ,playfellows #aid #gd4 ,youth and ,age #bjb #ge4 ,lookers-on #bjd ,,art ,,and ,,the ,,drama ,illustration3 ,,an ,,actor ,,chapter ,i ,,art ,,and ,,the ,,drama ,i always agree with that man who said1 ,let me make the nation's songs and ,i care not who frames her laws1 or words to that effect1 for1 in my opinion1 nothing so well indicates national character or so keenly accentuates the difference between individuals and nations as the way in which they spend their leisure hours2 and the theatres of ,japan are thoroughly typical of the people's character4 ,it would be utterly impossible for the ,japanese to keep art out of their lives4 ,it creeps into everything1 and is as the very air they breathe4 ,art with them is not only a conscious effort to achieve the beautiful1 but also an instinctive expression of inherited taste4 ,it beautifies their homes and pervades their gardens2 and perhaps one never realises this all-dominating power more fully than when in a ,japanese theatre1 which is1 invariably1 a veritable temple of art4 ,but here with us in the ,west it is different4 ,we have no art1 and our methods merely lead us to deception1 while we do not begin to understand those few great truths which form the basis of oriental philosophy1 and without which perfection in the dramatic art is impossible4 ,for example1 the philosophy of balance1 of which the ,japanese are past masters1 is to us unknown4 ,the fact that ,nature is commonplace1 thereby forming a background1 as it were1 for ,tragedy and the spirit of life to work1 has never occurred to us2 while the background of our ,western play is not by any means a plan created by a true artist upon which to display the dramatic picture as it is in ,japan1 but simply a background to advertise the stage-manager's imitative talent4 ,the result is1 of course1 that the acting and the environment are at variance instead of being in harmonic unity4 ,but we in the ,west have not time to think of vague things1 such as balance and breadth and the creating of pictures4 ,what we want is realism2 we want a sky to look like a real sky1 and the moon in it to look like a real moon1 even if it travels by clock-work1 as it has been known to do occasionally4 ,and so real is this clock-work moon that we are deceived into imagining that it is the moon1 the actual moon4 ,but the deception is not pleasant2 in fact1 it almost gives you indigestion to see a moon1 and such a moon1 careering over the whole sky in half an hour4 ,in ,japan they would not occupy themselves with making you believe that a moon on the stage was a real one--they would consider such false realism as a bit of gross degradation--but they would take the greatest possible pains as to the proper placing of that palpably pasteboard moon of theirs1 even if they had to hold it up in the sky by the aid of a broom-stick4 ,illustration3 ,,watching ,,the ,,play ,in ,japan the scenic work of a play is handled by one man alone1 and that man is the dramatic author1 who is almost invariably a great artist4 ,to him the stage is a huge canvas upon which he is to paint his picture1 and of which each actor forms a component part4 ,this picture of his has to be thought out in every detail2 he has to think of his figures in relation to his background1 just as a ,japanese architect when building a house or a temple takes into consideration the surrounding scenery1 and even the trees and the hills1 in order to form a complete picture1 perfect in balance and in form4 ,when a dramatic author places his drama upon the stage1 he arranges the colour and setting of it in obedience to his ideas of fitness1 which are partly intuitive and partly traditional4 ,it is probably necessary that his background should be a monotone1 or arranged in broad masses of colour1 in order to balance the brilliancy of the action1 and against which the moving figures are sharply defined4 ,and it is only in ,japan that you see such brilliant luminous effects on the stage1 for the ,japs alone seem to have the courage to handle very vivid colours in a masterly way--glorious sweeps of gold and of blue--vivid1 positive colour4 ,no low-toned plush curtains and what we call rich1 sombre colour1 with overdressed1 shifted-calved flunkeys1 stepping silently about on velvet carpets1 shod in list slippers1 and looking for all the world like a lot of burglars1 only needing a couple of dark lanterns to complete their stealthy appearance4 ,then1 there are no ,morris-papered anterooms and corridors in ,japan1 as we have here--sad bottlegreens and browns leading to a stage that is still sadder in colour--only a sadness lit up by a fierce glare of electric light4 ,the true artistic spirit is wanting in the ,west4 ,we are too timid to deal in masses for effect1 and we have such a craving for realism that we become simply technical imitators like the counterfeiters of banknotes4 ,our great and all-prevailing idea is to cram as much of what we call realism and detail into a scene as possible2 the richer the company1 and the more money they have to handle1 the more hopeless the work becomes1 for the degradation of it is still more forcibly emphasised4 ,consequently1 we always create spotty pictures2 in fact1 one rarely ever sees a well-balanced scene in a ,western theatre1 and simply because we do not realise the breadth and simplicity of ,nature4 ,there are not the violent contrasts in ,nature that our artists are so continually depicting3 ,nature plays well within her range1 and you seldom see her going to extremes4 ,in a sunlit garden the deepest shadow and the brightest light come very near together1 so broad and so subtle are her harmonies4 ,we do not realise this1 and we sacrifice breadth in the vain endeavour to gain what we propose to call strength--strength is sharp2 but breadth is quiet and full of reserve4 ,none understands this simple truth so well as the ,japanese4 ,it forms the very basis of oriental philosophy1 and through the true perception of it they have attained to those ideas of balance which are so eminent a characteristic of ,japanese art4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bill ,,of ,,the ,,play ,when you have balanced force you have reached perfection1 and this is of course the true criterion of dramatic art4 ,but here in the ,west we must be realistic1 and if a manager succeeds in producing upon the stage an exact representation of a room in ,belgrave ,square he is perfectly content1 and looks upon his work as a triumph4 ,there is to be no choice3 he does not choose his room from the decorative standpoint--such a thing would never occur to him for a moment--but simply grabs at this particular room that he happens to know in ,belgrave ,square1 nicknacks and all1 and plants it upon the stage4 ,his wife1 he imagines1 has a taste for dress1 and she dresses the people that are to sit about in this room1 probably playing a game of ,bridge1 just as you might see it played any day in ,belgrave ,square4 ,i remember once1 when a play of this nature was being acted at one of our leading theatres1 hearing a disgusted exclamation from a man at my side--,well6 if that's all1 he growled1 we might go and see a game of ,bridge played any night2 and it occurred to me as ,i heard him that the managers will suffer for this foolish realism1 the public will soon tire of it1 for they1 almost unconsciously1 want something altogether bigger and finer--let us hope they want art4 ,the ,japanese are not led away by this struggle to be realistic1 and this is one of the chief reasons why the stage of ,japan is so far ahead of our stage4 ,if a horse is introduced into a scene he will be by no means a real horse1 but a very wooden one1 with wooden joints1 just like a nursery rocking-horse2 yet this decorative animal will be certain to take its proper place in the composition of the picture4 ,but when realism has its artistic value1 the ,japs will use it to the full4 ,if a scene is to be the interior of a house1 it will be an interior1 complete in every detail down to the exquisite bowl of flowers which almost invariably forms the chief decoration of a ,japanese room4 ,but suppose they want a garden3 they do not proceed1 as we do1 to take one special garden and copy it literally2 that garden has to be created and thought out to form a perfect whole2 even the lines of the tiny trees and the shape of the hills in the distance have to be considered in relation to the figures of the actors who are to tell their story there4 ,this is true art4 ,then1 when you go to a theatre in ,japan1 you are made to feel that you are actually living in the atmosphere of the play3 the body of the theatre and the stage are linked together1 and the spectator feels that he is contained in the picture itself1 that he is looking on at a scene which is taking place in real life just before his very eyes4 ,and it is the great aim of every ambitious dramatic author to make you feel this4 ,to gain this end1 if the scene is situated by the seashore1 he will cause the sea1 which is represented by that decorative design called the wave pattern1 to be swept right round the theatre1 embracing both audience and stage and dragging you into the very heart of his picture4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,garden ,for this same reason1 a ,japanese theatre is always built with two broad passages1 called ,hanamichi 7or flower-paths71 leading through the audience to the stage1 up which you can watch a ,daimio and his gorgeous retinue sweep on his royal way to visit perhaps another ,daimio whose house is represented on the stage4 ,this is very dramatic1 and greatly forwards the author's scheme of bringing you into touch with the stage4 ,but we in our ,western theatres need not trouble ourselves with all this1 for we frame our scenes in a vulgar gilt frame2 we hem them in and cut them off from the rest of the house4 ,when we go to a theatre here1 we go to view a picture hung up on a wall1 and generally a very foolish inartistic picture it is too4 ,and even taking our stage from the point of view of a picture1 it is wrong1 for in a work of art the frame should never have an independent value as an achievement1 but be subordinate to1 and part of1 the whole4 ,all idea of framing the stage must be done away with2 else we are in danger of going to the other extreme1 as some artists have done1 and cause our picture to overlap and spread itself upon the frame4 ,an artist in a realistic mood has been known1 when painting a picture of the seaside1 to so crave after texture as to sprinkle sand upon the foreground1 and becoming more and more enthusiastic he has at last ended in an exuberance of realism by clapping some real shells on to the frame and gilding them over4 ,thus the picture appeared to pour out on to its frame4 ,this is all very terrible and inartistic2 yet it is but an instance of the kind of mistake that we let ourselves in for by the ridiculous method of stage-setting which we practise4 ,now1 built as the ,japanese theatres are1 with their flower-paths leading from the stage1 there is no fear of such a disaster2 yet ,westerners1 who have never been to ,japan1 on hearing of the construction of a ,japanese theatre1 are rather inclined to conjure up to their fancies visions of the low comedian who springs through trap-doors1 and of the clown who leaves the ring of the circus to seat himself between two maiden ladies in the audience2 but if these people were to go to ,japan and see a really fine production at a properly conducted theatre1 such an idea would never occur to them at all4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,the ,,temple ,here and there1 however1 the unthinking globe-trotter1 with more or less the vulgar mind1 will be inclined to laugh as he sees a richly-clothed actor sweep majestically through the audience to the stage2 he will point out the prompter who never attempts to conceal himself1 and the little black-robed supers who career about the stage arranging dresses1 slipping stools under actors1 and bearing away any little article that they don't happen to want4 ,how funny and elementary it all is6 they will remark2 but there is nothing elementary about it at all2 these little supers who appear to them so amusing are perfect little artists1 and are absolutely necessary to ensure the success of a scene4 ,suppose ,danjuro1 the greatest actor in ,japan1 appears upon the stage dressed in a most gorgeous costume1 and takes up a position before a screen which he will probably have to retain for half an hour3 these little people must be there to see that the sweep of his dress is correct in relation to the lines of the screen4 ,the placing of this drapery is elaborately rehearsed by the supers1 and when they step back from their work even the globe-trotter is bound to admit that the picture created by ,danjuro and the screen is a perfectly beautiful one1 and a picture which could not have been brought about by merely walking up and stopping short1 or by the backward kick that a leading lady gives to her skirt4 ,these little supers may go1 come1 and drift about on the stage2 they may slip props under the actors and illuminate their faces with torches2 yet the refined ,japanese gentleman 7and he is always an artist7 is utterly unconscious of their presence4 ,they are dressed in black3 therefore it would be considered as the height of vulgarity in him to see them4 ,indeed1 the audience are in honour bound not to notice these people1 and it would be deemed in their eyes just as vulgar for you to point out a super in the act of arranging a bit of drapery1 as to enter a temple and smell the incense there4 ,no ,japanese ever smells incense3 he is merely conscious of it4 ,incense is full of divine and beautiful suggestion2 but the moment you begin to vulgarise it by talking1 or even thinking1 of its smell1 all beauty and significance is destroyed4 ,everything connected with the stage in ,japan is reduced to a fine art3 the actor's walk--the dignity of it6--you would never see a man walk in the street as he would on the stage4 ,and then the tone of voice1 bearing1 and attitude--everything about the man is changed4 ,i remember once in ,tokio being introduced to the manager of a local theatre1 whose performance so much pleased me that ,i begged the privilege of making a few studies before the play began1 hinting at the same time that ,i should very much like one or two of the actors to pose for me4 ,then this little gentleman began to think and frown and pucker his brow1 secretly proud that an artist should want to paint his work1 and also not unwilling to make a little money4 ,at last1 after much deliberation1 he decided that ,i was to have the run of his theatre and ten actors for the afternoon1 charging three dollars and a half for the whole concern4 ,this seemed to me to be fairly reasonable2 ,i did not know of any ,london theatre that ,i could have hired for three dollars and a half1 or even as many pounds1 and then the company consisted of ten actors who were all artists1 all loving their work as only true artists can4 ,to be sure1 it was a suburban theatre1 and the acting was not of the finest2 probably also there was a great deal of exaggeration in the poses2 but still it lent itself to decorative work1 and answered my purpose to perfection4 ,they did not act1 but merely posed to form a series of pictures1 and some of the expressions of the actors were extraordinarily grotesque1 just like a ,japanese picture-book4 ,but what struck me most of all was the absolute autocracy of the little manager1 or whatever he called himself--the ,czar of ,russia or ,general ,booth was not in it with him for power6 ,he threw his actors about on the stage just as an artist would fling pigment on to a canvas2 and his violent whisking of a bit of vermilion and apple-green in against a wave was too dexterous and masterly for anything1 and called forth my unfeigned admiration4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,street ,,with ,,the ,,gallery ,the greatest living actor at the present moment in ,japan is ,danjuro--in fact1 ,i should say that he is one of the greatest actors in the whole world2 and in order to give a true insight into the many beauties of the ,japanese drama1 it seems to me that ,i cannot do better than describe a day that ,i once spent with this great master4 ,i was taken to see him by ,fukuchi1 ,japan's most eminent dramatist and the greatest of living writers4 ,we were shown into a small room with spotless mats to await ,danjuro's arrival1 and my attention was at once attracted towards an exquisite kakemono that hung on the wall1 which was the only decoration the room possessed4 ,it was a picture1 a masterpiece1 that seemed to suggest one of the early ,italian masters2 it impressed me tremendously1 and ,i told ,fukuchi so4 ,ah1 ,i am glad6 he exclaimed1 for ,danjuro1 the great master1 when ,i told him you were coming and that you were a painter1 asked me many questions about you4 ,he took much pains to discover the quality of art that appealed to you1 and the side of ,nature that you liked the best4 ,he also wished to know your favourite flower1 and which kind of blossom you loved the most--whether you preferred1 as he did1 the single cherry-blossom1 or the double4 ,this ,danjuro was unable to find out2 if he had known he would have chosen a kakemono of flowers for you4 ,but ,i am glad you like the picture4 ,i was amazed at the kindness of this man ,danjuro4 ,there was no accident about this picture that ,i admired so vastly3 it had been chosen for a definite reason--to give me pleasure4 ,and ,i afterwards learnt that there is no end to the amount of trouble a ,japanese gentleman will take in the choosing of the picture that is to hang in the room where you are being entertained4 ,when you enter a house in ,japan1 the first and one idea is to give you pleasure1 and the people of the house will take elaborate pains1 almost the care that a detective will take in detecting a crime1 to find out1 as delicately as possible1 your taste in regard to this picture4 ,they will send their servant round to your hotel to find out what flower you have expressly asked to have placed on your table1 and that will be the flower that you will find adorning either a kakemono or a vase when entering the house of your friend4 ,illustration3 ,,sun ,,and ,,lanterns ,this room where ,fukuchi and ,i were waiting looked out upon the garden--a miniature garden1 no bigger than an ordinary dining-room1 yet perfectly balanced1 one that held infinite joys3 there were the miniature bridges1 lakes1 and gold-fish1 the mountains1 the valleys1 and the ancient turtles--all correct as to colour and marked by that exquisite taste which only a ,japanese landscape-gardener can display4 ,it was a bright sunlit day1 and looking from this room with its perfect masterpiece to the little jewel of a garden1 you felt that you were living in another world4 ,and it was all so pure and so right that ,i began to feel hopelessly wrong4 ,it seemed that ,i was the only blot in these perfect surroundings4 ,and at last ,i became so shy that ,i really didn't know what to do with myself1 and ,i felt that the only thing left for me was to take off my clothes and dig a hole in the ground1 and then be ashamed that ,i had left my clothes behind me4 ,however1 ,i controlled my emotions and waited on with ,fukuchi until the sliding doors dividing us from the adjoining room were quietly opened and ,danjuro appeared4 ,so unlike an actor6--no moving of the eyebrows1 no stroking of the hair1 but just a simple dignified gentleman1 and an old gentleman1 quite old4 ,he was a slim1 spare man1 very refined1 with the look of a picture of ,buddha by ,botticelli4 ,the face was thin and narrow and keen2 bright eyes glanced at me from under heavy eyebrows2 his manner was magnetic2 and ,i felt at once that he was a great artist4 ,the way his servants saluted him6 ,you could see that they loved him1 and yet by the reverence they showed him he might have been a cardinal4 ,i was at once offered exquisite delicacies in little lacquer cups1 and we all sat down1 on the floor of course1 and ,danjuro began to talk4 ,one of the first things he said to me1 through ,fukuchi1 who spoke ,english perfectly1 was1 ,i am told that ,i have many qualities like your great actor ,sir ,henry ,irving1 and even as he spoke ,i could trace a distinct facial likeness between the two men4 ,his voice was rich and powerful and his enunciation deliberate2 he used his hands quietly1 and the expression varied very little except when he was anxious to emphasise1 and then the change was extraordinary1 while the expression and poses were so admirable that ,i could almost understand what the man was saying4 ,i instinctively felt that the right thing to do was to first talk of the kakemono1 and ,danjuro1 seeing my genuine enthusiasm1 smiled and said1 without a touch of false modesty1 ,yes2 it is a great masterpiece6 and then he began to tell me about this picture1 and ,i felt at once that this dignified little gentleman was a true artist4 ,illustration3 ,,summer ,,afternoon ,from the picture we drifted to the ,drama1 and ,danjuro was very curious to know something of our work in ,london1 and now and then1 as he plied me with pertinent questions1 ,i thought ,i detected a glimmer of fun behind his inscrutable demeanour4 ,at last the questions rained around me so rapidly1 and were so terribly to the point1 that ,i felt thoroughly ashamed and did not know how to answer him4 ,i knew that he was an artist1 looking at his work from purely the artistic standpoint1 and as an artist ,i knew that it would be utterly impossible for him to appreciate our ,western methods3 so ,i deftly turned the conversation by returning the fire of questions4 ,i had seen ,danjuro in one or two scenes in which ,i was greatly struck with the remarkable changes of his facial expression4 ,there was one scene in which ,danjuro faced the audience1 and in a minute1 by the complete alteration of his face1 changed himself into an entirely different man4 ,this feat was really so remarkable that ,i was anxious to know how it was done1 and suggested that it might have been accomplished by a clever make-up4 ,no1 no6 he exclaimed4 ,it is a rule of mine to use 'make-up' very rarely4 ,for change of expression we actors have to depend much on the muscles of our faces2 and ,danjuro1 to illustrate this1 quickly changed his face until it was totally different1 even to the face markings1 and ,i should have defied ,sherlock ,holmes himself to have known him to be the same man4 ,then ,i saw him act the part of a drunken man4 ,i have seen drunken men on the stage over and over again1 and there has always been a touch of vulgarity about them2 but this drunken man of ,danjuro's was an exquisite triumph of art4 ,i was curious to know how he had perfected this rle1 and suggested that it had perhaps been brought about through a careful study of the habits and actions of a drunkard1 using him as a model1 as it were4 ,but this ,danjuro firmly denied4 ,no1 no1 never6 he exclaimed4 ,i might just as well take a drunken man and stick him on the stage1 just as he is1 as to imitate any one man4 ,that is not art3 it is not a creation4 ,i have seen drunken men all my life1 and the drunken man ,i represented was the aggregate of all the drunkenness ,i have ever seen4 ,suppose by chance ,i had come across a drunken man while ,i was developing the character1 ,i should perhaps have been tempted to follow that particular man too closely1 and the result would have been necessarily inartistic4 ,and ,danjuro made it quite clear to me that when creating the character of either a drunken man or a madman1 he invariably keeps as far away from ,nature as possible4 ,he would not proceed as some of our actors do1 to hunt about in the slums until he had found a man sufficiently drunk for his purpose1 and then copy him exactly2 or1 yet again1 he would not have attempted to imitate a death-bed scene by watching one particular person die4 ,such a thing would appear to him as a great degradation4 ,almost imperceptibly the conversation swerved round again to ,english acting1 and ,danjuro gave me a rather humorous1 though humiliating1 description of a play he had seen in ,yokohama4 ,the language was gibberish to him1 and all he could do was to study the poses of the players1 which struck him as being extremely awkward4 ,they suggested to me badly modelled statues1 he explained2 they never seemed to move gracefully1 and their actions were always violent and exaggerated4 ,this1 from a ,japanese1 was frank criticism1 for he made it quite clear to me that he had little or no sympathy with our methods4 ,he felt that he was talking to an artist and that he could afford to be natural2 but after this very candid opinion there was a slight pause1 which ,i hastened to break by putting a question on the subject of his own drama4 ,illustration3 ,,apricot-,,blossom ,,street ,the drama of ,japan1 he told me1 was greatly improving2 the actors nowadays have chances which in the early days they had not1 and it is easier for them to create fine scenic effects4 ,they have the chance of studying great masterpieces at museums2 they may copy costumes there1 and1 above all1 they have the superb opportunity of studying colour and form4 ,then1 many of the great ,japanese actors possess collections of very fine pictures1 while the actors of early times could only study from badly printed woodblocks which were nearly all inaccurate4 ,schools for actors have been occupying his attention1 and he hopes that some day they will be established all over ,japan4 ,actors1 in his opinion1 should be taught when they are quite young the science of deportment and of graceful movement1 to be artists as well as actors1 and above all to avoid exaggeration4 ,danjuro prefers as an audience the middle classes4 ,they are more sympathetic1 he said2 the diplomats and politicians who have come in touch with the ,west1 and are dressed in ,european dress1 seem somehow to lose sympathy with us1 and are not helpful as an audience4 ,perhaps it is that they can never entirely divest themselves of the sense of their own importance4 ,after considering ,danjuro's views concerning the ,japanese drama1 ,i was interested to hear the views of the dramatic author1 and ,fukuchi and ,i spent many delightful afternoons together discussing this all-absorbing topic4 ,what do you claim to be the chief advantages of ,japanese as compared with ,european theatres8 ,i asked him on one occasion4 ,well1 replied ,fukuchi without a moment's hesitation1 before everything else ,i should place the ,hanamichi 7flower-paths74 ,this is absolutely indispensable to the ,japanese stage1 and allows of endless possibilities4 ,with it we have far greater scope for fine work1 and dramatically it is of tremendous advantage4 ,then there is the revolving stage1 which is a great improvement on ,western mechanism1 for while one scene is being acted1 another can be prepared4 ,on this particular afternoon the dramatist and ,i were sitting in ,mr4 ,fukuchi's own room overlooking the river with a distant view of the sea4 ,books1 all ,japanese1 were heaped up in an alcove1 while the only furniture the room possessed was a very fine kakemono and a little narrow table4 ,while we were talking1 one of ,fukuchi's little children1 a boy of eight1 entered1 carrying with him his collection of butterflies1 which1 he thought1 might chance to interest me4 ,he showed me a catalogue which he was preparing for them4 ,it was so admirably compiled that it would have been good enough for a special work on the subject4 ,illustration3 ,,outside ,,kioto ,fukuchi's ideal actor is ,danjuro1 and during the conversation he was constantly referring to him4 ,of all the actors ,i like ,danjuro the best1 he said1 because he is an artist and understands colour1 besides having a keen appreciation for harmony in the general arrangements4 ,he told me that ,danjuro is the one actor in ,japan who can take the part of a woman to perfection4 ,many actors on the stage can keep the figure of a woman for five minutes at a time1 but rarely longer1 so painful are the poses1 owing to the throwing back of the shoulders and the turning in of the knees4 ,but ,danjuro can go on and on indefinitely in this rle1 and so remarkable is he that even a ,japanese woman is unable to detect one false move4 ,on one occasion1 when taking this part at a theatre in ,yokohama before an audience composed chiefly of women1 he happened to make a slip and by some slight error proved himself the man4 ,in an instant the whole audience felt it1 and the effect produced on them was simply astounding6 ,for once they nearly laughed1 an unheard-of thing with a ,japanese audience3 to see a woman turn so suddenly into a man was too much for their equanimity4 ,danjuro's finest and most artistic bit of acting is in ,japan's greatest tragedy1 ,the ,chushingura1 in the part of ,goto1 who1 returning to his lord intoxicated1 falls asleep by the wayside4 ,his master1 finding him1 fires off a gun close to his ear4 ,most actors1 said ,mr4 ,fukuchi1 would fall asleep with their backs to the audience1 and when waking depend upon 'make-up' for an altered expression4 ,danjuro sleeps with his face to the audience1 and on the gun firing wakes up with an entirely altered expression through the contraction of the facial muscles4 ,i was curious to know from ,fukuchi what were the duties of the stage-manager in ,japan4 ,for some time he looked thoughtful1 as though unable to grasp my meaning4 ,we have no managers in ,japan1 he said at length3 the play has to do with the dramatic author3 it is for him to arrange everything4 ,he must first think out every detail1 and then consult with the chief actor and proprietor4 ,if these disagree1 the play is not produced4 ,mr4 ,fukuchi maintained that the dramatic author must be absolute master of the situation1 interfered with by none4 ,it would be impossible for an actor or manager to have any conception of the picture as a whole2 therefore the dramatist must be supreme4 ,if an actor or an actress were permitted a choice as to the colour or form of costumes1 the work would of necessity be ruined4 ,there is no such thing as the leading lady insisting upon wearing a puce dress1 as she does in ,england or anywhere on the ,continent4 ,the manager does not know what puce means1 nor1 probably1 does the lady2 but he sees no reason why she should not wear puce if it pleases her4 ,accordingly puce is worn1 irrespective of scene harmony1 and the lady is content4 ,in ,japan such an occurrence would be out of the question2 but our ,western stage is already such a jumble that any little eccentricity on the part of the leading lady in favour of puce or anything else she fancies would be scarcely noticeable4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,blond ,,day ,they tell me1 put in ,mr4 ,fukuchi1 that there are dramatic authors in ,england who are not artists--that they do not all understand colour harmonies and line4 ,can this be true8 ,i had to tell him that such men were not uncommon with us4 ,fukuchi looked serious1 and was silent for a long while1 meditating as to how it would be possible for a dramatic author to produce a play without a scientific knowledge of art and drawing4 ,i fail to understand this1 he said after some minutes' thought2 ,i cannot understand4 ,when ,i have finished writing my play1 and when ,i have talked with the chief actor1 ,i make my drawings myself4 ,i must make the pictures1 and ,i must give careful directions to the costumiers and the carpenters4 ,i cannot understand how your dramatic author does this4 ,and the little man was genuinely perturbed4 ,the pictorial side of a ,japanese dramatist's work interested me keenly1 and ,i begged ,fukuchi to tell me how he1 as an author1 prepared his drawings for the costumier1 stage-painter1 and carpenter4 ,well1 if you like ,i will show you1 he said2 ,i am now writing a historical play1 the scenes of which will be like this1 and to my great amazement ,fukuchi at once began to draw in a rapid masterly manner the scene of a gentleman's house and garden4 ,no detail1 however trivial1 was overlooked1 and the infinite pains and care with which he executed these delightful little drawings both astonished and charmed me4 ,i could see at once the utter impossibility of any one attempting to interfere with this man1 who had a complete grasp of his subject not only from the literary standpoint1 but also from the pictorial4 ,to give any idea of the exquisite delicacy and precision with which these sketches of ,fukuchi's were carried out1 ,i must describe one or two of the scenes4 ,first of all there was the garden2 this was to have on its right a bamboo fence1 a pine-tree1 and a grass plot4 ,on the left was placed a willow-tree1 and stepping-stones leading from the house to the gate4 ,then the gentleman's house was to be considered4 ,mr4 ,fukuchi decided that this was to be thatched and have a projecting floor1 while in front he placed a bamboo fence1 a well1 and a cluster of chrysanthemums4 ,now at the back of the house ,i must have a range of mountains with autumnal tints1 said ,fukuchi2 and no sooner said than done--in a few minutes there stood the range of mountains with their autumnal tints1 ranging from orange to brown1 noted in the margin1 with directions as to the quality of cotton cloth to be used for their construction4 ,every detail in this garden scene was exact1 and no one could have altered so much as a leaf without ruining the picture4 ,next ,fukuchi proceeded to make for the costumier a drawing of a girl4 ,by the dressing of her hair the girl was shown to be not over nineteen years of age1 the ornaments being one of red and the other silver4 ,she was to hold a fan1 and ,fukuchi even decided on the colour of the fan and the way the girl should hold it4 ,it was to have a gold ground with a silvery moon1 light and black grass growing in white water4 ,the lady's kimono was of dark purple at the bottom and light purple at the top2 this was arranged purely for decorative reasons in order to harmonise with the obi1 which was black4 ,as a rule the colours in a dress graduate from the top downwards2 but the obi looked best against the light purple1 and custom was sacrificed to art4 ,the figures on the kimono were to be all white with silver strings1 and a delicate white wave pattern4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,blind ,,beggar ,mr4 ,fukuchi next proceeded to consider the handling of historical colour4 ,the scene was that of a lord and his wife1 the lord just setting out for the wars and the wife seeking to detain him1 holding on to his armour4 ,the armour is red and the clothes are indigo4 ,these colours being fixed historically1 it was for the artist to arrange backgrounds that should harmonise with these4 ,in the lady alone were his artistic tastes allowed to expand4 ,he would have her dressed in white1 with large chrysanthemums in red1 yellow1 and purple tones4 ,these exquisitely clothed figures were to be placed before a screen1 having sea-rocks and an eagle painted on it with black ink4 ,yet again another screen was to be of light brown1 with glittering birds delicately traced upon it1 in order that they should not interfere with the breadth of the whole4 ,now1 ,mr4 ,fukuchi1 ,i said1 ,i can quite see that you are an artist1 and that your handling of a play from the decorative standpoint is quite perfect4 ,but now tell me something of your literary methods4 ,then ,fukuchi began by telling me that in writing a novel he wrote it as a poem1 and when writing a play he thought of it as a picture4 ,but there are periods in writing a novel when it in a way gets the better of him1 and develops unconsciously into a drama4 ,then he told me of one or two stories he had recently published1 one of which began as a novel and ended as a play4 ,he said he could not understand the habits of some authors of taking down scraps of conversation1 and using them for their finished works4 ,he himself spends his whole life listening to conversations and studying the poses of people2 but to take notes of what they were saying would be hopeless2 the notes could never be used for fine artistic work4 ,in planning a play he sees it as a whole1 as a series of pictures1 before beginning to pen a line4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,giant ,,lantern ,i was talking to ,fukuchi about realism on the stage1 and he told me of the horror they have in ,japan of bringing live animals into a play2 such a thing has been attempted on one or two occasions1 but always with disastrous results4 ,one enterprising actor1 he told me1 spent much time in training a horse to take part in a very fine production at one of the principal theatres4 ,the horse was trained to perfection1 and on the first night that it appeared1 being a novelty1 it was loudly applauded2 but the lights and the confusion so terrified the poor animal that it sat down on the stage and refused to move4 ,yet again another actor1 determined to outdo this former performance in originality1 trained a live monkey to take the place of the decorative pasteboard monkey which had always been used on the stage4 ,this animal1 unlike the horse1 was trained to know the stage as well as his master's room1 and grew quite accustomed to the lights and the people surrounding him4 ,so thoroughly at home was this monkey that on its first appearance it swept the stage of all the actors1 caused confusion and distress among the audience--in short1 it behaved abominably1 and did everything but that which it had been so carefully trained to do4 ,after this the pasteboard monkey reigned supreme4 ,mr4 ,fukuchi1 although he is a brilliant ,english scholar and has an intense admiration for ,shakspeare's works1 thoroughly realises how impossible it would be to attempt to put ,hamlet on the ,japanese stage3 it would suit neither the actors nor the public4 ,,the ,,living ,,art ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,living ,,art ,a ,japanese authority has boasted that the only living art of to-day is the art of ,japan2 and the remark is not so much exaggerated as it may appear at first sight to the ,european4 ,art in ,japan is living as art in ,greece was living4 ,it forms part and parcel of the very life of the people2 every ,jap is an artist at heart in the sense that he loves and can understand the beautiful4 ,if one of us could be as fortunate as the man in the story1 who came in his voyages upon an island where an ,hellenic race preserved all the traditions and all the genius of their ,attic ancestors1 he would understand what living art really signifies4 ,what would be true of that imaginary ,greek island is absolutely true of ,japan to-day4 ,art is in ,europe cultivated in the houses of the few1 and those few scarcely know either the beauties or the value of the plant they are cultivating4 ,that is the privilege of a class rather than the rightful inheritance of the many4 ,the world is too much divided into the artist on the one hand and the ,philistine on the other4 ,but it is not so in ,japan1 as it was not so in ancient ,greece4 ,in ,japan the feeling for art is an essential condition of life4 ,this is why ,i expect so much from the interest in ,japan which is now awakening in ,england4 ,the report of the ,japanese ,commission sent to ,europe to investigate the conditions of ,western art1 some years ago1 startled ,western minds considerably4 ,the ,commissioners gave it as their opinion that ,japanese art was the only real living art4 ,this surprised1 perplexed1 and irritated many people1 as home truths generally do4 ,without adopting in integrity every word of the ,commission's report1 ,i must confess that ,i found in it a great deal of truth4 ,the great characteristic of ,japanese art is its intense and extraordinary vitality1 in the sense that it is no mere exotic cultivation of the skilful1 no mere graceful luxury of the rich1 but a part of the daily lives of the people themselves4 ,it is all very well to draw gloomy deductions about the decay of ,japanese art from the manufacture and the importation of curios destined for the ,european market4 ,that there is such an importation there can be no doubt1 any more than that this condition of things will continue while people fancy that they are giving proof of their artistic taste by sticking up all over their walls anything and everything1 good1 bad1 and indifferent1 which professes to come from ,japan or to be made on ,japanese models4 ,illustration3 ,,sun ,,and ,,lanterns ,what an educated ,jap would think of some of our so-called ,japanese rooms ,i shudder to imagine4 ,but let me ask--and this is much more to the purpose--what would an uneducated ,jap think8 ,and let me give my own answer4 ,he would be as much surprised by any bad taste or bad art as his educated superior would be4 ,this is the burden of my argument--that art in ,japan is universal and instructive1 and therefore living2 not an artificial production of a special class1 and therefore not living4 ,art was certainly a living thing in the best days of ,athens2 art has been1 in some measure1 a living thing elsewhere and in later days4 ,for we must remember that art does not merely consist in the production of a certain number of works of art1 or even of masterpieces4 ,a country may produce a great many works of art1 and yet as a country be entirely lacking in living artistic feeling4 ,france is a land of works of art2 but the works do not appeal to the voyou--still less do they appeal to the ouvrier1 to the bourgeois1 to the butcher1 the baker1 the candlestick-maker4 ,now1 what ,i claim for ,japan is that in its most real and most important sense it is a living artistic country4 ,the artistic sense is shared by the peasant and the prince1 as well as by the carpenter1 the fan-maker1 the lacquer-worker1 and the stateliest daimio whose line dates back to the creation of things4 ,but do not run away with my contention4 ,i do not mean to say that every ,jap is a born artist4 ,there are ,philistines in ,japan1 as elsewhere4 ,what ,i do maintain is that the artistic instinct is more widely diffused1 is more common to all classes of the community in ,japan1 than in any of our ,european countries4 ,this is no small thing to say of a country4 ,it is full of deep significance to all students of art4 ,although we are doing our best1 with our love for gimcrackeries1 to cheapen and degrade the artistic capacity of ,japan1 our evil influence has been but partially felt1 and so but partially successful4 ,having done all the harm we can do unwittingly1 let us pause1 if possible1 and reflect before we wittingly do further mischief4 ,the problem to the lovers of art is simply this3 shall we learn all we can learn--and that is a great deal--from the living art instincts of ,japan1 or shall we continue to blunt and deaden the productive power of ,japan by encouraging the barbarous demand for worthless baubles to make ludicrous the home of the so-called aesthete8 ,if those who are most proud of the ,japanese toys and trinkets they have amassed1 which1 with semi-savage stupidity1 they have nailed upon their walls and stuck upon their shelves and tables1 could but see what an artistic house in ,japan is like1 they would learn some startling truths as to the real facts and principles of ,japanese decoration and the ,japanese ideal of art4 ,if they could only know the contempt with which the truly artistic ,jap looks upon the demand for curios1 and upon the kind of curios which are turned out wholesale to meet that demand1 they would not feel so proud of themselves1 and of the rooms which they display to delighted friends as quite ,japanese1 you know4 ,the artistic ,jap shows nothing in a room--absolutely nothing1 except a lovely flower and a screen1 and perhaps a beautiful verse or some clever sentence indited in freehand writing1 placed beautifully in the room in just relation to its surroundings4 ,there is a curious fact to be noticed in connection with such inscriptions4 ,in conversation a friend might happen to give forth some brilliant and very epigrammatic utterance4 ,the hearers are so delighted that they get him to write down this mot in large characters1 and it is mounted and placed in the room4 ,such a caligraphic maxim1 written by the hand of the speaker1 they consider a fitting portion of the permanent decoration of a room4 ,you would never know from the rooms of a ,jap that he was a great picture-collector4 ,the wealthy collector keeps all his treasures stowed away in what is called a go-down--his storehouse--and his pictures are brought up one at a time if any visitor is present or expected4 ,generally a single picture will be brought in and hung up4 ,you enjoy that beautiful picture by itself4 ,it is very much like bringing a bottle of wine from the cellar--no one would want the whole bin at a time4 ,the ,japs have an artistic temperament altogether and the simplest craftsman is an artist in his own way4 ,i was especially struck with this once when ,i was in want of some frames1 and ,i employed a ,jap to make them for me4 ,he could talk ,english perfectly well1 and it was remarkable to watch the development of the frames and the enthusiastic temperament discovered by the carpenter as he proceeded4 ,i myself designed a certain frame1 and ,i would by slight drawings encourage him and his fellows to go on with the work4 ,they all took the greatest possible interest in the refinement of the object--they would place it down and then go off and look at it1 and talk to those friends who were looking on about the beauties they saw in it and in its proportions2 and the intelligence and pleasure they showed were not only extraordinary but also delightful4 ,this frame-making was quite novel to them1 as they do not frame any of their objects2 but they were interested in the design of the frame and the placing of the picture within it4 ,although the matter was not in itself of any remarkable importance1 ,i hold that it fairly proves the artistic temperament of a chance selection of people4 ,think of a common carpenter making a simple thing and taking a just pride in doing it6 ,the result was that ,i got one of the most beautiful frames you can conceive1 and that ,i was encouraged in my own work by the sympathy of these workmen4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,scarlet ,,umbrella ,of course1 in ,japan there are painters who paint for the market--people who have been destroyed by the ,british merchant and the ,american trader4 ,they spend their time in painting pictures of flowers and birds in vivid colourings that appeal to our tastes1 solely for exportation to ,england and ,america4 ,apropos of this ,i must mention a conversation ,i had with a painter about screens1 which struck me as being very curious4 ,i wanted to buy a gold screen1 and he took me to a shop where ,i saw a vast number of screens1 nearly all with black grounds and golden birds and fish on them4 ,i told him ,i did not like them2 and he answered1 ,neither do we4 ,here in ,japan we would not have them in our houses2 but they are what the ,english and ,american markets demand4 ,we ourselves never buy them2 we nearly always choose screens with light grounds1 beautifully painted--in fact1 splendid pieces of decoration4 ,a screen painted by a first-class artist is valued very highly1 while the fact of one from the hand of an old ,japanese master being for disposal is known all over the country at once1 and everybody is prepared to bid for it as one would bid for a ,sir ,joshua here4 ,a really good screen fetches an enormous price1 for it takes the place there of pictures and frescoes with us1 and every man of taste requires one or two fine specimens in his house beautiful4 ,one ,i saw at the house of the ,minister for ,foreign ,affairs was painted with a blue wave--an arrangement1 in fact1 in blue and gold4 ,i never saw such a gorgeous screen1 nor1 ,i verily believe1 anything more beautiful as an arrangement of colour--the huge wave1 one sweep of blue1 and the piece of gold at the top4 ,it was1 ,i was told1 by an old master of ,japan1 and worth an enormous sum4 ,the ,japanese perfectly appreciate the value of things like that1 and they very rarely let them leave the country1 so that it has become very difficult to get hold of anything really fine4 ,an experience which gave me a close insight into ,japanese feeling was a meeting of some of the painters of ,japan4 ,it was arranged by a ,japanese gentleman who1 though not an artist himself1 is deeply interested in art1 and keenly alive to everything touching it4 ,knowing me personally1 he was anxious that ,i should come in contact with these men whose practice he so much revered1 and so he invited several of these artists of different kinds--designers of metal work and designers for manufactures--to his house to meet me4 ,i talked to them with his interpreting help1 just a little about art and its principles and so forth1 in the hope that the others would be brought to speak freely1 and ,i expressed my readiness to give them what information ,i could of ,european art and its practice4 ,they asked me remarkable questions4 ,most of them1 it appeared1 were discouraged because the ,european required such ugly things4 ,if they made what the ,europeans really enjoyed1 their productions were looked upon as unsaleable4 ,it appeared to me that it must be extremely difficult for the ,japs to hold fast to their artistic instincts1 and in the end ,i expressed my conviction that it would pay them better to adhere to their principles rather than to pander to the foolish demands of the dull ,american or ,british merchant who had neither idea nor concern as to the beauty of the work he buys4 ,illustration3 ,,leading ,,to ,,the ,,temple ,unfortunately1 to a great extent these traders are lowering the standard of painting in ,japan4 ,not a few of these sixty men who came to meet me would do work they did not care about1 not being men of such individuality and independence of character as ,kiyosai4 ,with them1 as with us1 the prize of money-reward is a bait too tempting to be resisted4 ,two days afterwards some of these friends were good enough to write a long discourse in one of the ,japanese papers on my address1 saying how much pleased they were to find an artist from ,england with my ideas of ,japanese art--one who condemned the notion so common among them that it was necessary to pander to the tastes of a foreign market4 ,they were especially glad that ,i had condemned that1 and many of the painters1 more or less on the strength of my conversation1 decided to do thenceforth what they felt to be true to their principles--to go to nature and themselves1 to choose their lovely harmony of colour1 instead of designing stereotyped screens with gold birds on black backgrounds4 ,many were determined to give up that kind of art altogether1 and one in particular 7whose studio ,i called at the day after7 pointed out that he had already quite altered his style4 ,he was an artist by nature1 and he told me he felt that having to do this horrible work was going against him1 and he had made up his mind that in future he would insist upon doing what he felt to be beautiful1 and would be ruled by the merchant no more4 ,i visited the studios of a great many of the artists to whom ,i had delivered my lecture1 and saw their sketch-books and their method of work4 ,in nearly every case their method coincided with the principles laid down by ,kiyosai--each having1 of course1 his own method1 but each working in the same broad way of impression picture4 ,japan might be said to be as artistic as ,england is inartistic4 ,in ,japan art is not a cause1 but a result--the result of the naturalness of the people--and is closely allied with all aspects of their daily life4 ,in the houses1 the streets1 the gardens1 the places of public resort--everywhere is to be found the all-pervading element of art and beauty4 ,a rainy day in ,japan is not1 as it is in ,london1 a day of gloom and horror1 but a day of absolute fascination4 ,what a joy is the spectacle of all those lovely yellow paper umbrellas unfurling themselves beneath a shower like flowers before the sun1 so different from the dark shiny respectability of our ghastly gamps at home6 ,john ,bunyan has written and talked of the house beautiful2 but the ,japanese have given to the nation not only the house beautiful1 but also 7what is even more important to the community at large7 the street beautiful1 and that is where ,japan differs so widely from ,europe4 ,as ,i walk through the ,london streets at night1 how prosaic is the flicker of each gas-jet1 within its sombre panes of glass1 in some long unlovely street1 and how different from the softened rays that shine from out the dainty ricksha lanterns illuminating the streets in ,japan6 ,there a poem meets your eye with each step you take2 and how pretty is every street corner1 with its little shop1 its mellow light and dainty arrangements1 with the smiling face of some little child peeping out from the dim shadow beyond6 ,it is a terrible thing to live in a country where art is the luxury of the few1 and where the people know as little of what constitutes the beauty of life as a ,hindoo knows of skating4 ,what would a ,japanese gentleman say1 ,i wonder1 if he passed into a room in the depths of winter and saw a quantity of those pretty fans1 which in his country help to modify the heat of the golden summer days1 viciously nailed1 without rhyme or reason1 upon a bright red wall1 or those fairy-like umbrellas1 upon which he has seen the rain-drops glisten so brightly1 stuck within the gloomy recess of some lead-black hideous grate1 or 7with still less sense of the fitness of things or regard for the uses for which it was made7 glued to a white-washed ceiling8 ,illustration3 ,,by ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,lantern ,we sometimes talk of the deteriorating influence of ,european ideas upon ,japanese art2 but we have failed to perceive the ghastly inappropriateness of applying the ,japs' delicate flights of fancy to our homes of discomfort4 ,that usefulness is the basis of all righteousness is the moral code by which a man's position is gauged in ,japan1 and by which things are made4 ,it does not matter how beautiful an article may be1 or how trivial--whether it is a penholder1 a snuff-box1 or a pipe--if it is not useful it is considered inartistic1 and will not be accepted by the ,japanese public4 ,the form of a vase or a cup1 or the shape of a handle1 must all be designed with a view to its usefulness2 and every little work of art that is made1 every cabinet and curio 7apart from being decorative71 is designed to convey some maxim-like idea1 a lesson that will be useful and helpful in one way or another to the beholder4 ,on entering a ,japanese tea-house you will see a kakemono hanging on the wall that strikes you at the first glance as being a perfect picture1 with the bold but simple ,chinese characters on the white silk and the tiny slip of vermilion which is the signature of the artist4 ,it is placed well in the room1 and is altogether a thing of beauty2 but when1 on closer inspection1 you read the decorative letters1 you will find that they give you some dainty piece of advice to help you through the day1 or some pretty idea on which your eye and mind can rest4 ,then1 again1 the games that the children play in the streets with sand or pebbles--they are teaching them arithmetic1 construction1 patience1 and innumerable valuable lessons4 ,usefulness is the basis of the ancient caste system of ,japan1 which system exists at the present day1 and upon which the relative usefulness of a man depends4 ,take the ,samurai4 ,they occupy the premier position as ,japanese aristocracy1 because1 although they wear silk1 they give up their lives for their country--and no man can be more useful than that4 ,the agriculturalist ranks next in dignity2 for none can do without food1 and therefore his usefulness is indisputable4 ,then come the workmen1 and last of all the merchants1 who are considered as no class in ,japan and are greatly looked down upon--producing nothing1 they merely turn over articles made by other hands for a profit4 ,illustration3 ,,news ,the most beautiful article we possess 7one that is entirely our own7 is the hansom cab4 ,it is perhaps one of the greatest triumphs that the ,west has produced in the shape of a conveyance1 and simply because it has been designed with a view to its usefulness4 ,would that we were always ruled by this splendid quality6 ,unfortunately1 we are not4 ,we are ruled by our own tastes1 which1 ,i feel bound to admit1 are not artistic4 ,think of the sombre1 happy-go-lucky arrangements of our ,london theatres4 ,how is it that in the best-managed of them an actress will so far forget herself as to lie dying in the middle of a snowy street in the dead of night1 pale-faced and wretched-looking1 with ten thousand pounds' worth of jewellery on her fingers8 ,such a scene would drive the artistic and consistent ,japanese manager into the nearest lunatic asylum4 ,at the same time he would be unutterably shocked at seeing a red moon 7red1 let us trust1 with the blush of shame at its creator's folly7 rising hurriedly behind some stage bank of roses1 swiftly and unnaturally hurrying across a purple sky1 and shamefacedly setting in the ,east1 in the ,west1 in the ,north1 in the ,south1 within the brief hour of an ,english stage1 as if glad to escape the rapturous applause of an inartistic public4 ,but perhaps nowhere is the difference between ,european and ,japanese art so sharply accentuated as it is in the teaching of it in the great schools of the ,west and of the ,east4 ,let us take the art schools of ,paris1 which is considered by a vast portion of the artistic world to be the very paradise of art4 ,you enter the crowded studio of some well-known master1 and you see before you a large white statue1 the first and predominant impression of which is its exceeding whiteness2 and to your mingled amusement and amazement you discover that the unfortunate pupils are engaged in a futile endeavour to render an impression of exceeding whiteness by the aid of thick black chalk or charcoal4 ,as to how this is to be done with any degree of verisimilitude you are no less at fault than they are1 poor dears1 themselves2 and therefore you will not be surprised that1 dazed and wearied as they must be from the steady contemplation of this never-ending pose1 their work at the close of a day resembles the figure from which they have been drawing as closely as the work of ,michael ,angelo1 or any of the great ,japanese masters4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,sunny ,,temple ,from the antique you pass to the life room4 ,here another shock awaits you4 ,in the middle of the room stands a young girl1 strapped up in the attitude of ,atalanta of classic fable running her immortal race4 ,these pupils are taught first of all to sketch the figure in the pose of running as a skeleton4 ,when the hideous skeleton has been carefully and laboriously committed to paper1 it is with equal care imbued with nerves and muscles and flesh4 ,when all this is done1 a light ,grecian drapery is flung on her1 regardless of the folds and movement that would eventually have resulted from the fluttering of the breeze1 and1 mind you1 she is strapped up all the time4 ,then1 when all is completed1 the poor dear lady is expected to run her immortal race4 ,of course1 by this time there is no action in the figure at all4 ,atalanta appears glued to the spot1 and my only wonder is that she does not indignantly chase her unfortunate creators from the studio4 ,on looking at these pictures the spectator would say that he never saw anything so absolutely unsuggestive of the breathless vigour and energy of a healthy young girl engaged in a rapid race as is indicated by the pitiful weariness of that poor strapped-up creature in front of them4 ,would it not be far better that these students should go out into the street1 after the method of the ,japs1 and watch some girl as she runs and jumps in the bright sunshine1 with a soft wind blowing her hair about her head and her gown about her limbs1 and then come back1 and1 with a memory of the beautiful inspiriting scene still fresh in their minds1 commit their impressions hot and hot upon the canvas before them8 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,the ,,great ,,canal1 ,,osaka ,still1 ,england has not always been so hopelessly inartistic4 ,none would think of denying the perfect taste of the architects who designed such buildings as the ,winchester and ,durham ,cathedrals1 and ,arundel ,castle2 but those are buildings wrought in dead days by men a long time dead1 and ,england's days of artistic appreciation are1 ,i fear1 as dead as they are4 ,commerce and so-called civilisation have ruined us1 ,i fear1 for ever4 ,japan is as artistic to-day as we were five hundred years ago1 and ,i rejoice to think that at present there appears to be little fear of so ghastly a fate as has overtaken us4 ,as a nation the ,japanese remain faithful to art in all its details1 and as individuals they are still a nation of artists4 ,where else but in ,japan would an aged gentleman dream of rising ere the day has well begun1 merely that he might bring into harmony with all its surroundings1 and present in the best light possible1 a little flower placed in a pot--bending it this way and that way1 that its attitude might conform with the cabinet in one corner of the room1 or a screen in the other8 ,who but a ,japanese chamber-boy would be so impressed with the artistic value of contrast merely that he would feel constrained thereby to place the can of hot water in a different attitude every time he brought it into the room1 and thoughtfully step aside to regard its consonance with its immediate surroundings8 ,art begins1 as charity begins1 at home2 and where the home of the individual is absolutely artistic1 it cannot fail that the whole nation should be a nation of artists4 ,i give way to none in my loyalty to my country and my love for that country--,i must say that ,i do not think that there is a country better in the whole world2--but perfection on this earth is not only impossible1 but to my idea also absolutely undesirable--a perfect nation would be to the full as dreadful as a perfect man4 ,we are saved from perfection by an almost entire lack of the artistic faculty1 and1 however great we are in other respects1 ,i am sad to say we are thoroughly inartistic4 ,to whom but the ,englishman would the golden dragons that play so recklessly about on black screens with their scarlet drooping tongues1 that are sold in the ,japanese curio shops1 possibly appeal8 ,who but ,english-speaking people would crave for those cherry-blossoms embroidered on white silk grounds1 which they so gleefully carry away with them8 ,who but my inartistic countrymen would insist on their cabinets being smothered with endless and miscellaneous carvings8 ,the ,japanese are too artistic to admit these things into their own homes2 but why are their dealers so inartistic as 7blinded by the desire of filthy pelf7 to put forth these embroideries for the ,english and ,american market8 ,such things now and then make me tremble for the future of art in ,japan4 ,it may be 7though ,i trust not7 the thin end of the wedge2 it may be the little rift within the lute that by and by will make the music mute1 and1 ever widening1 slowly silence all4 ,what a tragedy it would be that the music of this most perfect art should ever be silenced in that lovely land1 the resting-place and home of the highest and only living art6 ,,painters ,,and ,,their ,,methods ,,chapter ,,iii ,,painters ,,and ,,their ,,methods ,the methods of painters all over the world are very much alike4 ,in fact1 the methods of great masters 7no matter of what nationality1 and whether of this period or of centuries past7 are often precisely similar1 while there can be no doubt but that some of the finest masterpieces ever painted very closely resemble one another4 ,i was once taken to see two photographs1 one a portion of a figure by ,michael ,angelo1 and the other a portion of a ,japanese buddha by one of ,japan's greatest masters2 and to my surprise ,i found that it was almost impossible to detect which was which4 ,this particular statue of ,michael ,angelo's ,i had studied and knew well2 yet here was a portion of a ,japanese god that looked exactly the same--the same broad handling1 the same everything4 ,in both there was the same curious exaggeration of the bones and muscles1 wrong from the anatomical standpoint1 yet conveying an impression of terrific strength that is so typical of the work of ,michael ,angelo--indeed1 one masterly hand might have executed both pictures4 ,yet the little ,japanese artist1 the creator of this ,buddha1 was but a modern1 and in all probability had never so much as seen ,michael ,angelo's pictures1 much less had he been in the slightest degree influenced by him4 ,japanese painters have a great admiration for ,michael ,angelo's work1 and for ,italian painters in general4 ,if you were to show a ,japanese artist1 any ordinary little minor artist1 some photographs of masterpieces by men such as ,velasquez1 ,rembrandt1 and ,botticelli1 you would find that he would at once spring on to the early ,italian work1 peer into it1 hold it up1 devour it1 muttering to himself the while--nothing could tear him away4 ,rembrandt does not appeal to him much2 ,velasquez not much2 but ,botticelli--yes4 ,still1 ,i have often thought that could ,hokusai and ,velasquez1 ,kiosi and ,whistler1 have met and talked1 they would have had much in common with one another2 for there is in the works of each1 although in many senses so widely different1 that simplicity1 truthfulness1 and restraint which render them all so very much alike4 ,illustration3 ,,after ,,the ,,festival ,the broad principles of art are much the same all the world over2 but it is between the lesser artists of ,japan and the myriads of comparatively unknown artists of ,europe that there is so great a gulf fixed4 ,japanese minor artists are artists indeed4 ,our minor artists are1 ,i fear1 anything but artists4 ,the veriest ,japanese craftsman is an artist first and a tradesman afterwards4 ,ours is a tradesman first and last and altogether2 and even as a tradesman he is1 ,i fear1 a failure1 for the honest tradesman has at least something worth the selling1 whilst our men--the jerry builder1 the plumber1 the furniture maker1 and the carpenter--give in return for solid money an article which it would break the heart of the merest artisan in ,japan to put forward as the work of his hands4 ,but perhaps nowhere is the difference between ,european and ,japanese art so sharply accentuated as it is in the teaching of it in the great schools of the ,east and of the ,west4 ,we ,westerners are taught to draw direct from the object or model before us on the platform1 whereas the ,japanese are taught to study every detail of their model1 and to store their brains with impressions of every curve and line1 afterwards to go away and draw that object from memory4 ,this is a splendid training for the memory and the eye1 as it teaches one both to see and to remember--two great considerations in the art of drawing4 ,you will often see a little child sitting in a garden in ,japan gazing attentively for perhaps a whole hour at a bowl of goldfish1 watching the tiny bright creatures as they circle round and round in the bowl4 ,remarking on some particular pose1 the child will retain it in its busy brain1 and1 running away1 will put down this impression as nearly as it can remember4 ,perhaps on this first occasion he is only able to put in a few leading lines2 very soon he is at a loss--he has forgotten the curve of the tail or the placing of the eye4 ,he toddles back and studies the fish again and again1 until perhaps after one week's practice that child is able to draw the fish in two or three different poses from memory without the slightest hesitation or uncertainty4 ,it is this certainty of touch and their power to execute these bold1 sweeping1 decided lines that form the chief attraction of ,japanese works of art4 ,their wrists are supple2 the picture in their minds is sure2 they have learnt it line for line2 it is merely the matter of a few minutes for an artist to sketch in his picture4 ,there are no choppy hesitating lines such as one detects in even the finest of our ,western pictures1 lines in which you can plainly see how the artist has swerved first to the right and then to the left1 correcting and erasing1 uncertain in his touch4 ,the lines will probably be correct in the end2 but when the picture is finished his work has not that bright crisp look so characteristic of the ,japanese pictures4 ,then1 again1 when a ,japanese artist draws a bird1 he begins with the point of interest--which1 let us say1 is the eye4 ,the brilliant black eye of a crow fixed upon a piece of meat attracts his attention2 he remembers it1 and the first few strokes that he portrays upon his stretched silk is the eye of the bird4 ,the neck1 the legs1 the body--everything radiates and springs from that bright eye just as it does in the animal itself4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lemon ,,bridge ,then1 again1 let us say a ,japanese artist is painting a typical ,japanese river-scene1 such a one as inspired many of ,mr4 ,whistler's graceful ,thames etchings--a quaintly formed bridge under whose dim archway a glimpse of shipping and masses of detail can be seen in the distance4 ,to a ,japanese artist the chief charm and interest of such a scene would lie in that little view beneath the bridge1 and he would begin by drawing in1 line for line1 every little mast and funnel just as he sees it1 or rather as he remembers it4 ,the picture slowly expands as it reaches the margin1 ending in the bridge1 which forms1 as it were1 a frame through which to view the dainty richness of detail of the busy scene beyond4 ,if you were to arrest this picture at any moment during its career you would find that it formed a perfect whole1 every line balancing the other2 whereas1 according to our methods1 if we were to draw the bridge first1 timidly suggesting the distance and leaving the detail and all the fine lines to be put in afterwards1 as so many artists do1 the picture until it was completed would appear spotty and uneven4 ,and even when finished there would be no balance1 for we neither understand nor realise the importance of that quality without which no work of art can be perfect4 ,the ,japanese methods of drawing and painting are entirely opposed to our ,western methods1 and in order to give a slight insight into the works of the ,japanese painters ,i must describe these methods as minutely and as clearly as is possible4 ,to begin with1 the size of an ordinary picture is two feet by four and a half long1 and as a rule three times as much space is left at the top as at the bottom of the picture4 ,the brushes consist of a series of round ones2 they are flat-ended and vary greatly in breadth1 being named after the character of work they are fitted for4 ,straw brushes are sometimes used for coarse work4 ,the silk that they paint upon is prepared in the following manner4 ,first the edges of the wooden frame are pasted and the silk is rolled loosely over1 great care being taken to keep the grain of the silk level4 ,the surface of the silk is prepared with alum and size1 the proportion of which is about an egg-spoonful of alum to a small tea-cupful of size4 ,the size is boiled and strained and diluted with water1 and the alum is added over the fire2 it is again strained1 and is then ready for use4 ,finally1 it is put on to the surface while hot with a large brush4 ,it is usual to put on two coats1 and a contrivance in the shape of a cross piece of wood at the back of the frame is used for straining the silk more tightly after the first coat of size4 ,the colours that the ,japanese use are mixed and prepared in the following manner4 ,whitening1 which is the basis of most colours1 is pounded with a pestle and mortar into a very fine powder2 then a little size which has been boiled and strained is poured in1 and the whole is beaten up and worked into a ball4 ,this ball is thrown over and over again into the mortar until it is well beaten4 ,a little water is poured over the lump1 which is then heated over a fire until it breaks and spreads4 ,in this state1 after cooling a little1 it is well worked up1 with perhaps the addition of water1 until a white pulpy putty is produced2 the artist is very careful all the time to avoid grit4 ,other colours are principally prepared from powders1 which are beaten up in little porcelain cups with small pestles1 and are mixed with a little size and water into saucers1 stirred all the while with the finger and heated over the fire until dry1 or nearly so4 ,when required for use they must be worked up again with the finger and water1 and it is a good plan when first mixing the colours to paste paper over the saucers1 leaving a small hole for the insertion of the brush4 ,gamboge and a vegetable red resembling crimson lake are both used without size4 ,the latter is prepared from a woollen material which is torn up into shreds and put into a saucer2 then it is mixed with boiling water and afterwards strained through paper4 ,it is drawn off in small quantities into several saucers and carefully dried over the fire4 ,there is a colour which is much used called ,taisha1 which is like burnt sienna2 then there is ,tan1 a sort of orange1 and ,shi1 a vermilion red4 ,the red is prepared in two different ways1 first by being mixed cold in a cup with a pestle1 a little size1 and water4 ,in this preparation the colour separates into a deep red and orange1 the latter floating on the top4 ,the orange is afterwards saved and used instead of ,tan--,tan1 not being permanent1 turns black and disappears2 it is used sometimes to shade ladies' faces1 but fades very much4 ,in using this preparation of orange and red1 the brush must be first dipped in yellow and then the tip of it in the red1 so as to take up both portions of the mixture4 ,another way of preparing ,shi is to heat a saucer until the finger can hardly bear the touch1 and then pour in some size and put the powdered pigment in it while still on the fire4 ,when it has dried it is taken off and mixed with the finger very hot1 a little water being added gradually1 until it is of a thickish consistency4 ,shi thus mixed is of a deep red without any orange precipitate1 and is used for upper washes1 for1 having a great deal of orange in it1 it would be too black if used for undertones4 ,in mixing indigo blue from a cake1 the saucer is put over the fire to dry1 and a little size is added4 ,it is then rubbed with the finger1 and water is gradually added4 ,taisha1 when in a cake1 is also prepared in this way4 ,taisha is used for the face and hair4 ,the hair is shaded off with ,indian ink1 and the muscles of the face are washed in with ,taisha having no white but a little black mixed with it2 the feet and hands are handled in the same way4 ,then the face is washed over again with the same colour1 only a little lighter4 ,broad masses of shading are introduced1 and the nose1 mouth1 and edge of the cheek are generally left to be shaded in4 ,it is considered better to use a number of light tones than one dark tone1 and the washes on the face are repeated two or three times4 ,the hair also is washed over with a large brush and rather dark ink2 the eyebrows are put in in a single wash2 also the corners of the eyes and mouth1 which are flicked in and then washed off again4 ,the lips are put in with vermilion and shaded off with another brush4 ,a mixture of red1 white1 and ,indian ink forming a dull purple is used for the pupils of the eyes1 and the same mixture with a greater proportion of red1 and consequently a little lighter1 is used for going over the outline1 and the ends of some of the lines are washed off with another brush4 ,the same purple colour1 but lighter still1 is used as a backing to the outline in order to soften the edges1 and a few touches of purple are painted in under the eyes and ears4 ,the lips are touched with carmine1 and the teeth and eyeballs with a little white4 ,the under-lip and corners of the eyes are touched with lines or dots of light ,indian ink1 and the top eyelids and tops of lower eyelids are outlined with thin lines4 ,the outline of the pupil is very fine2 but the dot of the eye is made very black2 the nostrils are painted in in light ink1 shaded off afterwards and outlined in black4 ,the hair round the mouth is put in in very light ink with a finely pointed brush4 ,illustration3 ,,bearing ,a ,,burden ,there are many ways of painting the hair4 ,sometimes a fine brush is used with single parallel lines1 and sometimes it is washed in with a broad brush with light ink below and darker above4 ,in old silk pictures great depth used to be obtained by painting the hair on the back of the silk as well as on the front4 ,for painting leaves a mixture of indigo and gamboge is generally used with a full brush1 the tip of the brush being dipped in indigo4 ,by this method1 the dark colour on the tip of the brush being after a time exhausted1 the lighter green appears1 and thus a natural variety of gradation is given to the colour of the leaves4 ,trees and rocks1 etc41 are often scrubbed in with a rather dry brush worked sideways and forming broken lines4 ,another method of drawing a figure is to outline in charcoal1 after which the face with its markings is outlined with a kind of ,indian ink4 ,then with the same ,indian ink1 but with broader lines and a large brush1 the drapery is boldly swept in with lines that should break in parts and form a drag4 ,this drag must come naturally by pressing the brush firmly on the silk or paper2 any attempt to force it would end in failure4 ,the hair should then be worked in with a large spread brush1 care being taken to give the hairs a radial tendency and not let them cross confusedly4 ,sometimes this hair is painted with a fine brush and with single lines4 ,for the background two large brushes are used1 one fitted with light ink and the other with plain water to shade off the black4 ,the face and the breast are treated in the same way4 ,the outlines of the drapery are sometimes washed in with a lighter tone to project over the edge and soften them4 ,the face is washed with a mixture of red and ink1 leaving only the eyes4 ,the work is finished by using a small brush and very black ink for the markings of the mouth1 centre of the eyes1 under the eyelids1 nostrils1 and ear-rings4 ,japanese artists study a great deal from life1 and in order to draw a figure full of spirit and action they will often work in this way4 ,beginning with a very full brush1 they sketch in the general swing of the figure with a few well-chosen broad black lines--as1 for instance1 when drawing the legs of a horse or a lobster they will put them in with one broad wash4 ,then they strain thin ,japanese paper over this spirited sketch1 and begin to elaborate on it with finer work1 until in the end they produce a picture that has high finish1 but possessing all the action and spirit of a first impression4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,day ,,and ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,festival ,the ,japanese system of studying ,nature in detail1 but not with a view to creating a picture1 is perhaps especially noticeable in their drawings of women4 ,it would be considered coarse and vulgar in the extreme to paint a woman in the glaring light of a studio1 copying every feature and wrinkle1 line for line1 as you would copy a man4 ,kiyosai explains that it is impossible to create a beautiful face by drawing direct from life1 especially in line4 ,the only way in which it can be achieved is by suggesting a natural beauty on paper1 and by imitating a conventional type away from nature4 ,the ,japanese have a conventional type of beauty just as we have1 and just as the ,greeks had years ago--an ideal that has been evolved from the aggregate of myriads of beautiful women1--and this ideal of theirs must be a woman possessing small lips1 with eyelids scarcely showing1 and eyebrows far above the eyes4 ,the forehead must be narrow at the top and widening towards the base1 looking altogether very like a pyramid with its top cut off2 the nose should be aquiline1 and the whole woman must appear to be the personification of softness and delicacy4 ,the conventional type of a ,japanese man has always the legs and arms placed in impossible positions to denote strength1 and the muscles are greatly exaggerated4 ,in the old masters of ,japan great importance is attached to flesh markings1 more especially in pictures of men4 ,in a sketch of a fat man trying to lift a heavy weight1 the action would be suggested in a few swift lines with no shading1 but just two small horizontal lines at the back of the neck4 ,those two little flesh markings portray the fat man to perfection1 admirably suggesting both the strain of the action and the bulk of the man4 ,but in talking of the art of ,japan and the methods of the ,japanese painter1 ,i feel that ,i cannot do better than describe a day that ,i once spent with that greatest of all living artists1 ,kiyosai1 at the house of ,captain ,brinkley4 ,this gentleman invited ,kiyosai to come to his house one morning1 and ,i was asked to watch and follow the whole process of his work1 and as far as possible to learn from him his theories about painting4 ,it was a splendid chance for me as a painter1 especially as ,captain ,brinkley1 who has resided in ,japan for many years1 and is a ,japanese scholar of high attainment1 acted as interpreter between ,kiyosai and myself4 ,kiyosai1 ,i may say1 is known all over ,japan4 ,from the highest noble to the lowest ragged child in the streets1 all know the artist and love his work1 for the pictures of a popular painter get abroad in ,japan much as they get abroad here--,kiyosai's pictures and sketches being reproduced and published in the ,japanese papers just as they would be published in ,western magazines4 ,when any drawing by ,kiyosai appears a rush is made for the paper4 ,these drawings of his are really superb work1 and ,i could not help feeling how great a privilege it was to come into contact with such a man4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,front ,,of ,,the ,,stall ,i arrived at my host's quite early in the morning1 for ,i was to have a whole day with my ,japanese fellow-worker4 ,i was introduced at once to an old man1 grave and very dignified in bearing1 and ,i found it difficult at first to realise that this was the painter of whom ,i had heard so much4 ,he was sitting on the floor smoking1 while his assistant was busy stretching silk and preparing colours4 ,as a rule1 to see a ,japanese smoke is to get at once a clue to the nature of the people4 ,but ,kiyosai was peculiar even in this4 ,he was one of the few men who would take only one draw from his pipe2 in the most dignified manner possible he would take that one whiff and then knock out the contents of his pipe1 repeating the process as long as he continued to smoke4 ,he had the most remarkable hands1 too1 ever seen1 with long and slim thumbs--more sensitive1 artistic1 capable hands1 from the chiromancer's point of view1 could hardly be4 ,he was enthusiastic1 but prodigiously dignified1 and used his hands just a little1 yet in the most impressive way4 ,he never rose from his sitting posture1 and every time ,i said anything that was at all complimentary he received it with charming ceremony1 by bowing to the very ground4 ,no sooner was ,i introduced than his face seemed to light up1 his eyes became intensely brilliant1 and his conversation not less so4 ,he was enthusiastic in his desire to learn about ,english painters and ,english art generally1 and eager to tell me his own views of art1 and all he felt about it4 ,to my pleased confusion1 he seemed to regard me with an interest equalling mine for him4 ,he put many questions about ,english art1 and told me much that was interesting about his own4 ,he spoke of the effect made on him by some ,english pictures4 ,i have seen a number of ,english and ,european pictures1 he said2 but they all appear to me very much alike4 ,i hear that in ,england and all over ,europe they say the ,japanese pictures look to them all alike4 ,why is this8 ,the explanation was not immediately forthcoming1 for at first sight it seemed so extraordinary that to this man ,english pictures looked all alike4 ,but immediately the truth forced itself upon me1 as it will force itself upon the reader4 ,european pictures are all wonderfully alike4 ,it struck me that when1 not long before1 ,i was on a hanging committee1 and had passing before me several thousand pictures1 it was only here and there that my attention was arrested by the individuality of some of the work4 ,for the most part they were the same pigments1 the same high lights1 and the same deep shadows2 and mentally seeing this procession of pictures pass before me1 ,i could not avoid seeing how grievously alike ,european pictures were4 ,i had in some sort1 indeed1 felt this before1 and was delighted on having the impression fixed1 so to speak1 by the ,japanese master4 ,i saw a number of ,japanese pictures1 and ,i certainly found them far more individual than our work is4 ,we say these ,japanese works are insipid1 out of perspective1 and all pretty much the same4 ,here is a painter of ,japan who brings a similar charge against our much more complex pictures--this1 surely1 is a new and a valuable lesson1 full of suggestion for the thoughtful painter6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,stall ,,by ,,the ,,bridge ,kiyosai next began to discuss drawing1 and1 as he was speaking to an ,englishman1 ,english drawing in particular4 ,i hear that when artists in ,england are painting1 he said1 if they are painting a bird1 they stand that bird up in their back garden1 or in their studio1 and begin to paint it at once1 then and there1 never quite deciding what they are going to paint1 never thinking of the particular pose and action of the bird that is to be represented on the canvas4 ,now1 suppose that bird suddenly moves one leg up--what does the ,english artist do then8 ,he could not understand how an ,english painter could paint with the model before him4 ,i naturally told him that they copied what they saw2 that they got over the difficulty as best they could4 ,i do not quite understand that1 he said4 ,in my own practice ,i look at the bird2 ,i want to paint him as he is4 ,he has got a pose4 ,good6 ,then he suddenly puts down his head1 and there is another pose4 ,the bare fact of the bird being there in an altered pose would compel me to alter my idea2 and so on1 until at last ,i could paint nothing at all4 ,i asked him what1 then1 was his method4 ,i watch my bird1 he replied1 and the particular pose ,i wish to copy before ,i attempt to represent it4 ,i observe that very closely until he moves and the attitude is altered4 ,then ,i go away and record as much of that particular pose as ,i can remember4 ,perhaps ,i may be able to put down only three or four lines2 but directly ,i have lost the impression ,i stop4 ,then ,i go back again and study that bird until it takes the same position as before4 ,and then ,i again try and retain as much as ,i can of it4 ,in this way ,i began by spending a whole day in a garden watching a bird and its particular attitude1 and in the end ,i have remembered the pose so well1 by continually trying to represent it1 that ,i am able to repeat it entirely from my impression--but not from the bird4 ,it is a hindrance to have the model before me when ,i have a mental note of the pose4 ,what ,i do is a painting from memory1 and it is a true impression4 ,i have filled hundreds of sketch-books1 he continued1 of different sorts of birds and fish and other things1 and have at last got a facility1 and have trained my memory to such an extent1 that by observing the rapid action of a bird ,i can nearly always retain and produce it4 ,by a lifelong training ,i have made my memory so keen that ,i think ,i may say ,i can reproduce anything ,i have once seen4 ,such1 then1 is ,kiyosai's method of work4 ,it is purely natural1 and one that has obtained for generations1 and that is the ,japanese whole theory of art4 ,captain ,brinkley told me a story1 the outcome of that conversation4 ,kiyosai came one day to work at a screen which ,captain ,brinkley was very anxious for him to complete2 but he could not finish it at the time1 do what he would4 ,he said nothing2 but it came out that he had a fresh impression in his mind1 and he could not go on with the old impression until he had worked off the new one--something he had seen on his way up to the house4 ,the painters always live with fish1 and birds1 and animals of different sorts4 ,they have fish in bottles and in ponds in their gardens4 ,i went to many studios in ,japan1 and ,i found each one with its ponds and fish in the little garden surrounding the studio1 and birds as well4 ,they always study nature1 and ,i believe that is the keynote of their art4 ,the technique of ,kiyosai's work was most fascinating4 ,i had come away from ,england with all sorts of theories concerning the technical part of an artist's work1 and when ,i got to ,japan ,i found there was absolutely nothing that was not known to this man4 ,his method of work1 too1 interested me exceedingly4 ,to begin with1 the assistant brought his stretcher of silk--a lovely piece of silk stretched across a wooden frame--and placed it in front of him4 ,then1 taking a long burnt twig1 he thought for a few minutes1 looking all the while at his silk--thought out his picture1 indeed1 before he put a single touch on his canvas4 ,how different is this from the man who so often1 with us1 puts on a lot of hasty touches in the hope that they will suggest the picture6 ,when this artist saw his picture complete in his mind1 he began with the little burnt twig to trace a few sure lines4 ,i never saw such facility in my life4 ,a few swift strokes indicated the outline on the silk of two black crows2 then he took up his brush and began at once with the ,indian ink1 with full powerful colour2 and in about seven minutes he had completed a picture1 superbly drawn and full of character--a complete impression of two black crows1 very nearly life-size1 resting on the branch of a tree4 ,kiyosai never amid any circumstances repeats himself3 every picture he paints is different1 while for his work he asks but a small price4 ,after he had done his crows he painted a coloured picture1 beginning with ,indian ink4 ,first he tried all his colours1 which were ready prepared in different little blue pots and placed around him4 ,these little shallow pots or saucers had each its own liquid1 which the assistant had prepared to a certain extent beforehand4 ,they contained flesh tint1 drapery colour1 tones for hair1 gold ornaments1 and so forth4 ,these colours had evidently been used before1 as they were in their saucers1 merely requiring dilution before immediate use4 ,the saucers were arranged chiefly on his right1 with a great vessel of water1 of which he used a great deal4 ,all his utensils were scrupulously clean4 ,when he began there was no fishing for tones as on the average palette4 ,no accident6 ,all was sure--a scientific certainty from beginning to the end4 ,the picture was the portrait of a woman4 ,it displayed enormous facility and great knowledge1 and his treatment of the drapery was remarkable2 but altogether it pleased me less4 ,no attempt was there at what is called broken colour4 ,a black dress would be one beautiful tone of black1 and flesh one clean tone of flesh1 shadows growing out of the mass and forming a part of the whole4 ,as this work was a very simple impression1 he finished the coloured picture in a few minutes4 ,but on the whole1 in one sense1 it was less satisfactory4 ,it appeared as if he had studied his subject less1 for it was a little conventional4 ,he was less happy in it2 but1 of course1 he did not admit this to himself4 ,illustration3 ,,archers ,he did four pictures1 and each of them took from about seven to ten minutes1 these constituting the finest lesson in water-colour painting ,i ever received in my life4 ,here is his idea of finish3 once the impression of the detail and the finish of the object is recorded you can do nothing better2 so far as the painter's impression of finish goes1 so far must the rendering go1 and no farther4 ,artistically he had become exhausted by doing these four pictures--in invention1 ,i mean4 ,you see1 the man was heart and soul in the work4 ,he lives1 poor fellow1 on almost nothing4 ,he is a very independent man1 refusing to work for money1 and declining to paint for the market4 ,nearly every artist in ,japan has his own favourite stick of ,indian ink1 which he values as his very life4 ,it is essential that this ink should be of the very finest quality1 for they drink so much of it4 ,in order to execute those fine lines ending in a broad sweep that is so characteristic of ,japanese pictures1 an artist must first fill his brush with ,indian ink and then apply it to his lips until the tip becomes pointed4 ,the ink is of course swallowed2 but if it is of a good quality1 to drink pints of it would not do a man the slightest harm4 ,a practical proof of this can be found in the fact that ,kiyosai1 who is an old man1 has been drinking ,indian ink steadily with every picture he has painted all through his lifetime4 ,he possesses a small piece of ,indian ink which is hundreds of years old1 and which all the money in the world could not buy4 ,it is far too precious for broad washes1 and is only used here and there for bright touches4 ,i noticed the tender way in which ,kiyosai handled this one precious piece of ,indian ink1 and that led to a very interesting conversation on blacks1 after which ,i realised that the variations and gradations to be procured with black alone were enormous4 ,kiyosai told me that when he was very young he was puzzled by the exceedingly rich quality of black in one of his master's pictures4 ,it was a deep1 velvety1 luminous black1 and young ,kiyosai struggled for weeks and weeks to match it1 but in vain4 ,he came to the conclusion that there must be some work going on at the back of the picture1 and at last one night he became so desperate that1 stealing into his master's room while he lay asleep1 he soaked off the picture which had been pasted on to a board1 and looked at the back of it4 ,one glance was enough1 and little ,kiyosai1 with a throb of pleasure1 hastily pasted the picture together again and stole away to experiment all that night on silk and on paper1 painting black both on the front and on the back4 ,i inquired of ,kiyosai if he had ever painted in oils1 and he assured me that he had not2 but a few days later ,captain ,brinkley showed me a little picture painted in lacquer by ,kiyosai which1 in my opinion1 rivalled for brilliancy any oil picture that has ever been painted1 or has still to be painted4 ,the surface was as brilliant as glass2 yet the picture had a depth which no ordinary oil pigment could hope to reach1 while its deep luminous shadows would put to shame the finest of ,van ,eyck's pictures4 ,an ,english friend of mine resident in ,japan once told me a story of ,kiyosai which struck me as being typical of that great master4 ,a friend of his had prepared four magnificent sliding panels covered with the finest silk1 and had given them to the painter with the request that he would execute some of his masterpieces on them for him4 ,for eight or nine years ,kiyosai had kept those panels1 and they still remained bare2 but great masters are always erratic1 and the would-be purchaser never gave up hope4 ,one day1 however1 he burst in upon my friend with the terrible intelligence that ,kiyosai was dead drunk and had ruined his panels4 ,he's smashing away at them on the floor1 and he is simply crawling over them1 he said in a towering rage4 ,my friend agreed to go round with him to ,kiyosai's house to try if possible to stop the outrage4 ,when they arrived they found the master in a high state of fever1 and looking more like a wild animal than a human being1 with his tusk-like teeth and his poor pitted face1 sweeping and hacking about all over the silken panels4 ,as they entered1 ,kiyosai left the room1 leaving behind him the panels scattered irregularly over the floor1 but each one smothered with work4 ,look here1 said my friend very generously3 it was ,i that introduced ,kiyosai to you1 and it was ,i that suggested his painting these doors2 therefore it is only fair that ,i should relieve you of them and find you a new set1 which ,i will willingly do4 ,but the owner of the panels1 shrewdly guessing that my friend had not made this magnanimous offer without some good reason1 changed his mind and said that he could on no account receive so costly a gift4 ,he kept them1 and wisely too1 for these four panels are now universally considered as some of ,kiyosai's greatest masterpieces4 ,illustration3 ,,reflections ,strange to say1 ,kiyosai1 when painting his finest work1 is nearly always drunk1 and his weakness is often taken a mean advantage of by the people around him4 ,i remember once attending a party given by a ,legation person who had invited a dozen or so of ,japan's finest artists--among them the great ,kiyosai1 the master--to paint pictures on the floor for the edification of the assembled guests--a rather vulgar proceeding4 ,kiyosai resented this indignity with all the force of his passionate nature1 but out of kindness allowed himself to be over-persuaded by his host4 ,they made him drink and keep on drinking to build up his enthusiasm2 but1 boiling over with rage and indignation1 he kept on putting off his time until the whole twelve artists had finished the sketches1 although1 fearing that the effect of the drink would wear off1 the guests begged him to start at once4 ,at last ,kiyosai's time came4 ,the silk lay prepared on the floor1 with the ink and brushes ready for him to begin4 ,mad with rage and hating his unsympathetic audience1 ,kiyosai stood1 or rather knelt1 before his silk1 fiercely grasping the brush1 holding it downwards with all his fingers round it and thumb turned outwards4 ,he looked like a god as he knelt there1 gripping his brush and staring at the silk--he was seeing his picture4 ,he executed a flight of crows1 a masterpiece--,kiyosai knew it was a masterpiece--and1 proudly drawing himself up to his full height1 quivering in every limb1 he threw down his brush1 skidded the silk along the floor towards the spectators1 and1 saying ,that is ,kiyosai1 left the house in disgust4 ,the dignity of the little man cowed his spectators4 ,every one unconsciously felt the magnetism of the man1 and realised that a master had been among them4 ,,placing ,,chapter ,,iv ,,placing ,in ,japan there is no such thing as accident4 ,a scene which in its beauty and perfect placing appears to the visitor to be the result of ,nature in an unusually generous mood1 has in reality been the object of infinite care and thought and anxious deliberation to these little ,japanese artists1 the landscape gardeners4 ,that temple which seems to place itself so remarkably well in relation to the big lines of ,nature1 its background1 has been carefully built and thought out from that standpoint alone4 ,the great trees by the side of the temple1 with their graceful jutting boughs that form the principal feature of the picture1 have not grown like that1 for all their apparent naturalness2 they have been nursed and grafted and forced into shape with the utmost care imaginable4 ,the sense of perfect placing1 which is the sense of balance1 is the true secret of the ,japanese art1 by which they attain perfection4 ,all ,orientals are more or less possessed of this intuitive sense of balance1 and the ,japanese carry it into the most minute details of daily life4 ,if you enter a ,japanese room you will always find that the bough of blossom is placed in relation to the kakemono and other furniture to form a picture4 ,and the special note of ,japanese house decoration is this bough of blossom1 with which ,i was immensely struck4 ,now1 this is an altogether artistic thing4 ,at one party at which ,i was present ,i saw a piece of blossom-bough put right out at a curious angle from a beautiful blue jar4 ,turning to my neighbour1 a young ,japanese friend who could talk ,english perfectly well1 ,i said1 ,how beautiful that is6--although1 of course1 its quaint curious form is merely accident4 ,no--no accident at all1 he replied4 ,do you know1 it has been a matter of great care1 this placing of the plant in the room in relation to other objects8--,i was afterwards informed that in many a household in ,japan the children are trained in the method of placing a branch or a piece of blossom1 and they have books with diagrams illustrating the proper way of disposing flowers in a pot4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,red ,,curtain ,the outsides as well as the insides of their houses are decorated in the harmonious principle1 even to the painting of signs in the street4 ,they are most particular about placing their richly coloured sign duly in relation to its surroundings4 ,in the same way--whether the subject may be done in a string of lanterns or what not--whatever is done is done harmoniously1 and in no case is decoration the result of accident4 ,the sum of it all is that every shop in an ordinary street is a perfect picture4 ,at first you are amazed at the beauty of everything4 ,how in the world is it1 you ask yourself1 that by a series of apparent accidents everything appears beautiful8 ,you cannot imagine until you know that even the common man has acquired the scientific placing of his things1 and that the feeling permeates all classes4 ,perhaps1 however1 one of the most curious experiences ,i had of the native artistic instinct of ,japan occurred in this way ,i had got a number of fanholders and was busying myself one afternoon in arranging them upon the walls4 ,my little ,japanese servant boy was in the room1 and as ,i went on with my work ,i caught an expression on his face from time to time which showed that he was not over-pleased with my performance4 ,after a while1 as this dissatisfied expression seemed to deepen1 ,i asked him what the matter was4 ,then he frankly confessed that he did not like the way in which ,i was arranging my fanholders4 ,why did you not tell me so at once8 ,i asked4 ,you are an artist from ,england1 he replied1 and it was not for me to speak4 ,however1 ,i persuaded him to arrange the fanholders himself after his own taste1 and ,i must say that ,i received a remarkable lesson4 ,the task took him about two hours1 placing1 arranging1 adjusting2 and when he had finished the result was simply beautiful4 ,that wall was a perfect picture2 every fanholder seemed to be exactly in its right place1 and it looked as if the alteration of a single one would affect and disintegrate the whole scheme4 ,i accepted the lesson with due humility1 and remained more than ever convinced that the ,japanese are what they have justly claimed to be1 an essentially artistic people instinct with living art4 ,it is1 in point of fact1 almost impossible to exaggerate the importance attached to the placing of an object by every ,japanese1 and it would be no exaggeration to say that if a common coolie were given an addressed envelope to stamp he would take great pains to place that little coloured patch in relation to the name and address in order to form a decorative pattern4 ,can you imagine a tradesman and his family1 wife and children1 running across the ,strand to watch the placing of a saucepan in their window8 ,yet this is no unusual occurrence in ,japan4 ,you will often see a family collected on the opposite side of the road watching their father place a signboard in front of his shop4 ,it might be a grocer's shop1 and all--even to the mite strapped to the back of its sister--are eagerly watching the moving about of this board1 and are interested to see that it should place itself well in relation to the broad masses around1 such as the tea-box1 etc4 ,illustration3 ,,flower ,,of ,,the ,,tea ,now1 people who think so much of the details of balance must necessarily approach art in a very different manner from that in which we approach it4 ,would a tradesman in ,england hesitate before placing his stamps on a bill8 ,the tradesman in ,japan does4 ,imagine an artist spending three days in anxious thought as to where he should place his signature on his picture6 ,and yet this is what ,kiyosai1 the greatest of modern painters1 actually did before he affixed his red stamp to the hasty sketch of a crow4 ,i have known little ,japanese painters to ponder for hours1 and sometimes weeks1 over the placing of this little vermilion stamp so that it shall form perfect balance1 and in all probability the picture itself has only taken a few minutes4 ,suppose1 for instance1 a painter has contrived to produce a rapid sketch of a flying crow1 or perhaps a fish4 ,that fleeting impression was so strong that he was able to produce it at once without any hesitation2 but however vivid and lifelike the picture might be1 if the balance were destroyed by the ugly placing of this one little spot of vermilion1 from the ,japanese standpoint the picture would be utterly worthless4 ,and the proper placing of a thing is really most important4 ,even the most ignorant and uneducated in matters of art are influenced on seeing a perfect bit of placing4 ,to live with some beautiful thing1 a flower or a bough well placed1 to watch its delicious curves or the tender buds of a purple iris just bursting1 must give joy1 and it does1 although one may be quite unconscious of its gentle power4 ,the ,japanese understand these subtleties as do no other nation4 ,if they are entertaining a guest1 their one aim and object is to make him perfectly and deliriously happy2 they strive to divine his inmost thoughts and desires2 it is their ambition to satisfy them to the best of their ability4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,street ,,in ,,kioto ,a friend of mine1 an ,american1 once gave me a description of a week he had spent with a very ancient ,japanese gentleman in a little country village2 it was a week of intense interest and happiness to him1 one which1 when he grows to be as old as his host was then1 will still remain in his memory with a lingering sweetness as something good to be remembered1 something purer and quite apart from the regular routine of his past life4 ,he was a student1 a naturalist2 and the purity of this ,japanese household1 the seclusion and dainty decoration of his study1 the freedom of it all1 and the kindly attention and sympathy that was proffered to him by every member of the family combined to make the quiet recluse feel1 for once in his life1 almost boisterously happy4 ,towards the end of his visit he tried to look back and discover what it was that had brought about this unwonted feeling of joy in him1 little realising that all this time these dear people had been scheming and planning for no other object than to give him pleasure4 ,it was not until the last day of his stay1 however1 that it all unfolded itself clearly before his eyes1 and that he learnt the reason why he had been so happy4 ,on this last morning he had chanced to rise early--at daybreak1 in fact--and as he passed the room that he had been using as a general sitting-room1 he saw through the partially-opened sliding doors a sight which caught his breath with amazement1 and made tears spring to his eyes4 ,there was his host1 the dear ancient ,japanese gentleman1 kneeling before a bough of pink blossom1 which he was struggling to arrange in a fine blue china pot4 ,the naturalist stood and watched him for nearly an hour1 as he clipped a bough here1 and bent a twig there1 leaning back on his heels now and then to view his handiwork through half-closed eyes4 ,he must see that the blossom placed itself well from the decorative standpoint in relation to the kakemono that hung close by2 he must also see that the curves of the bough were correct2 and the care taken by this old gentleman in the bending of the bough was a lesson to my friend4 ,it became clear to him that every morning his aged host must have risen at daybreak to perform this little act of kindness4 ,like a flash he remembered that each day there had been some dainty new arrangement of flowers placed in his room for him to enjoy4 ,he had not given it much thought1 for it looked more or less like an accident1 flowers that had formed themselves naturally into that shape2 yet1 all unconsciously1 this little bit of perfect placing had influenced his work and had gone far towards making the visit so joyous to him4 ,he did not understand placing2 but it interested him and gave him an intense amount of pleasure1 in the same way that superbly fine work always does even to the most uneducated4 ,the proper placing of objects is not only an exact science1 but also it forms almost a religion with the ,japanese4 ,when you just arrive in ,japan you are at once impressed with the perfect placing of everything about you4 ,you find yourself surrounded by a series of beautiful pictures2 every street that you see on your journey from the station to the hotel is a picture2 every shop front1 the combination of the many streets1 the town in relation to the mountains round about it--everything you chance to look at forms a picture4 ,in fact1 the whole of ,japan is one perfect bit of placing4 ,illustration3 ,,heavy-,,laden ,nature has favoured this place1 says the globe-trotter4 ,i never found when ,i lived in ,surrey that great trees placed themselves against hill-sides so as to form perfect pictures4 ,i never saw the lines of a bush pick up those of a fence with one broad sweep4 ,nature never behaved like that in ,dorking4 ,of course ,nature didn't2 nor does she in ,japan4 ,there the whole country1 every square inch of it1 is thought out and handled by great artists4 ,there is no accident in the beautiful curves of the trees that the globe-trotter so justly admires3 these trees have been trained and shaped and forced to form a certain decorative pattern1 and the result is--perfection4 ,we in the ,west labour under the delusion that if ,nature were to be allowed to have her own sweet way1 she would always be beautiful4 ,but the ,japanese have gone much further than this3 they realise that ,nature does not always do the right thing2 they know that occasionally trees will grow up to form ugly lines2 and they know exactly how to adapt and help her4 ,she is to them like some beautiful musical instrument1 finer than any ever made by human hands1 but still an instrument1 with harmonies to be coaxed out4 ,and the ,japanese play on ,nature1 not only in a concentrated way as with a kakemono or a flower in a room1 but also in the biggest possible form1 on landscapes2 dragging in mountains1 colossal trees1 rushing cataracts--nothing is too much or too great an undertaking for these masters of decoration4 ,any ordinary little baby boy that is born in ,japan has almost a greater decorative sense than the finest painter here in the ,west4 ,all this beauty and perfection that meets one on every side is the result of centuries and centuries of habit1 until it has become intuitive to the people4 ,i can safely say there is no point in ,japan where an artist cannot stand still and frame between his hands a picture that will be perfect in placing and design4 ,in a ,japanese garden1 every stepping-stone1 every tree1 every little miniature out-house1 is thought out as a bit of placing to form perfect balance4 ,and it is thought out not as an isolated bit of ,nature1 but in relation to everything around that you can see1 whether it is a temple1 a large tree1 or the side of a hill2 and whatever position you happen to be in1 in that garden you will always see a perfectly balanced picture4 ,when you have been pottering about in the towns for some weeks1 you eventually become accustomed to the idea that everything is thought out by these brilliant students in order to form a picture1 and you begin to feel proud of the knowledge you have gleaned and to make practical use of it4 ,you escort your friends1 who are a trifle fresher than yourself1 about the towns1 pointing out to them that there is no accident in all the beauties that they so much admire--the shops1 the signboards1 the placing of the flower by the side of the workman--all this has been carefully thought out from the decorative standpoint1 to be beautiful4 ,but then1 when one travels from the beaten track1 away out in the country1 even the resident who is by way of being artistic1 and has had the fact that the ,japanese are an artistic people driven into his stupid head by sheer force1 even this poor dear is swept off his feet when he finds that ,nature is still going on doing the same thing all these miles away from the town4 ,he has probably come to view the cherry-blossom1 and he discovers to his amazement that these huge hill-sides of blossom place themselves perfectly one against the other--colossal trees with jutty boughs frame themselves against the sides of the mountains to form a picture4 ,one huge sweep of blossom is thought out in relation to another sweep that is deeper in tone2 near by is a curiously-shaped bare patch of earth which is designed to give value to the brighter colour2 and so it continues indefinitely4 ,the whole country is thought out in huge blotches to form a picture perfect in harmony and in design4 ,i once had a very interesting experience of the felling of a tree in ,japan1 and here again placing formed a very prominent part of the proceedings4 ,of course this was placing of a nature very different from the artistic placing that ,i have just described2 but as a scientific bit of work it was simply wonderful6 ,it was an enormous tree by the side of a temple2 there were two little men sawing away at its base1 little mites of men1 half hidden by the huge gaping crowd1 chiefly composed of children1 that stood watching the performance1 waiting for the tree to fall4 ,a wall stood close by with an opening cut in it1 just large enough to allow the trunk to place itself2 and away in the distance strewn about at different angles were a series of huge stone boulders1 and these1 ,i soon found out1 were to split up the boughs for firewood when the tree fell1 thus saving labour4 ,imagine the science of it--the calculation and the accuracy of their judgment6 ,the men went on sawing1 every now and then pausing in their work to look up at the sky with their backs against the wall4 ,at last there came a moment when the excitement was terrific3 the trunk was nearly sawed through1 and the tree seemed prepared to fall anywhere and everywhere1 more particularly in my direction4 ,presently it began to give slightly1 and it was one of the prettiest and most wonderful things ,i have ever seen in my life1 the way that tree began to bend--gently1 gracefully1 ever so gently1 the trunk fitting itself into the wall1 and the branches dashing on to those great boulders that were waiting for them1 splitting them up into fragments4 ,those little mites of ,japanese handling that giant of a tree was a sight that ,i shall never forget4 ,where we would have had twenty men with ropes and paraphernalia1 they had nothing but their big heads and their power to place a thing mathematically in the right position to help them4 ,and it all looked so graceful and so easy that it would not have surprised me in the least to have seen one of those little men come sailing down on the branches4 ,but what struck me the most forcibly was the great confidence of the people4 ,they all stood round1 almost touching the tree1 but quite sure of the success of this venture2 the fact that it was possible for the wood-cutter to fail never occurring to them for an instant4 ,illustration3 ,,peach-,,blossom ,placing takes a prominent part in everything that the ,japanese undertake2 it shows itself not only in the arrangement of the landscape and in artistic matters where there is scope for their decorative powers1 but also in small1 out-of-the-way1 inartistic things1 as1 for instance1 photography4 ,i have seen in the ,tokio shop-windows photographs taken by native correspondents during the ,chinese war1 and it was quite extraordinary how their sense of placing showed itself even in this4 ,you never by any chance see a photograph by a ,japanese looking in the least like a ,european4 ,if they photograph a group of men they will be sure to place that group near a great bough that juts across the picture2 they cannot help it--it seems to be in the blood of a ,japanese to be decorative4 ,their taste with regard to enjoyment is widely different from ours3 a little bit of ,nature which would give them intense pleasure would probably be ignored by us altogether4 ,we want parks and stags and moorlands1 broad expanses of country and huge avenues1 while the ,japanese will be content with one exquisite little harmony4 ,they will gaze for whole hours in rapture at a little branch of peach-blossom1 only a cluster1 just a few inches of rose-red peach-blossom1 with a slim grey twig1 placing itself against a background of hills that stretch away in the distance indefinitely4 ,at the same time they love expanse of view as well4 ,it is one of their greatest joys to look from the top of a mountain downwards1 but only at certain times of the day4 ,a ,japanese1 holiday-making1 will sometimes spend one whole day waiting for an effect that will perhaps last only a few moments1 or he will toil for hours up a mountain-side to enjoy the exquisite pleasure of a fleeting colour harmony4 ,,art ,,in ,,practical ,,life ,,chapter ,v ,,art ,,in ,,practical ,,life ,throughout this book ,i have talked of ,japan purely from the artistic standpoint4 ,i have talked principally of the living art of the country and of its exquisite productions1 and ,i firmly believe that it is because the ,japs are a people of imagination that they will at no distant date forge ahead of other nations 7who are depending solely upon their muscle7 and become a dominating power4 ,at the same time1 it must be clearly understood that the artistic is not the only quality in which the ,japs excel4 ,take them from any side1 and it will be found that they have achieved remarkable success4 ,yet the average ,westerner1 on returning from a visit to ,japan1 has always the same superficial observation to make on the ,japanese people4 ,he has spent a few weeks in the ,land of the ,rising ,sun2 he has seen the dainty tea-houses1 the miniature bridges1 the paper walls and umbrellas1 their works of art modelled in lead--everything suggesting the dainty and the exquisite 7and therefore1 in his opinion1 the flimsy72 and he tells you that the people over there are all dear little ,noah's ,ark folk living in tissue-paper houses1 very charming as dolls1 but useless as men4 ,these people1 he says1 have no physique2 they would be incapable of building battleships1 for example4 ,for this critic one can entertain only the faintest possible feeling of tender pity4 ,is he not aware that these ,noah's ,ark folk are actually building battleships1 that they have already a fine army superbly equipped with the finest of swords and guns1 and that they have the power to handle these weapons far better than we can handle ours8 ,every soldier in the ,japanese army understands the mechanism of his rifle1 and can at any moment pull it to pieces and put it together again1 even substituting a missing portion if necessary4 ,could the same be said of our beloved ,tommy8 ,the ,japanese officers are no less capable than the privates1 and ,i would guarantee that if by some mischance the sword of a ,japanese officer1 being badly tempered1 should become bent1 that officer would be capable of retempering his blade--one of the most difficult and delicate tasks imaginable4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,tea-,,house ,,of ,,the ,,slender ,,tree ,but how a certain class of equally ignorant and inconsistent ,westerners cried out when it was known to the world that ,japan had actually begun to use our rifles and to build battleships6 ,they will lose individuality and degenerate1 they are adopting ,western methods1 and it will kill their art1 they complained4 ,how foolish this is6 ,the ,japanese have merely changed their tools--exchanged the bow and arrow for the sword2 they are just as artistic and just as intelligent as in the bow-and-arrow days2 and they have proved themselves to be equal to1 if not better than1 any other soldiers in the world4 ,japan is not being ,westernised in the smallest degree3 she is merely picking our brains4 ,and how quickly the ,japs will adopt a ,western idea1 and improve upon it6 ,the making of matches1 and the underselling us in all our common printed cotton and woollen ,manchester goods1 have not spoilt their faculty for executing that exquisite ,eugene dyeing for which the ,japanese are famous all the world over2 the making of bolts and bars and battleships has not prevented the metal-workers from producing exquisite work in bronze1 so delicate as to resemble the finest lace4 ,the manufacture of our vulgar modern monstrosities has been taken up by these people1 and they can offer them to us at a cheaper rate and of a better quality than we can produce ourselves1 freight included4 ,japan can produce ,european work better than the ,europeans themselves2 but that work has not influenced their art one whit--they hate it2 whereas ,japanese art has permeated and influenced the whole of the ,west4 ,all these qualities seem to point one way--,japan must eventually become a ruling power4 ,for one thing1 the struggle for life does not exist there as in other countries4 ,the food is simple1 and men live easily4 ,then1 again1 the ,japanese are not over-anxious4 ,they do not waste their energies4 ,women do not fret because they are looking old2 on the contrary1 it is their ambition to become old1 for then they are more respected4 ,illustration3 ,,blossom ,,of ,,the ,,glen ,my first experience in ,japan1 ,i being a practical person and of a practical turn of mind1 was rather a surprise4 ,i had just arrived at the hotel in ,tokio1 and1 observing from my window that there was a promise of a sunset1 ,i caught up my paint-box1 anxious to secure the fleeting effect1 and rushed downstairs full-tilt1 in my haste almost capsizing an old lady with a monkey on her shoulder standing at the foot of the stairs4 ,not moving from her position1 she said1 ,young man1 ,i should like to talk to you4 ,delighted1 ,i am sure1 ,i answered hurriedly3 my haste to be off1 ,i am afraid1 was too apparent just then4 ,not at all daunted1 the lady called after me some directions for finding her in her room that night after dinner1 where she would tell me some things that would interest me1 and walked slowly up the stairs without once looking round1 her monkey on her shoulder4 ,curiously interested1 despite myself1 in this strange old lady and her monkey1 ,i did visit her that evening1 and was somewhat startled by her greeting of me4 ,i knew ,i was going to meet you in ,japan to-night4 ,i know all about you4 ,you are going to paint a series of pictures4 ,you are going to exhibit them1 and you will make a great success4 ,some day you will paint children--you are fond of children4 ,all this ,i knew in ,america before ever ,i came here4 ,i saw it all as in a dream4 ,paralysed1 ,i could only utter the formal words1 ,oh1 really6 ,ah1 you're sceptical6 ,but you are sympathetic too1 and after ,i have talked to you for two or three hours you will see that ,i am right1 quoth my strange new friend1 while at the prospect of two or three hours' conversation ,i experienced a distinctly sinking feeling4 ,but with the next few words she uttered1 the sinking feeling vanished1 to be superseded by one of deep interest4 ,for some years1 she told me1 she had been constantly communing in the spirit with her husband and ,lord ,byron--rival spirits4 ,her husband was jealous of the poet and of her correspondence with him1 and she showed me a series of letters dictated by that great man in the dark--all sorts of beautiful letters on all subjects1 ranging from tennis to theology4 ,i sat there ,i know not how long listening to this wonderful woman2 and also--it may seem foolish--,i felt strangely comforted and encouraged to hear her say so convincingly that ,i was to make a success1 for at that period ,i had never painted a picture1 and the whole thing was1 as it were1 an experiment4 ,it was many weeks before ,i could forget that old lady and her monkey4 ,all through my travels the memory of that monkey's eyes--beady1 blinking1 never changing--followed me1 and stimulated me4 ,with ,tokio and ,yokohama ,i was disappointed4 ,i had the privilege of attending the ,mikado's garden party2 but the pleasure of the really beautiful grounds and the cherry-blossom was spoilt by the ,western dress of the guests and of high personages--a hideous substitute for the ,japs' own graceful garments4 ,yokohama ,i found especially unsympathetic4 ,the bulk of the ,europeans ,i met there seemed to be spending half their time in abusing ,japan and everything ,japanese4 ,strange that a colony of such unrefined1 uneducated people should presume to criticise these artists6 ,tokio1 with its formal dinners and conventionalities1 was much the same2 and with epithets such as ,crank and ,madman hurled after me1 ,i fled to ,kioto1 there to lose myself in endless and undreamt-of joys4 ,in ,japan there are flowers blooming all the year round3 the country is a veritable paradise of flowers4 ,when a certain flower is at its height1 whether it be the wistaria1 the chrysanthemum1 or the azalea1 that is a signal for a national holiday1 and1 dropping business and all such minor considerations1 the whole of ,japan turns out and streams through the parks and through the country to picnic in the sunshine1 under the flowers4 ,i arrived in ,japan in the spring1 and the country was pink with blossom4 ,infected with the delightful fever for blossom-dreaming1 ,i drifted aimlessly along with the crowds1 drifting only too rapidly into their own restful atmosphere1 and accustoming myself to the delicious theory that life is long with plenty of time for everything4 ,and as ,i sat in the sun among these light-hearted people1 watching mountains of pink blossom under a clear blue sky1 it did seem ridiculous to think of work and worry4 ,those first few weeks in ,japan come back to me as something to be remembered4 ,to my untravelled mind everything seemed so novel1 so quaint1 so unexpected4 ,things were large when ,i expected them to be small1 and vice vers2 the houses were made of paper2 the women were anxious to make themselves look old4 ,i was fascinated by the pyramids of children gazing in at sweet-stuff shops with their brown1 golden1 serious faces contrasting so oddly with their gaily-coloured dresses painted to look like butterflies4 ,every child ,i saw ,i felt that ,i must either pat or give it something4 ,i was surprised to see fowls with tails so long that they had to be wound up into brown-paper parcels2 the dogs that mewed like cats2 miniature trees hundreds of years old4 ,i was surprised when ,i dined out to find the room decorated with beautiful ladies in lieu of flowers1 a delightful substitute4 ,to be taken to the basement and handed a net with which ,i was to catch my own carp was also rather a surprise2 but when ,i was expected to eat it as it lay quivering on my plate1 ,i was more than surprised--,i was roused4 ,material for pictures surrounded me at every step4 ,i wanted to make pictures of every pole and signboard that ,i came across2 and the result of this glut of subjects was that ,i never painted a stroke4 ,night in ,japan fascinated me almost more than anything--the festoons of lanterns crossing from one street to another1 yellow-toned with black and vermilion lettering2 the gaily-dressed little people passing by on their wooden clogs or in rickshas with swinging paper lanterns drawn by bronze-faced coolies4 ,i shall never forget my first rainy day in ,japan4 ,i went out in the wet and stood there1 hatless but perfectly happy1 watching the innocent shops light up one by one1 and the forest of yellow oil-paper umbrellas with the light shining through looking like circles of gold1 ever moving and changing in the purple tones of the street4 ,one of the first things ,i did on arriving in ,japan was to hire a servant1 and this little man soon became my adviser in artistic as well as in mundane matters4 ,he took a keen interest in my work1 and spent the greater part of his spare time in hunting up subjects for me--monograms1 suggestions for picture-frames1 and what not--he1 like every ,jap1 was an artist4 ,he never said that he liked anything that ,i ever painted 7he was far too truthful for that72 but it was quite obvious that he did not1 for he could draw infinitely better himself4 ,but he helped me a great deal4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,family ,,group ,so did the policemen--and the policeman in ,japan is a perfect treasure4 ,they are all gentlemen of family and are very small men1 much below the average in height2 but they have nearly all learned the art of scientific wrestling1 and exercise an absolute and tyrannical power over the people4 ,luckily for me1 ,i never made the hopeless blunder of attempting to tip them4 ,altogether ,i found the policeman the most delightful person in the world4 ,when ,i was painting a shop1 if a passer-by chanced to look in at a window1 he would see at a glance exactly what ,i wanted2 and ,i would find that that figure would remain there1 looking in at the shop1 as still as a statue1 until ,i had finished my painting2 the policeman meanwhile strutting up and down the street1 delighted to be of help to an artist1 looking everywhere but at my work1 and directing the entire traffic down another street4 ,suddenly there is a fire--there is invariably a fire when one arrives in a foreign country1 ,i notice4 ,immediately the policemen begin to plant little bamboo sticks round the burning building with twine fixed from one stick to another4 ,this is to act as a barrier to keep the people off4 ,after a time a crowd gathers1 and in the swaying of the people their chests sometimes touch the string and bow it2 but the thought of breaking through that twine never occurs to them4 ,the bold little firemen inside the enclosure trying to scare away the god of fire by bright clothing1 and literally sitting on the flames in their light-coloured coats1 form a scene never to be forgotten4 ,they seem to bear charmed lives as they dash among the flames1 putting the fire out with their hands1 and in a very short time too4 ,it reminds one of the performance of the fire-eating gentlemen at the ,aquarium4 ,the power of the policemen over the people in ,japan is extraordinary4 ,even the ,westerners obey them4 ,at the treaty ports they often have to deal with ,english sailors1 and1 although they try their utmost to smooth things over1 they often have to run men in4 ,it is entertaining to see a great blundering sailor1 just like a bull1 plunging to right and left1 while the little policeman1 always courteous and polite1 constantly gives way1 stepping on one side until the time comes when the sailor1 puffed and worn out1 gives a terrific lunge2 the policeman gives him a slight impetus1 and the sailor sprawls in an ungainly attitude on the ground4 ,he is then led off triumphantly by a small piece of string attached to his belt behind4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,venice ,,of ,,japan ,it was not until ,i arrived in ,osaka1 the ,venice of ,japan1 that ,i gave up dreaming and seriously began to work4 ,here was scope indeed6 ,osaka is the city of furnaces1 factories1 and commerce1--the centre of the modern spirit of feverish activity in manufacturing and commercial enterprise4 ,western ugliness has invaded certain quarters2 yet the artistic feeling predominates4 ,the ,ajikawa is still the ,ajikawa of the olden time1 and on the eastern side of the city is the ,kizugawa1 into which--thanks to the shallowness of the bar--no steamer ever intrudes1 while the city itself is intersected by a vast network of canals and waterways1 all teeming with junks and barges1 and crossed by graceful wooden bridges which lend themselves admirably to line4 ,the ,kizugawa fascinates the painter4 ,away from the bustle of the factories and the shrieking of the whistles1 the great junks from northern ,hakodate or the sunny ,loochos lie sleepily silent4 ,they are the ,leviathans of their kind4 ,intermingling with them are innumerable barges and fishing-boats1 stretching far up the river1 their masts and cordage seeming one vast spider's web4 ,not a single vessel is painted--from the huge sea-going junk to the narrow-prowed barge4 ,near the water-line the wood has taken a silvery tone2 but above1 it looks in the sunlight like light gold4 ,and the cargoes of rice in straw bales1 piled high over the bulwarks1 are also golden4 ,a steam-launch has in tow half a dozen barges1 which1 with their unpainted woodwork1 rice bales1 and straw-coloured connecting cable1 appear against the dark water as a knotted golden thread4 ,in the endless perspective of junks the golden tone predominates2 but it is relieved by the colouring of the buildings on the river banks4 ,there is no monotony1 for no two houses are similar either in tint or in design2 and there is no stiffness of line4 ,the builders are all artists1 to whose instincts repetition would do violence4 ,the quaint roofs1 although formed in straight lines1 seem to rise and fall in gentle undulations4 ,there is nothing abrupt or rugged2 nothing jars4 ,and the colours are as varied as the roofs4 ,in the upper reaches of the rivers the scenes never cease to charm4 ,clusters of half a dozen boats forming a mass of decorative woodwork1 tea-houses with tiny gardens running down to the water's edge and gaily-dressed geishas leaning over the trellised verandahs1 light bridges thrown in graceful outline against the purple horizon1--all combine to complete a picture as broad as a study by ,rembrandt1 as infinite in detail as a masterpiece by ,hobbema4 ,,the ,,gardens ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,gardens ,it is not easy to describe the fascination of a ,japanese garden4 ,chiefly it is due to studied neglect of geometrical design4 ,the toy summer-houses dotted here and there1 the miniature lakes1 and the tiny bridges crossing miniature streams1 give an air of indescribable quaintness4 ,yet1 in spite of the smallness of the dimensions1 the first impression is one of vastness4 ,who discovers that nothingness is law--such a one hath wisdom1 says the old ,buddhist text4 ,that is the wisdom the ,japanese gardener seeks1 for he also is an artist4 ,there is no one point on which the eye fastens1 and the absence of any striking feature creates a sense of immensity4 ,it is a broad scheme1 just as broad as a picture by ,velasquez would be1 and of infinite detail4 ,it is only accidentally that one discovers the illusion--the triumph of art over space4 ,i saw a dog walk over one of the tiny bridges1 and it seemed of enormous height1 so that ,i was staggered at its bulk in proportion to the garden2 yet it was but an animal of ordinary size4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,iris ,,garden ,a ,japanese gardener spends his whole life in studying his trade1 and just as earnestly and just as comprehensively as a doctor would study medicine4 ,i was once struck by seeing a little man sitting on a box outside a silk-store on a bald plot of ground4 ,for three consecutive days ,i saw this little man sitting on the same little box1 for ever smiling and knocking out the ash from his miniature pipe4 ,all day long he sat there1 never moving1 never talking--he seemed to be doing nothing but smoking and dreaming4 ,on the third day ,i pointed this little man out to the merchant who owned the store1 and asked what the little man was doing and why he sat there4 ,he's thinking1 said the merchant4 ,yes2 but why must he think on that bald plot of ground8 ,what is he going to do8 ,i asked1 perplexed4 ,the merchant gazed at me in astonishment1 mingled with pity4 ,don't you know1 he said1 he is one of our greatest landscape gardeners1 and for three days he has been thinking out a garden for me8--,if you care to come here in a few days1 he added1 ,i will show you the drawings for that garden all completed4 ,i came in a few days1 and ,i was shown the most exquisite set of drawings it has ever been my good fortune to behold4 ,what a garden it would be6 ,there were full-grown trees1 stepping-stones1 miniature bridges1 ponds of goldfish--all presenting an appearance of vastness1 yet in reality occupying an area the size of a small room4 ,and not only was the garden itself planned out and designed1 but it was also arranged to form a pattern in relation to the trees and the houses and the surrounding hills4 ,this little old man1 without stirring from his box or making a single note1 had in those three days created this garden in his mind's eye1 and on returning home had sketched out the final arrangement4 ,the merchant told me that his garden would be completed in a few weeks1 with full-grown trees flourishing in it1 and everything planted--all but one stone1 which in all probability would be there in a few weeks1 while1 on the other hand1 it might not be placed there for years4 ,on inquiring as to the reason of this strange delay ,i was told that that one particular stone1 though insignificant and unnoticeable in our eyes1 occupies a very prominent position1 and that upon the proper placing and quality of it the beauty and perfection of a ,japanese garden almost entirely depend4 ,sometimes hundreds and even thousands of dollars are paid for a large stone that happens to be rightly proportioned and of the correct texture of ruggedness to occupy a certain position in a ,japanese garden4 ,to see the cherry-blossoms of ,yoshino1 the plum-trees in full bloom at ,sugata1 the wistaria at ,uyeno1 or the iris at ,horikiri1 the people will travel scores of miles4 ,then1 there is the spacious embankment of the ,sumidagawa1 at the part known as ,mukojima1 celebrated for its avenue of cherry-trees4 ,before the ,restoration it was the favourite promenade for the daimio and their retainers1 and very picturesque it must have been to see the stately nobles in their gorgeous robes1 saluting one another with all the grave ceremonial in which the courtiers delighted4 ,the costumes have vanished2 but the ancient residences1 with their private waterway approaches to the river1 remain2 and the avenue is still the fashionable promenade4 ,but it is the iris gardens at ,horikiri seen by night that have left an impression which will never fade from my mind4 ,we visited the gardens frequently2 but it is one particular visit that ,i remember above all the others4 ,leaving the ,hotel ,metropole late in the afternoon1 the ricksha men took us at a rattling pace through the city4 ,after an hour's run we found ourselves far away from the river in the midst of uninviting rice-fields1 with a glimpse of the gardens in the distance--a blue and white oasis in a waste of green4 ,if one visits the gardens in the afternoon the changes that the flowers undergo are marvellous4 ,in the full warm rays of the sun1 the great petals1 turning back towards their stems1 are rich and glowing in every shade4 ,then1 as evening comes on and the sunlight fades1 the deeper purple blooms lose their richness and grow shadowy1 while the white ones take on an icy purity that seems unearthly in its transparency1 and they shine as with an internal light4 ,still a little later1 and with the last rays of daylight1 all the darker flowers have disappeared1 and where a short time ago stood a proud bed of royal colour one can see only the ghastly heads of the pure white petals looming like phantom flowers in the purple night4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,sunny ,,garden ,the effect of the picture was heightened by the atmospheric colouring4 ,as the silver evening gradually changed to purple night--a purple only seen in ,japan--the festoons of lanterns which illuminated the summer-houses became of one colour with the landscape1 and then1 as the night darkened to a deeper purple1 the lights changed to bright orange4 ,it would be impossible to put such colours on canvas3 the only way to represent them would be by precious stones4 ,we dined in one of the summer-houses off dainty plates served us by little musms while seated on the white mats4 ,the blooms of the iris appeared softly luminous1 emitting a ghostly light4 ,it is this spiritual beauty which makes the flowers such a favourite in temple gardens1 and inspires the ,japanese to poetry4 ,on the edge of a tiny lake1 approached by a winding walk1 through an avenue of bamboo trellis-work1 was a small shed with a quaint roof4 ,in the shed the model of a junk was placed4 ,near it were ink and small strips of paper4 ,the junk was designed to receive poems on the beauty of the iris and of the garden4 ,nothing disturbs in a ,japanese landscape4 ,it is the harmonic combination of untouched naturalness and high artistic cultivation4 ,the tea-houses owe much of their charm to the absence of paint4 ,the benches1 lintels1 the posts1 are uncoloured1 except by age4 ,the white mats and the paper screens act as a foil to the bright flashes of the musms--waiting-girls--who move noiselessly through the rooms like gigantic butterflies flitting to and fro4 ,the iris blooms are a rich mass of colour of blue and white1 and the gardener has exhausted his art in pruning all the unnecessary growths without leaving a trace of his handiwork4 ,the ride back was delightful4 ,tokio at night is seen at its best2 the river is then more fascinating4 ,huge junks1 with a solitary light at the masthead1 glide by--fantastic shadows in the purple haze4 ,the tea-houses1 with their festoons of lanterns and orange interiors1 in which one caught glimpses of singing girls in their brilliant dresses1 gleamed like golden patches in the cool purple4 ,the bridges sparkled with lights2 the shops were bright with colour2 and all through the city1 to enjoy the coolness of the night air1 groups of citizens were seated in the streets chattering as gaily and as light-heartedly as only the ,japs can4 ,illustration3 ,,iris ,,garden ,,flower ,,arrangement ,,chapter ,,vii ,,flower ,,arrangement ,one of the chief characteristics of the ,japanese1 which especially distinguishes them from ,europeans1 is their intense fondness for flowers--not the fondness which many ,english people affect1 but an instinctive love of the beautiful1 and a poetical appreciation of symbolism4 ,the ,japanese nature is artistic in essence1 and in no more delightful manner is the art of the people expressed than in the cultivation of flowers4 ,flowers to them are a source of infinite and unending joy1 of which the chief pleasure lies in their proper placing and arrangement4 ,every common ,japanese workman1 every fan-worker or metal-worker1 has some little flower carefully placed beside him at his work2 he loves and prunes and cares for it4 ,if you dine out with a friend you will be seated1 not on the right-hand side of the past-middle-age lady of the house1 but near some beautiful flower4 ,the honoured interior would never have the presumption to seat you next herself4 ,you are her guest1 and must be made happy by being placed in the near neighbourhood of the principal and most beautiful object in the room1 which is invariably the arrangement of flowers4 ,and a vase of flowers in a ,japanese house is at once a picture and a poem1 being always in perfect harmony with the surroundings4 ,the art of arranging flowers is an exact science1 in the study of which seven years of constant hard work finds a man but fairly proficient4 ,in fact1 to create a really fine arrangement is just as difficult as to paint an equally fine picture4 ,every leaf and every flower has to be drawn and practically modelled into form1 while even so simple a thing as the bending of a twig requires much care and knowledge4 ,to become a master in the art of flower-arrangement a man must study for at least fourteen years1 devoting the remainder of his life to perfecting and improving it4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,wistaria ,,garden ,there are scores of different arrangements that one must learn1 and volumes upon volumes of designs1 showing all the most delicate and subtle forms of placing which a master1 in order to create perfect balance1 must have at his fingers' ends4 ,these ancient designs are so perfect that it is almost impossible to change them or to insert any original work into them4 ,here and there1 indeed1 some great master will make a slight variation in the arrangement of a particular flower1 and in a very short time that variation is trumpeted throughout the country and known in all art sections4 ,to a ,westerner this seems incredible4 ,he affirms that if he jumbles a bunch of flowers together in a vase he can create a different effect every time4 ,very probably1 and he can also strew roses and cut flowers all over his dining-table if he likes2 but he will still be creating nothing more than a jumble4 ,if he were to think out the arrangement of his table from an artistic point of view as a bit of decoration1 he would find it impossible to produce such a wealth of inartistic variety4 ,but1 argues the uninitiated ,westerner1 these roses strewn carelessly over our tables1 and bunches of flowers stuck loosely into vases1 are far more natural than the single stiff bough of blossom of ,japanese decoration4 ,flowers grow in ,nature carelessly and wildly1 and therefore they must be arranged to look like that4 ,now1 it is always difficult to answer these people1 for the dining-table of the ,west begins by being utterly hopeless in decoration and in colour4 ,one cannot possibly compare this meaningless attire1 this independent mass of colour forming no pattern1 and probably placed upon the table by a servant without care or thought1 and with an utter disregard to form and order1--one cannot compare such decoration with the beautiful1 scientifically-thought-out flower arrangements of ,japan4 ,all that one can say is that one is art and the other is not4 ,nature grabbed at in this crude ,western fashion and stuck into a vase is no longer ,nature4 ,consummate naturalness is brought about only by consummate art1 and is not the result of accident4 ,if a bough of blossom growing in the midst of other trees is taken from ,nature and placed in a vase1 however beautiful it might originally have been1 it must necessarily appear awkward and out of place4 ,one of the chief characteristics of ,japanese flower arrangement is its resemblance to the flowers in a state of nature4 ,a bough or a tree in a ,japanese room looks exactly like a real bit of ,nature lifted bodily out of the sunshine and its own particular surroundings1 and placed there4 ,nature appears to be almost commonplace as compared with the work of a great ,japanese master in the art of flower arrangement1 and almost less natural4 ,a master1 after having received a clear impression of the way a certain bough appears in the midst of its background of ,nature1 is capable of taking that single bough and of twisting it into broad beautiful lines1 one picking up with the other in such a way as to convey the same impression to you as it did when growing in its own sunny garden4 ,illustration3 ,,flower-,,placing ,but why are there so few flowers in this ,japanese method of flower decoration8 complains the ,westerner4 ,why only one branch of blossom in a pot8--why only one8 ,because you can see that one and enjoy it1 provided that you have the capacity to see at all1 which the majority of people have not4 ,one beautiful bough or one beautiful picture should be ample food for enjoyment to last an artist for one whole day4 ,if there were twenty beautiful boughs1 or twenty beautiful pictures1 you would look from one to the other and would necessarily become confused4 ,you would leave that room feeling thoroughly unhappy1 and with the same sort of headache that one gets after spending an afternoon in a picture-gallery4 ,to enjoy one of these pictures or flowers1 and to concentrate one's thoughts upon it alone1 you would have to frame it between your hands1 cutting it off and isolating it from the rest4 ,this the ,japanese do for you4 ,they know that you cannot appreciate more than one beautiful object at a time1 and they see that that one object is perfectly placed in relation to its surroundings1 so as to give rest and enjoyment to the eye4 ,almost every one in ,japan1 either young or old1 is capable of appreciating a fine arrangement of flowers1 and nearly every ,japanese woman can practise the art4 ,so many minute descriptions have already been written of the methods of the masters of flower decoration that there is little else to say on that point4 ,however1 since decoration by flowers has so much to do with the art of the country1 and is so closely connected with the character of the people1 ,i feel that ,i must give a slight description of some of the marvellous creations in purple irises1 lilies1 and pines that the greatest master in ,tokio once arranged for me at my hotel4 ,he arrived early one morning1 and in great good-humour1 evidently feeling that1 ,i being an artist1 his work would be appreciated and understood4 ,he carried with him his flowers1 tenderly wrapped in a damp cloth under one arm1 and his vases under another4 ,one of his most promising pupils1 a girl of nineteen1 accompanied him1 acting almost as a servant and evidently worshipping him as her master4 ,he began at once to show us a decoration of lilies and reeds4 ,with the utmost rapidity he took out a bunch of slim reeds1 pulled them to different lengths1 the large ones at the back1 the small ones in front1 and caressed the whole into a wooden prong looking like a clothes-peg1 and arranged it in a kind of vase made out of a circular section of bamboo4 ,an immense amount of care was taken with the handling of these reeds1 the master drawing back now and then in a stooping position with his hands on his knees and his eyes bolting out to view his handiwork critically4 ,next he took some lilies with their leaves1 and arranged them in a metal stand composed of a number of divisions looking like cartridge-cases cut off4 ,every leaf was twisted and bent and cut to improve its form4 ,the half-open lilies were made to look as though they were growing1 and were a great favourite with this master because of the scope for beautiful curves and lines that they allowed4 ,time after time he would take out a leaf or a flower1 putting another in its place1 thereby showing that he had absolute command over his subject1 and a fixed picture in his mind that he was determined to produce at any cost4 ,the ultimate result of the decoration was perfect naturalness4 ,i never saw lilies growing on the hillside look more natural than they did here2 yet each had been twisted and bent into a set design laid down by the artist4 ,both reeds and lilies were placed in a wooden tray partially lacquered1 the unlacquered portion representing old worm-eaten wood2 pebbles were placed in the bottom of the tray1 and the whole was flooded with water4 ,then he began his decoration of irises4 ,he took a bundle of iris leaves1 cut and trimmed them1 washing and drying each leaf separately1 and sticking them together in groups of twos and threes4 ,with his finger and thumb he gently pressed each one down the centre1 rendering it as pliable as wire4 ,the leaves were cut to a point at the base and placed in a metal stand with consecutive circles4 ,then an iris bud1 with the purple just bursting1 was placed in position and caressed into bloom4 ,the whole was syringed with water and carefully placed in a corner of the room4 ,illustration3 ,,wistaria ,i have described these few flower arrangements in detail in order to show the exactitude of the work and the immense amount of care taken by professors in flower arrangement4 ,on this particular occasion ,i had invited some friends to enjoy the professor's masterpieces with me1 and he had just completed a most exquisite production1 by far the best and finest he had achieved that day4 ,it was an arrangement of pine with one great jutting bough1 perfectly balanced--in fact1 a veritable work of art4 ,the professor was a true artist2 he loved his work1 and it was all the world to him4 ,for once he was content1 and had just leant back to view his work through half-closed eyes when in a flash an ,oxford straw hat was clapped down right on top of it4 ,it was the husband of one of my friends just returned from a walk1 full of spirits and boisterously happy4 ,it was a cruel thing to do2 but he did not realise the horror of his act4 ,he saw a bough sticking right out of a pot1 and it seemed to him a suitable place to hang his hat on3 so he hung it there--that was all4 ,the little assistant gave one frightened look at her master1 and began to pack up the utensils at once2 the professor drew himself up in a very dignified way1 bowed profoundly1 and left the hotel4 ,i never saw him again1 and ,i knew that ,i never should--for he went away crushed4 ,,the ,,geisha ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,geisha ,with all their practical gifts--which1 as one of themselves has remarked1 will enable them to beat the world with the tips of their fingers--and all the power of assimilating and adapting to their own purposes the best that other nations have to offer them1--the ,japanese are essentially and beyond all a nation of artists4 ,it is not only in the work-shop and the studio1 but also in the simplest act and detail of daily life1 that this sense of the decorative oozes unconsciously forth1 and most of all1 and most unconsciously1 in the ,japanese woman--the geisha4 ,the raison d'tre of the geisha is to be decorative4 ,she delights in her own delightsomeness2 she wants frankly to be as charming as nature and art will allow2 she wants to be beautiful2 and she honestly and assuredly wants me and you and the stranger artists to think her beautiful4 ,she wants to please you1 and she openly sets about pleasing1 taking you into her confidence 7so to speak7 as to her methods4 ,she does it with the simple joy and sincerity of a child dressing up4 ,there is no mock shyness1 no fan put up1 no screen drawn1 no pathetic struggle to deceive you into belief in the reality of an all-too-artificial peach-bloom2 there is nothing of the ,british scheme--no powder-puff hidden in a pocket-handkerchief1 no little ivory box with a looking-glass in the lid1 no rouge-tablet concealed in a muff to be supplied surreptitiously at some propitious moment4 ,the ,japanese woman has the courage to look upon her face purely as so much surface for decoration1 a canvas upon which to paint a picture2 and she decorates it as one might decorate a bit of bare wall4 ,the white is simple vegetable white2 the red is pure vermilion toning with her kimono4 ,the white makes no effort to blend with the natural tone of her neck3 it announces itself in a clear-cut1 knife-edge pattern above the folds of the kimono4 ,illustration3 ,,butterflies ,i remember a little story that ,i once heard 7it was told me by the designer of the waterworks in ,tokio7--only a trifling incident2 but it struck me as being thoroughly typical of the nave1 almost childish simplicity of the ,japanese woman4 ,it was on the day that the waterworks were completed1 and the high officials and their wives were being escorted over the works in trucks1 in order that they might see and admire this great engineering feat1 of which my friend1 the architect1 was very justly proud4 ,there were two trucks--one for the men and one for their wives4 ,the truck containing the men was wheeled up under a shaft where the light came down from above1 and enabled the officials to look up and admire this great work4 ,the men looked up and were duly impressed1 and altogether the experiment passed off successfully4 ,then the idea was that they should move aside so as to allow the women also to enjoy the spectacle4 ,no sooner was the truck-load of women drawn up beneath the shaft than their faces lit up with pleased surprise1 and every woman whipped out a looking-glass and a rouge-pot and began to decorate her face4 ,not one of them looked up1 or even attempted to take the slightest notice of the waterworks3 all they knew was that it afforded them just sufficient light by which to decorate themselves1 and they promptly made use of it4 ,the geisha is the educated woman of ,japan4 ,she is the entertainer1 the hostess2 she is highly educated1 and has a great appreciation of art2 she is also proficient in the art of conversation4 ,the geisha begins her career at a very early age4 ,when only two or three years old she is taught to sing and dance and talk1 and above all to be able to listen sympathetically1 which is the greatest art of all4 ,the career of this tiny mite is carved out thus early because her mother foresees that she has the qualities that will develop1 and the little butterfly child1 so gay and so brilliant1 will become a still more gorgeous butterfly woman4 ,nothing can be too brilliant for the geisha2 she is the life and soul of ,japan1 the merry sparkling side of ,japanese life2 she must be always gay1 always laughing and always young1 even to the end of her life4 ,but for the girl who is to become the ordinary domesticated wife it is different4 ,starting life as a bright1 light-hearted little child1 she becomes sadder and sadder in colour and in spirits with every passing year4 ,directly she becomes a wife her one ambition is to become old--in fact1 it is almost a craze with her4 ,she shows it in every possible way--in the way she ties her obi1 the fashion in which she dresses her hair2 everything that suggests the advance of the sere and yellow leaf she will eagerly adopt4 ,when her husband gives a party he calls in the geisha2 she herself1 poor dear1 sits upstairs on a mat and is not allowed to be seen4 ,she is called the honoured interior1 and is far too precious and refined to figure in public life4 ,but1 mind you1 this little married lady1 the honoured interior1 does not ignore her personal appearance altogether3 she too will never miss an opportunity to whip out the rouge-pot and mirror that always form part of every ,japanese woman's attire in order to decorate her face4 ,and although to our eyes she appears a nonentity as compared with the geisha1 her position is in reality a very happy one and greatly to be envied4 ,what if the geisha entertain her husband's guests8 ,hers is the greater privilege of attending upon him when he returns1 tired out from the festivities2 she is as a rare jewel set in the background of her home1 and the honoured interior is perfectly content4 ,illustration3 ,,daughters ,,of ,,the ,,sun ,but the idiotic idea so general in the ,west1 that the geisha is a silly giggling little girl with a fan1 must really be corrected1 although ,i can quite understand how this opinion has been formed4 ,the geisha in reality is a little genius1 perfectly brilliant as a talker1 and mistress of the art of dancing4 ,but she knows that the ,westerner does not appreciate or understand her fine classical dancing and singing1 and she is so refined and so charming that she will not allow you to feel that you are ignorant and more or less vulgar1 but will instantly begin to amuse you in some way that she thinks you will enjoy and understand4 ,she will perhaps unfold paper and draw rapid character-sketches of birds and fish1 or dance a sort of spirited dance that she feels will entertain you4 ,it is very seldom that they will show you their fine classical dances2 but if by good fortune you can over-persuade them1 as ,i have done1 the sight is one that you will never forget--the slow1 dignified movements1 the placing of the foot and the hand1 the exquisite curves and poses of the body1 forming a different picture every time1--all is a joy and a perfect intellectual treat to the artist and to the lover of beautiful things4 ,there is no rushing about1 no accordion skirt and high kick1 nothing that in any way resembles the ,western dance4 ,sometimes1 if she finds that you appreciate the fine work1 the geisha will give you imitations of the dancing on our stage at home1 and although it is very funny1 the coarseness of it strikes you forcibly4 ,one never dines out or is entertained in ,japan without the geisha forming a prominent part of the entertainment2 in fact1 she herself decorates the room where you are dining1 just as a flower or a picture would decorate our dining-rooms at home1 only better4 ,and there is nothing more typical of the decorative sense innate in the ,japanese than the little garden of geisha girls1 which almost invariably forms the background of every tea-house dinner4 ,the dinner itself1 with its pretty doll-tables1 its curious assortment of dainty viands set in red lacquer bowls1 its quaint formalities1 and the magnificent ceremonial costumes of its hosts1 is an artistic scheme1 elaborately thought out and prepared4 ,but when1 at the close1 the troupe of geishas and makos appears1 forming 7as it were7 a pattern of gorgeous tropical flowers1 the scene becomes a bit of decoration as daring1 original1 and whimsically beautiful as any to be seen in the land of natural placing and artistic design and effect4 ,the colours of kimonos1 obis1 fans1 and head-ornaments blend1 contrast1 and produce a carefully-arranged harmony1 the whole converging to a centre of attraction1 a grotesque1 fascinating1 exotic figure1 the geisha of geishas--that vermilion-and-gold girl who especially seizes me4 ,she is a bewildering symphony in vermilion1 orange1 and gold4 ,her kimono is vermilion embroidered in great dragons2 her obi is cloth of gold2 her long hanging sleeves are lined with orange4 ,just one little slim slip of apple-green appears above the golden fold of the obi and accentuates the harmony2 it is the crape cord of the knapsack which bulges the loops at the back and gives the ,japanese curve of grace4 ,the little apple-green cord keeps the obi in its place1 and is the discord which makes the melody4 ,illustration3 ,,by ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,lanterns ,my vermilion girl's hair is brilliant black with blue lights1 and shining where it is stiffened and gummed in loops and bands till they seem to reflect the gold lacquer and coral-tipped pins that bristle round her head4 ,yes1 she is like some wonderful fantastical tropical blossom1 that vermilion geisha-girl1 or like some hitherto unknown and gorgeous dragon-fly4 ,and she is charming2 so sweetly1 simply1 candidly alluring4 ,every movement and gesture1 each rippling laugh1 each fan-flutter1 each wave of her rice-powdered arms from out of their wing-like sleeves1 is a joyous and nave appeal for admiration and sympathy4 ,how impossible to withhold either6 ,the geisha-girl is an artist3 ,i am an artist3 we understand each other4 ,my geisha-girl brings out her dainty lacquer-box1 and under the gaze of all sits down to decorate herself with a frank joy in the pleasure she knows she is going to give4 ,and she knows too what she is about4 ,she knows the value of a tone in a lip4 ,something suggests to her that you1 an artist1 may have found the vermilion lip not quite in harmony with the plan1 and she changes it to bronze4 ,three times this evening does my geisha-girl change her lip2 she frankly takes it off with a little bit of rice-paper1 which she rolls up and tucks into the folds of her kimono1 to be thrown away later1 and the bronze lip is substituted4 ,by and by it seems to occur to her that the bronze lip has become monotonous1 and she will change it again to vermilion4 ,no doubt before the evening is over there will be a series of little bits of rice-paper folded away ready to be got rid of when the bill is paid1 the supper eaten1 and the festival at an end4 ,it is through the geisha-girls that there is still a living art in ,japan at the present day in the designs of the silk dresses that they wear4 ,they are so modern1 so up-to-date1 and yet so characteristic of ,japan4 ,the women are very extravagant in their dress1 and some of the leading geisha-girls will often go to the length of having stencils1 with elaborate designs and an immense amount of hand-work1 specially cut for them1 the stencils and designs being destroyed when sufficient material for one dress has been supplied4 ,for such a unique and costly gown the geisha will of course have to pay a fabulous sum1 and a sum that would astound the average ,english woman of fashion4 ,but then when a geisha orders a costume she thinks it out carefully2 she does not go1 as we do1 to a dressmaker1 but to an artist4 ,it may be that she has a fancy for apple-blossom at sunset1 and this idea she talks out with the artist who is to draw the designs4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,street ,,scene1 ,,kioto ,a ,japanese woman chooses her costumes1 not according to fashion but to some sentiment or other--apple-blossom because it is spring-time1 peach-blossom for a later season1--and many beautiful ideas are thus expressed in the gowns of the women of ,japan4 ,but although the geisha has plenty of latitude in which to display her artistic feeling1 there are some little details of etiquette and fashion that she must adhere to1 which show themselves in a few details of the ,japanese women's attire1 as1 for example1 in the thongs of her little wooden shoes and the decoration of her jet-black hair4 ,not only is the kimono of the geisha1 its colour and design1 thought out by the artist1 but all the accessories of her toilette1 such as the obi1 the fan1 and the ornaments for her hair4 ,it is the artist's ambition that she should be a picture1 perfect in every detail1 and the geisha is always a picture1 beautiful beyond description4 ,how different she is from the geisha of fiction1 of operettas1 and of story-books1 which is the only geisha that the stay-at-home ,englishman can know6 ,that she is beautiful to look at all the world agrees2 but quite apart from her beauty1 or the social position that she happens to occupy in ,japan1 take her as a woman1 a real woman1 stripped of all outward appearances and of her own particular nationality--take her as a woman1 and she will be found as dainty in mind as in appearance1 highly educated1 and with a great sense of honour1 while her moral code would compare favourably with others of her sex all the world over4 ,,children ,,chapter ,,ix ,,children ,a cluster of little ,japanese children at play somehow suggests to me a grand picture-gallery1 a picture-gallery of a nation4 ,every picture is a child upon which has been expended the subtle decorative sense of its family or neighbours1 as expressed in the tint of its dress and sash and in the decoration of its little head4 ,it is in the children that the national artistic and poetic nature of the ,japanese people most assuredly finds expression4 ,each little one expresses in its tiny dress some conception1 some idea or thought1 dear to the mother1 some particular aspect of the national ideals4 ,and just as in the ,west the character of a man can be gauged by the set and crease of his trousers1 so in ,japan are the sentiments and ideals of a mother expressed in the design and colouring of her baby's little kimono4 ,thus1 when watching a group of children1 maybe on a fte day1 one instinctively compares them with a gallery of pictures1 each of which is a masterpiece1 painted by an artist whose individuality is clearly expressed therein4 ,each little picture in this gallery of children is perfect in itself2 yet on closer study it will be found that the children are more than mere pictures4 ,they tell us of the truths of ,japan4 ,one child1 in the clearness and freshness of its dress1 seems to embody an expression of that unselfish cheerfulness so characteristic of the ,japanese1 among whose children you can go for days without seeing one cry4 ,another1 in the graceful dignity and rich yet severe colouring of its costume1 tells of that faithful spirit of loyalty and pride that has always marked the lives of the ,japanese4 ,one tiny baby1 in the dainty sombreness of colour and quiet arrangement of the folds of its little kimono1 suggests the thoughtful consideration and sweet seriousness of the women of ,japan2 and another child1 dressed in a wonderful combination of red and bronze relieved by glimpses of white1 expresses in its rich glowing colour1 and the purity of the white within1 the fire of ,japanese patriotism4 ,illustration3 ,,baby ,,and ,,baby ,but come with me for a walk on any day1 in sun or in rain1 whether on a gala day or on an ordinary day1 and we shall meet little units in the decorative whole1 every one of them a colour picture bringing to the mind some characteristic of the people4 ,we shall find one little one who1 to the eye of the artist1 flashes like a gem1 her white kimono1 decorated1 or rather made vivid1 as by the hand of a master1 with only three or four great black crosses1 each formed of the crisp dexterous drags across the surface of the cloth4 ,again the black is repeated in the carefully-arranged hair1 and the white in the little wooden shoes2 but all is toned and touched by just a little old rose in the ribbon that ties her head-dress and the fastening of the thongs at her feet4 ,such an art in a people is living2 it has its root in national spirit and national character1 and must continue to foster and strengthen the national ideals4 ,the clothing of her children is a matter of great and serious consideration to the ,japanese mother4 ,when a baby is born she gathers together all her friends1 and they discuss a scheme of decoration for the set of miniature dresses that the little one is to wear4 ,more care is taken with these baby dresses than with those of any grown person1 and if the parents are rich the sums that are spent on silk crepe are sometimes such as would shock any ,english mother4 ,so much has to be taken into consideration with regard to the design of a child's dress3 it might be cherry-blossom or a landscape1 according to the month and the circumstances amid which the infant was born4 ,the colouring of the costume is generally suggestive of the ideas and sentiments of the mother4 ,she does not say1 ,i will take this bough of apple-blossom1 and it shall be the dress of my child1 or ,i will take ,fuji at sunset1 and the colouring of my baby's dress shall be of old rose and white snow4 ,she does not grab at nature in this crude way2 but the artistic and poetical feelings innate in her unconsciously find expression in the little frock4 ,when the mother and her neighbours have finally decided upon a scheme of decoration1 the designs are placed in the hands of some great artist1 who carries them out in water-colour drawings on silk1 which the friends gather together again to examine and generally enjoy4 ,then the designs are handed over to some expert stencil-cutter1 go through the regular elaborate course1 and are finally retouched1 by the artist himself1 directly on to the silk4 ,if the parents are rich enough the stencils are destroyed1 and the dress consequently becomes unique4 ,such a dress will doubtless be an exquisite work of art1 and very costly4 ,indeed1 a dress for a ,japanese baby can cost quite as much as a picture by a leading ,academician1 and is of far greater artistic value4 ,but no price can be too great1 no colouring too gorgeous1 for the dresses of these little butterflies1 the children of ,japan4 ,the poorest mother will scrape together sufficient money1 and the father sacrifice one half of his daily portion of rice1 in order that a child may attend a festival in the bright hues befitting its age4 ,the younger the child1 the more brilliant is its dress4 ,you will see a mite1 a little baby girl that cannot walk or talk1 clothed in silk crepe of the most brilliant colour possible--rainbow colour1 almost prismatic in its brilliancy4 ,as the child grows older the colours fade1 and become duller1 until by the time she is a full-grown woman they have sobered down almost to ,quaker hues--except here and there1 where some tiny edging of colour shows itself4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,jap ,,in ,,plum-,,colour ,the science of deportment occupies quite half the time of the ,japanese children's lives1 and so early are they trained that even the baby of three1 strapped to the back of its sister aged five1 will in that awkward position bow to you and behave with perfect propriety and grace4 ,this ,japanese baby has already gone through a course of severe training in the science of deportment4 ,it has been taught how to walk1 how to kneel down1 and how to get up again without disarranging a single fold of its kimono4 ,after this it is necessary that it should learn the correct way to wait upon people--how to carry a tray1 and how to present it gracefully2 while the dainty handing of a cup to a guest is of the greatest importance imaginable4 ,a gentleman can always tell the character of a girl and the class to which she belongs by the way she offers him a cup of ,sake4 ,and then the children are taught that they must always control their feelings--if they are sad1 never to cry2 if they are happy1 to laugh quietly1 never in a boisterous manner1 for that would be considered vulgar in the extreme4 ,modesty and reserve are insisted upon in the youth of ,japan4 ,a girl is taught that she must talk very little1 but listen sympathetically to the conversation of her superiors4 ,if she has a brother1 she must look up to him as her master1 even although he be younger than herself4 ,she must give way to him in every detail4 ,the baby boy places his tiny foot upon his sister's neck1 and she is thenceforth his slave4 ,if he is sad1 her one care must be to make him happy4 ,her ambition is to imitate as nearly as possible the behaviour of her mother towards her own lord and master4 ,many attempts have been made by enterprising ,westerners to broaden the minds of the ,japanese girls1 and to make them more independent1 by establishing schools for them1 where they can be educated on purely ,western principles2 but these attempts have always failed4 ,the women turned out from such establishments are always unhappy1 and continue to suffer for the rest of their lives1 because they are disliked and resented by all their people1 and no man will marry any of them4 ,the beautiful side of life seems to have been taken from them2 imagination is crushed and spoilt2 they are unfitted for the life that every ,japanese woman must lead4 ,naturally they are hated by the men1 for the womanly qualities that are most valuable in a ,japanese girl are destroyed by this ,western broadening of their minds3 they wear high-heeled shoes1 put nosegays on the table1 and are altogether demoralised4 ,sad to say1 ,western influence is keenly felt within the schools which belong to all classes and conditions of ,japanese children1 and one trembles lest gradually the simplicity and quaint formality of their bringing-up should become hardened and roughened into the system which has done so much to spoil the child-life of the ,west4 ,their own artistic training is perfect2 and although ,japan is the land of ceremony1 and the children are brought up with a certain strictness of propriety unknown in the less ceremonious ,west1 their utter naturalness and absolute freedom from seeking after effects present in them a simplicity of character which helps to make them the most delightful of their kind4 ,a little boy flying a kite is like no other boy you have ever seen in ,england4 ,there is a curious formality and staidness about him and his companions which never degenerates into shyness4 ,illustration3 ,,sugar-,,water ,,stall ,once ,i drifted into a country village in search of subjects for pictures1 and ,i found to my astonishment that every living soul there was flying a kite1 from old men down to babies4 ,it was evidently a fte day1 dedicated to kites2 all business seemed abandoned1 and every one either stood or ran about1 gazing up in the air at the respective toys4 ,there were kites of every variety--red kites1 yellow kites1 kites in the shape of fish1 teams of fighting kites1 and sometimes whole battalions of them at war with kites of a different colour1 attempting to chafe each other's strings4 ,it rather surprised me at first to see staid old men keenly interested in so childish an amusement2 but in a very short time ,i too found myself running about with the rest1 grasping a string and watching with the greatest joy imaginable the career of a floating thing gorgeously painted1 softly rising higher and higher in the air1 until it mingled among the canopy of other kites above my head1 becoming entangled for a moment1 then leaving them and soaring up above the common herd1 and side by side with a monstrous butterfly kite2 then came the chase1 the fight1 and the downfall of one or the other4 ,they were all children there1 every one of them1 from the old men downwards2 all care and worry was for the time forgotten in the simple joy of flying kites2 and ,i too1 in sympathy with the gaiety about me1 felt bubbling over with pure joy4 ,to see these lovely flower-like child faces mingling with the yellow wrinkled visages of very old men1 all equally happy in a game in which age played no part1 was an experience never to be forgotten4 ,none was too old or too young1 and you would see mites strapped to the backs of their mothers1 holding a bit of soiled knotted string in their baby fingers1 and gazing with their black slit eyes at some tiny bit of a crumpled kite floating only a few inches away4 ,illustration3 ,,advance ,,japan ,another game in which both the youth and the age of ,japan play equal parts is the game of painting sand-pictures on the roadside4 ,these sand-pictures are often executed by very clever artists2 but ,i have seen little children drawing exquisite pictures in coloured sands4 ,japanese children seem to have an instinctive knowledge of drawing and a facility in the handling of a paint-brush that is simply extraordinary4 ,they will begin quite as babies to practise the art of painting and drawing1 and more especially the art of painting sand-pictures4 ,you will see groups of little children sitting in the playground of some ancient temple1 each child with three bags of coloured sand and one of white1 competing with one another as to who shall draw the quaintest and most rapid picture4 ,the white sand they will first proceed to spread upon the ground in the form of a square1 cleaning the edges until it resembles a sheet of white paper4 ,then1 with a handful of black sand held in the chubby fingers1 they will draw with the utmost rapidity the outline of some grotesque figure of a man or an animal1 formed out of their own baby imaginations4 ,then come the coloured sands1 filling in the spaces with red1 yellow1 or blue1 according to the taste and fancy of the particular child artist4 ,but the most extraordinary and most fascinating thing of all is to watch the performance of a master in sand-pictures4 ,so dexterous and masterly is he that he will dip his hand first into a bag of blue sand1 and then into one of yellow1 allowing the separate streams to trickle out unmixed2 and then with a slight tremble of the hand these streams will be quickly converted into one thin stream of bright green1 relapsing again into the streams of blue and yellow at a moment's notice4 ,a ,japanese mother will take infinite pains to cultivate the artistic propensities of her child1 and almost the first lesson she teaches it is to appreciate the beauties of nature4 ,she will never miss the opportunity of teaching the infant to enjoy the cherry-blossom on a sunny day in ,uyeno ,park4 ,hundreds of such little parties are to be seen under the trees enjoying the blossom1 while the mother1 seated in the middle of the group1 points out the many beauties of the scene4 ,she will tell them dainty fairy stories--to the boys1 brave deeds of valour1 to strengthen their courage2 to the girls1 tales of unselfish and honourable wives and mothers4 ,every story has a moral attached to it1 and is intended to educate and improve the children in one direction or another4 ,there is one fairy story which is a universal favourite with both mothers and children1 and that is the story of ,momotaro4 ,when seeing a mother talking earnestly to her children1 ,i have always discovered that it was the same old story1 old yet ever fresh4 ,it is a curiously simple tale about an old woman who goes every day to the river to wash clothes1 and an old man who goes to the mountain to fetch wood4 ,the old woman is always unhappy because she has no children1 and one day1 when she is washing clothes in the river1 a large peach comes floating down towards her4 ,on carrying it home1 she hears the cry of a child1 which appears to come from the inside of the peach4 ,she rapidly cuts it in two1 and finds to her amazement a fine baby sitting in the middle of it1 which1 since it was born in a peach1 she afterwards called ,momotaro4 ,the story then goes on to tell how the baby grows up to be a fine healthy lad1 who1 on reaching the age of seventeen1 plans an expedition to subjugate an island of the devil4 ,a minute description is given of the food he takes with him--of the corn and rice wrapped in a bamboo leaf--and how on his journey he meets with a wasp1 a crab1 a chestnut1 and a millstone1 who all promise to help him if he will give them half of his food4 ,the lad complies1 and a beautiful description is given of their journey to the island of the devil1 on which journey a very skilful plan is thought out by which to kill him4 ,on arriving at the island1 they find that the chief of the devils is not in his own room4 ,they soon take advantage of his absence4 ,the chestnut hops into the ash2 the millstone mounts on to the roof2 the crab hides in the washing-pan2 the wasp settles in a corner2 and the lad waits outside4 ,the poor devil comes back1 and has a terrible time between them all4 ,he goes to the fireplace to warm his hands2 the chestnut cracks in the fire and burns them2 he rushes to the water-pan to cool himself1 and the crab bites his hand2 he flies to a safe place1 and is tormented by the wasp2 in an agony of pain he tries to leave the room1 but the remorseless millstone descends with a crash upon his head1 and mortally wounds him4 ,this story is told to the ,japanese children over and over again1 but is always received with wide-eyed delight and excitement4 ,illustration3 ,,chums ,i have never seen a child in ,japan cry2 nor have ,i ever seen one smacked1 for what mother can have the heart to touch so dainty a blossom as the child flower of this land of flowers8 ,a group of ,japanese children is perhaps the prettiest sight on earth1 and they themselves are works of art1 the beauty of which can scarcely be imagined4 ,each head and each piquant face is but a field where the ever-present artist can exercise his ingenuity and his skill in colour and design4 ,deliberately the child's head and face are treated as subjects fit for the most decorative of design1 and the result1 though quaint and formal to the last degree1 is invariably as pleasing as it is undoubtedly startling and original4 ,and the children themselves are no less full of interest than their heads and faces are full of paint4 ,i once saw a pyramid of children gazing in at a sweet-stuff shop4 ,they looked like three children2 but on closer inspection ,i discovered that one was a doll looking about the age of a child of two1 with its great head lolling on the back of its mother1 aged three4 ,the three-year-old was a boy1 strapped to the back of his sister aged five4 ,the doll and the sister looked very sleepy and tired as they gazed vacantly at the rows of tempting pink sugar-water bottles in the sweet-stuff shop2 but what arrested my attention was the alert and intelligent expression of the three-year-old child in the middle1 who1 just as ,i took out my notebook to sketch the group1 put a lighted cigarette between his lips1 holding it between two chubby fingers1 eyeing me with the peculiar introspective look of the old hand as he both tests the excellence of the tobacco and gives himself up to its enjoyment4 ,as ,i sketched him he looked composedly at me out of his big eyes1 and posed twice without a particle of artificiality--once with the cigarette in his mouth1 and again as if he had just taken it from his lips for a moment while he paid attention to me4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,sunny ,,stroll ,i remember once passing a temple1 an ancient ,shinto temple called ,kamogamo2 it was a sacred temple and very popular1 being much frequented for picnics4 ,on this particular day there was going on one of the two important picnics or festivals of the year2 the great ground of the temple and the playground were enclosed about with straw ropes on bamboo poles1 to separate one from another4 ,it was a festival for girls under ten1 and there were hundreds of children1 all with their kimonos tucked up1 showing their scarlet petticoats1 and looking for all the world like a mass of poppies4 ,the scarlet in the petticoats was universally repeated in neck and hair2 but their kimonos varied much1 and were of almost every shade and texture of ,japanese cloth and silk crepe imaginable4 ,there were luminous greens1 fawns1 stripes1 golden browns shading into lemon-yellows1 harmonies in brown and violet1 and dresses striped and chequered in tones of almost every conceivable value4 ,two rows or armies of these girls were placed several yards distant from each other in this long emerald-green field2 and in the space between them stood two servants1 each holding a long bamboo pole1 fresh and green1 being evidently just cut down for the fair1 and suspending from its top a flat shallow drum covered with tissue paper4 ,presently two young men teachers appeared on the scene carrying two baskets of small many-coloured balls1 which they threw down on the grass between the children and the drums4 ,then a signal was given1 and all the girls started running down the field at full tilt towards one another1 pouncing on the balls as they ran1 and throwing them with all their force up at the paper drums4 ,the great majority of them missed their aim altogether1 and flew either above or below the drums1 some of the mites getting so excited that they threw the balls forty or fifty yards in mid air4 ,after a time1 when a perfect shower of balls had passed through the tissue drums1 quite demolishing them1 a shower of coloured papers1 miniature lanterns1 paper umbrellas1 and flags came slowly fluttering down among the children on to their jet-black bobbing heads1 and into their eager outstretched hands4 ,never have ,i seen anything more beautiful than these gay1 brightly-clad people1 packed closely together like a cluster of flowers in the brilliant sparkling sunshine1 with their pretty upturned faces watching the softly falling rain of coloured toys4 ,i strolled through the temple grounds1 passed this brilliant stream of colour and lovely laughing children1 passed the cherry-trees and dainty tea-houses1 and in a few minutes found myself in a cool grey-green forest of bamboo1 an academic bamboo grove looking like a pillared temple1 sunless and silent4 ,it was here that the philosophers of old taught and meditated1 and it seemed a place to meditate in--so quiet1 so sombre1 shut off from the world with its endless lofty pillars of grey luminous green--silent1 a world apart4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,child ,,and ,,the ,,umbrella ,,workers ,,chapter ,x ,,workers ,it was with a view to decorating my newly-built ,london house that ,i paid a second visit to ,japan1 being convinced that it was possible to handle the labour there at a cheaper rate and with finer results than in ,europe4 ,my experience proved that ,i was right4 ,before leaving ,england1 however1 ,i was carefully informed by all my friends of the exceedingly bad reputation that the ,japanese have gained commercially4 ,i was told that they were treacherous and unscrupulous in their dealings1 and that ,i was1 above all1 to beware of the ,japanese merchant4 ,as it happened1 it was through making a friend of one particular little ,japanese merchant--through concentrating my attention upon him1 and studying him continually--that ,i was enabled to gain a real insight into the life of the people1 and to tear away that impenetrable veil which1 to the ,westerner's eyes1 always hangs before them4 ,when you get to know a ,japanese merchant well1 a man who has studied our methods1 you will find that he talks openly and frankly about his dealings with the ,european globe-trotter4 ,he will tell you that he cheats you and charges you high prices because the average ,westerner has got no eye4 ,the ,westerner does not appreciate the really fine and beautiful articles that the ,japanese soul worships2 therefore the merchant gives him what he thinks the ,westerner wants1 and asks the price that he thinks the traveller will give4 ,when we first came into touch with the ,japanese we began by cheating them and foisting deceptions upon them1 and now they simply turn the tables upon us and cheat us to the best of their ability4 ,the only difference is that the ,japanese have more intelligence about wrong done them1 and their motive for cheating is thus resentingly greater4 ,i have had many dealings with the ,japanese myself1 and have always found them just4 ,to be sure1 ,i have never come into touch with the treaty-port merchants1 who have been more or less tainted by the ,westerner2 but ,i have come into touch with1 and studied1 the genuine workers of ,japan4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,little ,,jap ,my first object on arriving in ,tokio was to find some ,japanese who would be capable of gathering together a series of splendid craftsmen to work for me4 ,as luck would have it1 ,i found my man--a perfect little genius of a fellow--on the evening of my first day in ,japan1 and in a most unexpected manner4 ,i was sitting in the reading-room of the hotel1 with my plans spread out before me1 dreaming of the ,japanese glories that were to decorate my ,london house1 when my attention was attracted by seeing a little creature1 looking like a monkey with a great box on his back1 bound suddenly into the room1 evidently by aid of the manager's foot in the adjoining hall4 ,not in the least perturbed1 he began to unstrap the box from his back1 from which he took out curios1 and drifted about the room trying to sell them to the different globe-trotters assembled there4 ,nothing was too small or too trivial for him3 he would sell anything4 ,he was chivied about1 insulted1 and abused by every one2 yet he received it all with a smiling face4 ,nothing seemed to affect him4 ,he was a typical ,japanese1 with bright slit-like eyes set as close together as any monkey's--blinking eyes they were1 but so intelligent4 ,i could see that he was a keen observer1 and that he looked upon these wayfarers as so much material of prey1 by the quiet way in which he selected a man with a big pocket1 sidling up to him and allowing himself to be insulted1 yet always getting the best of the bargain in the end4 ,he tried to sell me some very bad cloisonn1 and he was so clever about it1 handling his wares in so dexterous a manner1--making his twopenny-halfpenny pots appear of priceless value--that it occurred to me that this little monkey resemblance might have ideas of his own1 and be in some small way able to help me4 ,he spoke ,english a little1 and ,i told him to come up to my room that night1 when ,i should have something to say to him4 ,glancing at me in a searching way1 without asking a single question or showing the slightest surprise1 he only said1 ,i come6 ,illustration3 ,a ,,by-,,canal ,and he came4 ,when ,i went up to my room after dinner1 ,i found him sitting there1 or rather squatting on a chair1 waiting for me1 blinking his beady little eyes and looking as solemn as an owl4 ,i told him all my schemes4 ,i explained that ,i was a painter1 thoroughly in sympathy with the ,japanese1 and that ,i wanted his help to gather together a company of workers--fan-workers1 metal-workers1 and screen-workers--in order to furnish a house that ,i had built in ,london4 ,he grasped my idea in an instant1 and very soon entered into the spirit of the plan1 taking an enthusiastic interest in all my schemes4 ,whenever there was anything that needed measuring exactly1 this little man would run his finger and thumb over it in the most dexterous manner possible1 murmuring to himself1 ,one inchie1 two inchie1 three inchie1 seven-and-a-half inchie1 etc4 ,i talked on and on1 expounding and arranging1 until it must have been nearly three o'clock in the morning4 ,japanese people are in the habit of going to bed very early1 and soon my little ally became obviously sleepy1 although he was far too polite to admit it4 ,only when midnight struck did he beg that he might be allowed to smoke a pipe1 in order1 as he said1 to keep himself awake4 ,i gave him permission1 and he immediately jumped into the fireplace1 crouching right down in the fender1 close up against the red-hot coals1 and smoked his miniature pipe there4 ,i talked on1 and he listened1 really interested in everything ,i said1 and gazing at me with his little beady eyes1 bright with interest1 yet blinking so rapidly that there was almost a mist over them4 ,then1 for the first time1 ,i noticed that the little soul was tired1 and1 feeling that it would be cruel to keep him up any longer1 ,i bade him good-night and shut the door4 ,for almost an hour after he had gone1 ,i sat on dreaming and brooding4 ,then ,i was suddenly aroused by hearing a fumbling noise outside my room1 as though some one were tapping at the hall door4 ,i went out to see who the intruder might be1 and there ,i found my little ,japanese friend1 practically asleep1 but running his fingers all over the bolted door1 trying to measure it1 and murmuring1 one inchie1 two inchie1 three inchie4 ,from that moment ,i christened him ,inchie1 and now all over ,japan at the present time this little man is known as ,mr4 ,inchie4 ,after that night ,inchie became my constant companion and friend4 ,wherever ,i went he came4 ,whether it was to theatres1 neighbouring towns1 metal-workers or fan-workers1 ,inchie always accompanied me1 until in the end it became a daily habit for him to drift about with me in the sunshine1 neglecting his business entirely4 ,for ,inchie was an artist first and a merchant after4 ,we visited the temples1 where ,inchie taught me to appreciate the difference between a degenerate ,buddha and a perfect ,buddha1 a difference so subtle as to be quite indistinguishable to the alien4 ,gradually1 bit by bit1 as ,i grew to know him better1 this little merchant's true nature revealed itself to me4 ,i began to see the man apart from the merchant1 and he proved himself to be a great artist4 ,here in ,england we should call him a distinguished genius1 and undoubtedly there are scores of equally brilliant men in ,japan4 ,i have indeed no reason to believe that there are any men in ,japan who are not brilliant1 considering that here1 the first man ,i had met1 an ordinary little merchant in a hotel for ,europeans1 was an artist4 ,every day we wandered about the streets trying to discover the best operators in metal1 wood1 and bronze to work for me2 and in a very short time we had gathered together a bevy of excellent associates1 each thoroughly proficient in his own particular direction4 ,inchie and ,i talked out our plans during our many walks through ,uyeno ,park and down the theatre streets1 and we came to the conclusion that this ,japanese house of mine should be a house of flowers4 ,each room should be some individual and beautiful flower--such as the peony1 the camelia1 the cherry-blossom1 the chrysanthemum1--and1 just as a flower begins simply at the base1 expanding as it reaches the top into a full-blown bloom1 so my rooms should begin with simple one-coloured walls and carpets1 becoming richer and richer as they mounted up1 ending as they reached the ceiling in a perfect blaze of detail4 ,illustration3 ,,swinging ,,along ,,in ,,the ,,sun ,that was my dream2 but1 unlike most dreams1 it was realised to the full and far beyond my widest expectations4 ,i first of all turned my attention towards the wood-carvers2 and1 discovering that each man had his favourite flower1 which he manipulated more skilfully than any other1 ,i arranged that he should work solely on that particular species4 ,having found three or four men who had a special fancy for the peony1 ,i allowed them to occupy themselves entirely in the peony room4 ,i gave them the exact measurement of the ceiling1 squaring it out into a certain number of panels1 with complete measurements of the doors1 the frieze1 and every portion of the room1 allowing them to give bent to their own artistic instincts as to colour and design4 ,these drawings were then handed over to the wood-carvers1 to be pasted on to wood panels and carved4 ,in a very short time every workman in ,inchie's store1 and every artist too1 became enthusiastically interested in this work that they were undertaking4 ,in fact1 it was not work to them at all1 but one long artistic joy4 ,so much rubbishy bric-a-brac has to be made for the ,european market that when a ,japanese is allowed to go his own way and create self-imagined beautiful things1 it is an untold personal pleasure to him4 ,i never saw a body of men work together so unselfishly as these4 ,the metal-workers in the peony room went on in sympathy with the wood-carvers from the cherry-blossom hall2 the screen-makers were interested in the proceedings of the fan-makers2 and the designers were interested in them all4 ,each individual operative was zealously interested in the success of the results as a whole2 and the end is that my house now looks like the product of one man1 or rather of one master4 ,it was a revelation to me1 after my experience of ,british workmen1 to see the way these little ,jap fellows toiled4 ,how they would talk and plan out schemes of decoration for me among themselves1 studying peony flowers1 for instance1 in some celebrated temple garden in order to introduce a new and more natural feeling into their wooden ones2 and then the joy with which they would think out every little detail1 flying round to my hotel at all times of the day to inform me of some new departure1 surprised and pleased me greatly4 ,these men were all brilliant craftsmen and designers1 creating work that could not be surpassed in ,italy or anywhere else for beauty4 ,yet the bulk of them were poorly fed1 receiving only sevenpence or eightpence a day4 ,too poor to buy meat1 they lived on rice and on the heads and tails of fish twice a week1 being unable to afford that which was between4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,metal-,,worker ,but although the ,japanese workman is very poorly paid1 it must also be remembered that his necessities are few and simple4 ,this is roughly the way a workman in ,japan lives4 ,he has one meal of rice per day1 of the poorest quality1 which costs him two sen eight rin4 ,a sen is a tenth part of a penny1 and a rin a tenth part of a sen4 ,for a mat to sleep on at night he pays one sen five rin4 ,three sen he pays for fish or the insides of fowls4 ,drinking-water costs him two rin1 while two rin per day pays for the priest4 ,the total cost of his daily living thus sums up into about five sen three rin4 ,then1 as to be buried at the public expense is considered a deep disgrace1 forty sen is always put on one side for the purchase of a coffin1 seventy-five sen if the gentleman wishes to be cremated1 twenty sen for refreshments for mourners1 five rin for flowers1 three sen for the fees of the two priests1 while1 to economise1 a ,japanese of the lower grade will generally make use of friends as bearers4 ,apropos of the absurdly small price at which a man can live in ,japan1 ,i am reminded of an experience in ,kioto4 ,i was walking down the theatre streets one day with a ,japanese friend1 and we stopped in front of a little stall full of very dainty toys4 ,there were thousands of toys--miniature kitchen utensils exquisitely carved in wood1 small pots and pans and dishes1 all bound with lacquer and beautifully finished1 such as would delight the heart of every housewife of my acquaintance4 ,i asked the stall-holder1 a little stolid old man1 through the interpretation of my friend1 how much he would sell his entire stock for4 ,his excitement was intense1 and my friend told me that my simple question had had the effect of an avalanche upon this stolid little toy-seller1 and that he was quite unable to grasp my meaning1 so startling and gigantic did the transaction seem to him4 ,after a great deal of gesticulation1 and much flicking of the beads on his counting machine1 the little man came to the conclusion that his entire stock would be worth two yen thirty sen4 ,this ridiculous price quite took my breath away1 and ,i immediately said that ,i would buy the lot4 ,then there was another commotion3 the little man was thoroughly upset1 and could not understand what ,i meant4 ,in the end ,i made him carry away his stall bodily and follow me with it to my hotel4 ,i paid him the money1 and he quickly disappeared4 ,you won't see that little gentleman in theatre street again in a hurry1 my friend said3 he will be living in luxury now for a week or more on that two dollar thirty sen1 and he certainly won't dream of doing any more work until he has spent the lot4 ,sure enough1 ,i never saw the stolid toy-seller again during the whole of my stay in ,kioto1 which stretched over more than a month4 ,but although the coolie and the workman in ,japan live on next to nothing1 the rich man spends very lavishly4 ,if he entertains you1 he gives you a dinner which1 although you seldom appreciate its splendid qualities 7for it does not appeal to the ,western palate71 is1 from the ,japanese standpoint1 truly regal4 ,there will be four or five different kinds of fish1 some of which will be specimens of great value2 and a dinner given at a ,japanese tea-house by a merchant to a ,european friend would cost more than the most expensive dinner it is possible to procure at the ,carlton or at the ,savoy4 ,illustration3 ,,bronze-,,workers ,my men flourished on the heads and tails of fish1 and did splendid service4 ,day by day the decorations for my house grew1 as one worker after another was added to the little band4 ,one man recommended another1 and gradually the number increased1 until at last there were as many as seventy working for me ,inchie was my help1 my interpreter1 my foreman4 ,at first there were many difficulties in the way1 for ,inchie's knowledge of ,english was limited1 and my knowledge of ,japanese was none at all4 ,it thus arose that the only method of making him understand me was pantomime4 ,one day1 while discussing a certain measurement1 we became so involved that ,i was determined to demonstrate my meaning4 ,so ,i borrowed the carpenter's tools and constructed a little model of the house1 with its different rooms1 showing how the carved ceilings and friezes should be placed4 ,inchie was astounded that ,i should have so great a knowledge of his own particular work of carpentry1 and respected me the more accordingly4 ,my one great obstacle with the men was in persuading them to make several things alike4 ,they were all artists and hated repeating themselves1 and without rhyme or reason ,i would suddenly find that they had made a red lacquer door twice the size of its fellow by way of variety4 ,when ,i first employed them ,i made the grave mistake with my workers of ordering large quantities at a time of required materials4 ,i actually ordered a hundred electric-light fittings--fairy-like lamps daintily wrought in bronze1 of which they had made me a model--but they refused me point-blank1 and the only way to get them at all was by asking a dozen at a time1 and by arranging that each dozen should be varied in some slight respect4 ,it was the same with my picture frames4 ,they were to be a combination of wood and silk1 and when ,i told the master bronze-worker to make me two hundred of them for my next exhibition in ,london1 his face clouded over2 he was thoroughly displeased4 ,no can make1 he said decisively3 there is berry much difficulty4 ,much it cost to make2 ,i must get big shops to do that2 ,i no likee4 ,the little man was quite discouraged1 and ,i was only able to procure my frames by degrees4 ,now1 in ,england it would be quite the reverse--the larger the order1 the more contented the merchant2 but in ,japan everything is made by hand4 ,the men take an artistic interest in the work4 ,they hate repeating themselves2 and in all the panels designed for my carved ceilings there were not two alike1 although the entire design formed a complete whole4 ,why in the world we do not use ,oriental labour in ,europe is a marvel to me4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,theatre ,,street ,nothing that these ,japanese workmen made for me at the rate of sevenpence or eightpence a day can be approached in ,london for love or money4 ,i had some gold screens made for me in ,japan4 ,they were very beautiful1 and were made of gold on silk varnished over and lacquered1 with apple-green and vermilion silk borders made from the linings of old dancing dresses4 ,these screens were so brilliant that they were like gold mirrors in which a lady might see her reflection just as accurately as in any ,parisian cheval glass4 ,in the passage to ,england one of the screens became slightly damaged4 ,i was greatly distressed1 and took it to a celebrated firm of house-decorators to have it repaired4 ,they undertook the task very confidently2 but directly they attempted to match the gold they found that it was impossible to approach to anything like the brilliancy of its surface1 although every conceivable method was attempted4 ,they tried putting on gold and then burnishing and varnishing it over to imitate the surface of the lacquer4 ,the result was that1 to the present day1 that screen stands in my hall with the same dull1 sullied patch in the middle of it1 a silent testimony to the inferiority of the ,british house-decorator as compared with his ,japanese contemporary4 ,little ,inchie and ,i1 as ,i have said1 soon became great friends4 ,he followed me about wherever ,i went1 and ,i often lingered in his store1 watching him sell curios to ,english people and ,british merchants from ,kobe4 ,it was often a revelation to observe the subtlety of the man and the masterly way in which he handled these inquiring visitors4 ,he seemed to divine their inner-most thoughts1 and to know at a glance exactly what they wanted1 and the prices that they would be likely to pay4 ,after a time ,i learnt the price of nearly every curio in his store4 ,there was never a fixed value for anything3 ,inchie was always led by his customer4 ,perhaps an ,american and his wife would come in1 the man saying nothing1 the wife remarking on everything4 ,it was1 they said1 all beautiful4 ,i noticed that little ,inchie was not at all enthusiastic1 merely answering their questions1 but not attempting to sell4 ,he would not waste an ounce of energy on them1 and after a time they would sweep out of the place1 the lady gushing to the last moment and saying how beautiful and exquisite everything was4 ,directly they had gone ,i would ask ,inchie why he had not worked harder to try and sell them something4 ,gentleman and lady not got big pocket1 he would say4 ,how in the world he knew that they had but little money puzzled me4 ,lady berry much talk--,american lady always berry much talk4 ,she say ',this curio number one1' but never buy4 ,english daimio lady come to my store no berry much talk2 ,english gentleman no big pocket4 ,when she leave my store ,i say1 ',me presentie you4' ,what little ,inchie means by this is that he feels that this ,english lady is refined and really admires his beautiful things1 but cannot afford to buy them4 ,he appreciates her delicacy1 and1 in his quaint pidgin ,english1 begs to be allowed the privilege of giving her this little inexpensive trifle to take away4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,carpenter ,very often1 when ,i was spending a morning in ,inchie's little curio store1 a ,kobe merchant would drop in to buy--a pompous fellow and burly1 asking the price of everything he saw4 ,how much is this8 and how much is that8 he would say1 and ,what do you suppose you'd charge for that8 ,inchie would look up at the merchant and blink with almost a scared expression1 so meek was it4 ,the merchant1 like the great bully that he was1 feeling satisfied that he was cowing the little man1 would pick up a piece of ivory and say1 ,how much8 ,four dollars1 answers ,inchie4 ,very dear1 replies the merchant sternly4 ,then ,inchie would pick up another piece of ivory1 putting away the former1 and say with a scared expression1 as though the merchant had frightened him down1 ,i charge two dollars for this4 ,i will give you one and a half dollar1 urges the merchant4 ,and little ,inchie1 puckering his brow and in a melancholy voice1 says1 ,i takee1 the merchant going off highly delighted1 convinced that he has been robbing all round4 ,immediately after he had left the store1 the change in ,inchie was extraordinary4 ,he was no longer meek and melancholy1 but gleeful and triumphant1 and longing to tell me what had happened4 ,the merchant from ,kobe he berry much cheat1 that man1 he said1 with a chuckle4 ,i show him number one curio1 ,i ask him number one cheap price1 and he say1 ',berry de-ar4' ,then ,i show him no number one curio and ask him more double price4 ,he say1 ',i no pay that2 ,i give half that4' ,he take away curio at half that price1 and that very good for me4 ,i make more money like that than when ,i sell good curio4 ,then ,inchie explained how very easy it is to deceive the average traveller4 ,he does not stand a chance against the ,japanese merchant1 and half the collections of curios ticketed and placed in museums in ,england as fine and unique specimens are in reality worthless imitations4 ,the really fine productions never leave the country at all4 ,westerners visiting ,japan expect to secure fine works of art by paying a small sum for them2 but it cannot possibly be done4 ,in that country they know the value of productions1 and will not easily part with them4 ,inchie1 becoming very serious and natural1 would give me a little lecture on the absurdity of ,westerners coming to ,japan expecting to buy really fine old curios and pictures at a small price1 when no ,japanese would part with them for any consideration4 ,a man1 he said1 will come from your country who thinks he understands ,japan because he has read some books about it1 and has seen some examples of bad art in ,england4 ,that man has no eyes--he can't see the really beautiful things4 ,he comes to buy the old kakemono4 ,he won't buy the new kakemono by the good man that lives now4 ,he no understand if it good or bad2 but it must be old4 ,well1 we make him the old one2 and here ,inchie gave me an exact description of how they make the old kakemonos4 ,they first begin by making the paper look old1 and every producer has his several methods of bringing about age4 ,this is how ,inchie does it4 ,he has eight various stains in eight separate baths1 in which he puts his paper1 holding the two opposite corners and dashing it from one bath to another in one quick1 dexterous sweep4 ,then the paper is left to dry1 and out of about one hundred sheets stained in this way1 in all probability only a dozen will be found sufficiently perfect to deceive the buyer4 ,that is the beginning of the manufacture of an imitation old kakemono to be sold to the ,european connoisseur for hundreds of dollars1 afterwards to find its resting-place in some celebrated museum4 ,illustration3 ,,making ,,up ,,accounts ,what chance has a ,european against a genius like this8 and how can he detect deception in objects that have been the result of such minute care and consideration8 ,the ,japanese can imitate postage stamps so accurately that the only hope of discovering a fraud lies in analysing the gum at the back of a stamp4 ,when we stain paper in coffee or beer to give it the effect of age1 we consider that we have gone far in the art of imposition2 but in this direction1 as in many others1 we are mere babies compared with the ,japanese4 ,but then1 ,inchie1 ,i said1 in reply to his statement that it was child's play to deceive the ,westerner1 you too are sometimes deceived by us4 ,i know of a gentleman in ,england who brought over to ,japan a large collection of modern porcelain of ,english manufacture1 and by clever handling he imposed the whole lot on an artist at ,osaka in exchange for some rare old ,satsuma4 ,then ,i enlarged on the hardship of the story4 ,i explained how the ,englishman had persuaded the ,osaka painter to give up all the rare old ,satsuma that he had collected during the course of a lifetime in exchange for this valueless ,english porcelain1 remarking that it was wrong and almost cruel to take such a mean advantage of the poor ,osaka merchant4 ,and what do you say to that for a clever fraud1 ,inchie8 ,i asked4 ,inchie only held his sides and laughed4 ,at last he said1 ,oh1 he berry number one clever man1 that at ,osaka2 for1 it seemed1 he knew all about the ,englishman and his porcelain1 and also about the ,satsuma4 ,the painter1 indeed1 was known all over ,japan by his clever imitations of old ,satsuma1 and it was also generally known that he had given this ,english gentleman a collection of imitations that he had painted himself in exchange for the ,english porcelain1 which was interesting to him to study4 ,the person to be pitied in ,inchie's estimation was the biter bit2 and he was number one sorry for that ,englishman4 ,whenever any one fresh arrived in ,tokio--young1 old1 pretty1 or plain--,i always sent him or her to ,inchie's store to buy curios4 ,such streams of people besieged him1 all so different and some so quaint1 that1 although they were good for trade1 ,inchie was very uncertain as to whether they were good for me1 and was anxious to have the matter cleared up4 ,you have many friends1 he would say1 eyeing me suspiciously4 ,illustration3 ,,finishing ,,touches ,at length the crisis was reached which broke down the barriers of ,inchie's reserve and thoroughly upset him1 in the shape of a fair bulbous woman1 who was a terror6 ,i was sitting in the reading-room of the hotel one day1 believing that ,i was alone1 when a twangy voice broke in upon the silence4 ,just fancy1 he shot himself for love of me1 mentioning a name in ,yokohama4 ,really1 ,i observed1 feeling embarrassed 7he must have been mad1 ,i thought74 ,yes2 he blew his brains out4 ,have a drink8 she went on1 in an exuberance of generosity4 ,i said1 ,i think not4 ,she replied that if ,i would not she would1 and she did4 ,she wanted to buy curios4 ,i at once suggested ,inchie1 which was a happy inspiration4 ,inchie came round1 and ,i left them in the reading-room together discussing cloisonn umbrella handles4 ,my companion was lost to me for three full days1 being wholly occupied with the fair visitant4 ,he turned up at last1 but in a state of fever1 his eyes sparkling and blinking indignantly4 ,he handed me a letter that he had just written to his latest customer1 my friend the bulbous fair1 who had left for ,shanghai that day4 ,you order me much porcelain2 you order me many curios2 ,i no can send4 ,i think you better go porcelain ,yokohama4 ,much cheaper you get ,yokohama1 more number one1 ,inchie's letter ran4 ,yes2 but1 ,inchie1 ,i remonstrated1 why won't you serve her8 ,she's a good customer for you4 ,he was violent with rage4 ,i no like the lady1 he said2 she no daimio lady4 ,tea-house lady1 ,i think1 with tea-coloured hair4 ,she received me with not a proper dress on2 she smoke and drink4 ,i no want to serve lady like that4 ,she no friend of yours8 he added1 eagerly looking into my face with his piercing little eyes4 ,no1 no1 ,inchie6 of course not1 ,i replied1 for ,i wasn't going to claim her4 ,ah1 ,i thought she no friend of yours1 and ,inchie smiled1 while ,i felt that ,i was respected once more and entered into his good graces--it turned out for ever4 ,now1 ,inchie1 ,i said to him one day1 ,i want to get a good porcelain man1 the best in ,tokio4 ,can you manage it8 ,there was nothing1 so far as ,i knew1 that ,inchie could not manage1 so that in a very short time he had found a little man1 a pupil of the most eminent porcelain maker in ,tokio1 also celebrated for his remarkable glazes1 who had just started a business of his own4 ,we drove round to his store to ask him if he would undertake the painting of a dinner-service1 and do other things for me4 ,he was a young man1 this particular painter1 but with the face of a very old one1 careworn and haggard1 quite an enthusiast1 full of interest in his art1 and a craftsman of the highest order4 ,when he found that ,i too was in the same ranks1 his sympathies were aroused1 and he devoted a whole month solely to the firing and painting of my porcelain4 ,after a time ,i began to understand the man and his processes4 ,he brought out little bits of choice ,chinese-blue porcelain to show me4 ,whenever there was to be a three-days' firing he would come round to my hotel and inform me of it4 ,altogether he developed into quite a friend1 almost to the dethronement of ,inchie4 ,he allowed me to sit among the men while they worked1 and1 seeing how interested ,i was1 they gave me some clay to model and paint4 ,i ended by painting a whole dinner-service in blue and white4 ,it took me a week to do2 but it was perhaps one of the most delightful experiences ,i have ever had1 and ,i can safely say that ,i have never worked in a more congenial atmosphere than when sitting on a mat in that little porcelain shop surrounded by those twelve little artists4 ,i shall never forget the anxious moments when my products were being fired4 ,sometimes ,i have gone on for twelve or fourteen hours1 eating and resting with the men1 taking my turn at keeping the furnace alight1 and hanging about after the kilns had cooled to see my valuable porcelain dug out4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,back ,,canal1 ,,osaka ,nothing can be more exciting than the first peep at porcelain after it has been fired4 ,a mass of dead heavy-looking clay is put into the furnace and fired2 you peep at it after some hours1 and find1 to your surprise1 a rare paradise of glazed white and blue1 so brilliant and sparkling that it seems almost impossible to have been made by mortal hands4 ,but then1 of course1 it is not always so delightful2 there are sometimes vexing surprises awaiting you as you open the oven door4 ,occasionally you will peep in and see a group of vases looking like drunken men lolling against one another in a disreputable manner1 and lurching over at all angles4 ,surrounded by a series of failures such as these1 the finest work is almost invariably found4 ,although the vases have all been painted by the same hand and fired in the same kiln1 only one will be perfect1 while the rest are worthless4 ,this is probably brought about by some subtle influence to be found in the placing of the vase in the kiln4 ,there is1 however1 a great deal of uncertainty in such operations1 and it is almost impossible to foretell the fate of any piece of ware after it has been set in the firing kiln4 ,inchie and ,i spent much of our time with the bronze-workers1 and it amused me to see these artists carrying out designs for the ,european market1 while to hear their comments upon the crude productions of ,englishmen was sometimes very funny indeed4 ,the men who were thus engaged were at the same time carrying out exquisite work for me4 ,they complained that the ,european market insisted upon everything being over-elaborated and very showy1 and at the same time very old4 ,this combination is quite impossible4 ,the old ,japanese bronze work was always very simple in design1 depending for its beauty1 not upon the flowery decorations surrounding it1 but upon the exquisite proportions of the piece itself4 ,to create the aged appearance necessary in the eyes of the faddy ,european1 the bronzes have to be buried in the earth--in a special kind of earth--for a few days2 after which they are dug up and sold to connoisseurs and ,english people1 who are by way of understanding works of art1 for fabulous sums4 ,illustration3 ,,stencil-,,makers ,i had occasion to employ many embroiderers2 and here1 as in every other branch of ,japanese art work1 ,i received a series of eye-openers4 ,hitherto ,i had been envious of the many fine old bits of embroidery and temple hangings shown me by the different globe-trotters staying at the hotel4 ,they had all come upon their treasures in some lucky and unexpected manner4 ,by much good fortune every man had secured his own special piece of embroidery1 and each by clever manipulation had outwitted the dealer from whom he had managed to wrest this one old temple hanging4 ,but when ,i went to headquarters1 and began to employ the men who actually made the fabric1 my envy vanished4 ,i soon found that none of these coveted treasures was old at all4 ,such large pieces of embroidery are not used in temples1 nor have they ever been2 they are quite modern introductions1 and have been brought about simply to attract and make money out of the credulous strangers4 ,i have spent hour after hour with the embroiderers1 watching them manipulate old temple hangings1 and have seen them when the task was over wash on gold stains with base metal4 ,here and there a few little touches would be of real gold1 and it was all done so cleverly that none but a ,jap could possibly detect that they were modern4 ,it is almost a depressing sight to watch these embroiderers at work--so different are they from the happy boisterous metal-workers talking and laughing amid the clanging of their little hammers4 ,they are sad and silent4 ,you will be in a roomful of these people for perhaps a whole morning1 and not one of them will utter a word4 ,they work on and on1 with heads bent down1 picking up thread after thread of the one piece of embroidery that they have been constantly working on for months1 or perhaps for years4 ,never a word nor a smile2 each peering into his own special work with painful red eyes1 on which are large bone-rimmed spectacles4 ,they all1 as a rule1 lose their sight early in thus poring incessantly over this difficult and dainty work4 ,i ordered several pieces of cotton crpe of a certain design that ,i had drawn myself1 and it was during the execution of this commission that ,i was brought into touch with the stencil-workers and dyers of the country4 ,stencil-cutting is one of the most beautiful arts imaginable4 ,to see the stencil-workers cutting fantastic designs from the hard polished cardboard beneath their instruments--so delicate that it is like the tracery of a spider's web in its tenuity--is a sight that one never forgets4 ,some of the designs are so cobweb-like that single human hairs are used in parts to keep them from breaking to pieces4 ,dyeing is also an art that is brought to a high degree of perfection in ,japan4 ,sometimes an elaborate design will need such a large number of plates and colours1 as well as finishing touches by the hand of the operator1 that in the end it looks almost like a water-colour1 so closely do the colours mingle one with another4 ,then there were the carpenters1 and here a whole series of surprises awaited me4 ,for example1 ,i found that the teeth of their saws were set in what may be called the opposite direction1 and that therefore1 when a man pulled his instrument towards him1 it cut the wood1 rather than when he pushed4 ,in this1 as in everything else1 the ,japanese are perfectly right4 ,one always has more strength to pull than to push1 and with this method you are enabled to use saws made of such thin metal that if their teeth were set in the opposite direction they must needs cockle and break4 ,when a carpenter wants to plane some tiny piece of wood1 perhaps a portion of a miniature doll's house1 he does not run a small plane over it1 as we do1 but uses a large heavy one1 very sharp1 and turned upside-down4 ,in this way very delicate work can be achieved4 ,all the ,japanese tools are designed with a view to their special fitness4 ,the chisels work in a totally different way from that of our chisels1 and lend themselves more readily to delicate work4 ,as to their little wood-carving tools1 they are perfect joys6 ,i shall never forget the expressions on the faces of my ,british workmen as they unpacked the cases of goods that arrived from ,japan1 and came across saws as thin as tissue paper with their teeth set the wrong way2 tiny chisels that almost broke as they handled them2 hammers the size of a lady's hat-pin4 ,my foreman's face was a study of disgusted contempt4 ,now1 how can a man turn out decent work with tools like that8 he exclaimed1 looking round appealingly4 ,and it did seem impossible4 ,but not one of them complained when they came across the actual work accomplished by these ridiculously small instruments4 ,the carpenters were loud in their admiration for the wood-carving1 and the foreman merely sniffed4 ,he knew that he himself could not approach it4 ,and this was soon clearly proved1 for if ever my hands tried to do a bit of patching it was always a failure4 ,all their joining was as child's play when compared with this ,japanese triumph4 ,there was a man in ,osaka1 a perfect genius in wood-carving--the king of carpenters4 ,people journeyed from long distances to pay their respects to him1 and he was the most independent person ,i ever saw in my life4 ,he never dreamt of undertaking service for people unless they appreciated it and understood its value4 ,very rich ,americans have tried to persuade him to engage for them2 but1 as he always demanded that would-be purchasers should be capable of appreciating his work as that of an accomplished artist1 they rarely ever succeeded4 ,nearly all this man's work is done for his own people at a very low price1 and ,japanese wood-carvers are continually taking pilgrimages to see him and to buy specimens of his productions4 ,he always demands to know what is going to become of them1 and where they are going to be placed1 before consenting to part with them4 ,i had the wit not to ask him to sell anything to me1 nor to execute anything for me1 but simply admired his work as that of a unique artist4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,sign-,,painter',s ,most prominent among the toilers of ,japan are the workers in lacquer1 clean and dainty beyond description1 with whom a great portion of my time was taken up4 ,the climate of the country is exactly suited to the making of lacquer1 being sufficiently damp4 ,the process is unusually elaborate1 and is a tedious matter of painting on a very large number of coats of lacquer1 rubbing them down always1 and allowing them to dry4 ,when we think of lacquer here in ,england1 we think of it in connection with our tea-trays and like cheap goods which we complain of as being made of bad material that chips and breaks and becomes useless in a distressingly short space of time4 ,the ,japanese have lost the art of creating the fine old lacquer that they used formerly1 we say4 ,but it is not so at all2 it is purely a question of time4 ,if the ,japanese were allowed sufficient leisure1 and were not rushed on so by the requirements of the ,european market1 they would be able to turn out just as fine and just as durable lacquer as they did in the days when they worked for the love of their work alone for purchase by their fellow-countrymen4 ,practical proof of this can be found in the fact that all the doors in my ,london house1 which are composed of the best lacquer1 twenty or thirty coats thick1 and have been in constant use for years1 are still in perfect condition1 and will be two hundred years hence4 ,one has no idea before going to ,japan of the extensive range of colours in the way of greens1 blues1 and reds that there is in lacquer1 for most of the colours are entirely unknown in the ,west4 ,there is undoubtedly no surface in the world that is as clear and as brilliant as lacquer1 and ,i have often thought how advantageous it would be if one could only lacquer pictures over instead of varnishing them2 it would give to the poorest work a brilliancy and crispness that would be simply invaluable4 ,but this brilliant surface is only brought about by excessive care and cleanliness in its preparation--indeed1 it needs almost as much attention as the making of a collotype plate4 ,i was anxious to get some really good cloisonn workers to make some things for me1 and by very good luck ,i hit upon a man who had just discovered an entirely new method of handling gold4 ,coming across one of his samples at an exhibition in ,tokio1 ,i ferreted him out and persuaded him to engage for me4 ,his cloisonn1 unlike the ordinary slate-grey work that one must needs peer closely into before discovering its fine qualities1 was bold in design1 with flower patterns of cherry-blossom just traceable through a fine lacework of gold1 and it looked like a brilliant rainbow-hued bubble4 ,one is much inclined to fancy that cloisonn vases with elaborate designs must necessarily be expensive4 ,that1 however1 is not the case4 ,there are technical obstacles connected with making broad sweeps of colour in cloisonn that render simple designs much more expensive4 ,japan is the only place in the world that is capable of producing cloisonn1 for the patience and skill required would overtax the workers of any other country1 and such an attempt would necessarily end in failure4 ,a cloisonn shop is every bit as depressing as the embroidery works4 ,you will see men picking up on the end of their tiny instruments gold wire1 which is so microscopic as to be like a grain of dust1 and almost as invisible4 ,this tiny morsel has to be placed on the metal vase and fixed there4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,cloisonn ,,worker ,talking of the delicate and exquisite tools used by cloisonn workers reminds me of tools that are just as delicate1 but used for quite another purpose--namely1 those which the ,japanese dentists handle so dexterously4 ,however1 the stock-in-trade of a ,japanese dentist chiefly consists of the proper use of his finger and thumb4 ,the most strongly-rooted tooth invariably gives way to this instrument4 ,a ,japanese dentist has only to apply his fingers to a tooth1 and out that tooth comes on the instant4 ,it is sometimes very amusing to see a group of dentists' assistants1 all mere children1 practising their trade by endeavouring to pull nails out of a board1 beginning with tin tacks and ending with nails which are more firmly rooted than the real teeth themselves4 ,when ,i had gathered my team together by the help of my right-hand ally1 ,inchie1 after having chosen the best of them from every branch of art1 they continued to go on well and assiduously1 and the decorations of my house were in full swing1 when suddenly there was a break1 a distinct break4 ,i went round to the store early one lovely morning in ,may1 as was my habit1 and found1 to my surprise1 that the whole place was empty4 ,not a metal-worker or carpenter was to be seen4 ,they had all mysteriously disappeared--where8 ,to view the cherry-blossom6 ,inchie also1 whom ,i had relied upon as a good steady colleague1 had1 on the first opportunity1 and without any warning1 drifted away into the open air with the whole band to view the blossom4 ,the ,japanese workmen1 who are skilled1 and want examples from ,nature1 evidently adhere to the principle that all work and no play makes ,jack a dull boy1 and so1 whether ,i liked it or not1 when such a glorious day had presented itself1 they were not going to miss the opportunity of enjoying it4 ,it was a holiday1 or rather the sunshine had declared it to be a holiday1 and all ,japan1 rich and poor1 employers and employed1 had turned out to picnic in the parks1 and feast their eyes upon the cherry-blossom4 ,so universal was the holiday1 and so persistently did ,inchie implore that ,i should join them1 that ,i soon found myself sitting under the trees in ,uyeno ,park1 surrounded by my deserters1 enjoying things as well as any one of them there4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,toy-,,shop ,it was on this day1 out of the pure joy of the idea1 that ,inchie proposed to give me a real ,japanese dinner1 and at the same time show me some of the fine old classical dances of ,japan4 ,i remember that night so well6 ,inchie invited three other ,japanese friends1 and we all went down into the basement with rod and line1 or1 to be exact1 with a net1 to catch our own fish for dinner4 ,it was to me novel sport chasing those lazy old goldfish round the tank4 ,i secured a monster1 which beat ,inchie's out and out for size4 ,inchie was in splendid form on this occasion2 it was a field-night for him1 and he was quite at his best4 ,he was an enormous eater2 he ate anything you chose to give him1 and he enjoyed the dinner that followed our half-hour spent below stairs1 ,i must confess1 far more than ,i did4 ,for although the repast was of the very best quality1 it was after all ,japanese1 which statement speaks for itself1 as every one knows that ,japanese food does not by any means commend itself to the ,british palate4 ,there was our just-caught fish cooked with bamboo1 meat of different sorts1 and many varieties in the soup character1 some of which were not bad4 ,as for the ,sake1 it tasted like bad sherry2 but it had a most exhilarating effect on ,inchie1 and in a very short time produced in him a most natural and joyous frame of mind which enabled me to see a side of his disposition that under ordinary conditions would never have come to the surface4 ,one of the courses of this dinner of dinners was a chicken1 provided out of deference to my ,european tastes1 and ,inchie carved it4 ,it was a muscular bird2 but ,inchie carved it with a pair of large chopsticks as ,i have never seen a chicken carved before in any part of the globe4 ,not even ,joseph of the ,savoy with his flourish of fork and knife in mid-air could compete with ,inchie and his pair of wooden chopsticks4 ,no knives nor fingers were used2 but the whole was limbed1 cut up1 and served in less than the period that ,joseph would take in his skilled dexterity4 ,i remarked upon his skill in handling the chopsticks1 and ,inchie at once suggested that we should all have a competition to see who could pick up the greatest amount of peas with chopsticks in the shortest possible time4 ,each was given a lacquer tray with carefully numbered green peas1 cold and cooked--the number according to the proficiency of the player4 ,inchie's plate was loaded2 the guests and geishas had a fair amount2 but ,i had only three1 and the aim was to pick them up one by one and put them into our mouths1 the competitor whose plate was empty first being declared the winner4 ,we started1 and ,i was so intent on the manipulation of my three green peas that ,i was only conscious of a whirl of hands1 never having noticed that the rest had finished their pile before ,i had picked up my second pea4 ,i never undertook such a task before1 nor ever will again4 ,the discouragement of it was final4 ,my first pea1 after no little exertion and much sleight of hand1 ,i had raised to my lips on the points of the chopsticks1 when just at the critical moment it abruptly left its moorings1 went like a shot from a catapult across the room1 and settled itself on the lap of one of the geishas1 who was thereby promptly put out of the contest4 ,i do not know what happened to the second pea1 much less of the fate of the third2 all ,i remember is that ,i came in a very bad last in the chopstick competition4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,sweet-,,stuff ,,stall ,what with the ,sake1 the competition1 and the dinner1 ,inchie became more and more brilliant1 until at last an idea sparkled out that was worthy of his distinction4 ,i was to have a piece of wood-carving in my ,london house that should be as it were the eye of the peacock--the first ever made in ,japan6 ,we should go to ,osaka together1 he remarked1 the very next day1 choose a great piece of wood #h or #i feet in length1 #c feet broad1 and about #f inches through1 and have it carved in the most beautiful and magnificent chrysanthemum pattern ever seen--for the hall was of chrysanthemums4 ,his eyes sparkled as he said1 ,you are going to have berry number one house2 must have one big number one piece chrysanthemum carving--better than any other carving1 better than temple carving4 ,the ,sake passed round1 the geishas danced1 and ,inchie talked1 while with every cup he grew brighter and brighter1 and his eyes sparkled like jewels4 ,i was beginning to see the real ,inchie4 ,was this really the little man1 the laughing-stock of the hotel1 bullied and sworn at by every one8 ,he talked of ,hookosai1 who1 he asserted1 was not the great master that he is universally considered to be in ,europe4 ,hookosai was too realistic2 many other artists were far finer4 ,yet another cup of ,sake was passed round and drained4 ,i will demonstrate some ,hookosai pictures1 said little ,inchie1 in a tone of suppressed excitement2 and1 stepping behind a screen as he spoke1 reappeared almost immediately with a handkerchief rolled round his head and his kimono tucked up1 posing in the attitude of one of the most celebrated of ,hookosai's pictures4 ,twenty or thirty pictures were represented1 and in each he was a different man merely by changing the muscles of his face4 ,never have ,i seen such acting in my life2 he was like a gallery of ,hookosai's pictures rolled into one1 with all their queer exaggeration4 ,more ,sake was drunk1 and later in the evening ,inchie became so excited that1 in order to work off his condition1 he made the remarkable proposal that he should show me a devil dance4 ,when he emerged from behind the screen1 the geishas were frightened and drew back in alarm2 for he was no longer the gentle little monkey merchant1 but a real devil4 ,as for the dancing1 ,i never saw anything so superbly fine6 ,it almost took my breath away4 ,he seemed almost superhuman1 an ethereal creature4 ,the evening ended up in the usual way4 ,next morning ,inchie came round to my hotel1 sat down on a chair looking amazingly sheepish1 and blinked solemnly at me4 ,well1 what's up now1 ,inchie8 ,i inquired1 seeing that he had something to say4 ,berry number one bad night last night1 ,sir1 moaned ,inchie with a shake of his head4 ,i no want you to tell people ,i do the devil dance last night4 ,they no understand and berry much talk4 ,please1 ,i beg you not tell6 ,and poor little ,inchie went about for days with a drooping head1 looking the picture of misery4 ,but in my opinion1 he had no reason to be ashamed of his conduct2 he had shown himself to be a versatile genius4 ,he had acted as ,i never before have seen a man act2 he had also danced as ,i have never seen a man dance2 and he had drunk as ,i have never seen a man drink without becoming badly affected4 ,nevertheless1 this was the man who had allowed himself1 and was allowing himself1 to be sworn at1 bullied1 and even kicked by the common sorts and by the vulgar globe-trotters4 ,the day following the night of the never-to-be-forgotten dinner1 ,inchie and ,i went1 as we had intended1 to ,osaka to choose a fine and sufficiently well-seasoned piece of wood for this famous and all-important wood-carving1 the eye of the peacock4 ,i think we must have visited every timber-yard in ,osaka in search of a fitting plank1 and it was too funny to see the way ,inchie would crawl over a piece of wood1 like the small monkey that he was1 scratching1 rubbing1 picking it with his nail1 and even putting his tongue upon it to test its quality4 ,at last a plank was found that was declared to be berry number one1 and the great undertaking1 the work of carving it1 began4 ,five men were at work on it for five months4 ,and now that it is completed and fixed in my chrysanthemum hall1 it is a triumph6 ,it is a joy--it is a possession6 ,at the same time1 when we were in ,osaka1 ,inchie was struck with another brilliant idea4 ,i must have a gong1 he said1 a superb gong2 and as ,inchie himself had once been a metal-worker1 he was an excellent judge of gongs and undertook to choose one for me4 ,before that day ,i had no notion that there could be such a vast difference in gongs4 ,we went to about twenty or thirty stores in ,osaka1 at each of which several gongs were produced for our inspection4 ,and ,inchie bounded about the shop like a cat or a leopard1 from one corner of the room to the other1 crouching down on the ground with his hand over his ear1 striking each in turn1 and listening to its vibration4 ,no berry good that1 he would whisper to me1 and then1 talking charmingly to the merchant1--for ,inchie was always charming--he would bow himself gracefully out of the shop4 ,at each store in turn the same thing happened1 until at last we reached a shop which seemed to me still more improbable than the rest1 for it was a dirty little hole of a place1 with no such thing as a gong in sight4 ,in reply to our usual question the proprietor dived into a tangled bit of garden at the back1 and presently reappeared with an old rusty gong1 very thin with age and use and exposure to all weathers1 and looking not worth twopence4 ,inchie struck it1 and the expression on his face was extraordinary as he looked round at me4 ,the tone was superb4 ,this was the gong of gongs6 ,that berry number one1 he exclaimed in a stage whisper4 ,we secured the gong for a few cents4 ,big-pockety man no berry clever1 ,i think1 remarked ,inchie pensively4 ,it was on the day of my last visit to his store before sailing for ,england1 and ,inchie was very sad1 very earnest1 and very anxious to give me the best possible advice as to what to do in the way of selling when ,i arrived at my store1 as he termed it1 in ,england4 ,when big-pocket man come to ,japan1 every merchant know1 and all wait for him1 said ,inchie1 by way of demonstrating to me how very easy it was to entrap a rich man into buying one's goods4 ,inchie also told me the following story of how two big-pockety men once fared at the hands of a very subtle merchant4 ,he was a ,tokio merchant1 and directly he heard of their probable arrival he sent experienced guides to almost every port in ,japan to waylay these arrivals4 ,they were eventually caught at ,kobe1 and were led all over ,japan by a remarkably efficient guide1 in due course reaching ,tokio4 ,after visiting many curio stores they were safely landed at the store of the master exactor4 ,then the trickery developed4 ,the merchant began to flatter and compliment the richer of the two1 and knowing that they were anxious to buy gold lacquer he said3 ,you are a great connoisseur on gold lacquer1 ,i believe4 ,they tell me that you have a quick eye for fine work1 and ,i have heard much of your appreciation of ,japanese art4 ,the big-pockety man was thus won over into a limp and restful condition1 for no one can flatter to such good advantage as the ,japanese4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,canal ,,in ,,osaka ,meantime the guide was walking about the shop with his mouth wide open and looking silly4 ,he was there to protect the two men1 and the keenest observer could never have guessed that he was in reality the agent of this merchant4 ,i want your guide to take you round to all the gold lacquer shops you can1 for ,i know that that is what you appreciate and love so much4 ,after you have seen all that the merchants can show you1 come back to me and see what you think of my specimens4 ,all this time he was toying with a little insignificant-looking gold lacquer tray1 turning it about under the rich man's very nose in such a way that he was bound to notice it4 ,we ,japanese are so clever1 you know1 and we are such good imitators of lacquer that even ,i1 a ,japanese1 am liable at times to be misled by some of the deceptions4 ,but1 continued the merchant in an off-hand manner1 there is one sure test of real gold lacquer1 and that is the fire test4 ,so saying he carelessly lit a match and allowed it to play all over the gold lacquer tray2 then quietly and without any demonstration he handed it to the rich man and begged him to observe that it was not harmed in any way1 taking it for granted that he1 the rich man1 naturally knew of the fire test4 ,the big-pocket man puckered his fat brow critically--he really knew nothing about it--and rubbed his greasy palm over the surface of the lacquer4 ,the difference between the hands of the two men was a characteristic study--one big and flabby1 the other slim and sinuous with fingers that almost turned back in their energy4 ,after examining the tray closely the visitor admitted that it was in truth untouched4 ,the master exactor smiled1 and1 like the rogue he was1 never referred to it again4 ,the two rich men went away with their guide and visited half a dozen other stores in ,tokio1 trying the fire test on all the gold lacquer they could find1 with disastrous consequences4 ,illustration3 ,,umbrellas ,,and ,,commerce ,they had to pay for damages wherever they went1 and wherever they went the merchants were indignant1 for real gold lacquer1 as every one knows1 will not stand such treatment unless it happens to be a flat tray4 ,but the rich men only chuckled at their superior knowledge and paid the damages without a murmur4 ,then they went back to the store of the evil prompter and did exactly as he expected they would do2 they bought ten thousand pounds' worth of gold lacquer1 all of which was berry number one imitation gold lacquer1 as ,inchie remarked4 ,well1 but1 ,inchie1 ,i couldn't treat people like that4 ,i told the little man ,i shouldn't know how4 ,but ,i will show you how to sell1 quoth ,inchie3 ,i show you how to sell two-cent blue porcelain pot in your store for two hundred dollars to big-pockety man2 whereupon ,inchie proceeded to give me a lesson in the art of selling4 ,he first brought out a nest of six lacquer boxes that fitted one into the other2 then he held up the two-cent porcelain pot1--and the way he handled it made it already begin to appear valuable in my eyes4 ,i truly believe that ,inchie could stroke out a piece of newspaper and make it seem as rare as a bank-note4 ,then this little genius wrapped the worthless blue porcelain in yellow silk1 and placed it in the smallest lacquer box1 which with its lid he secured inside a larger box1 and so on until the entire six boxes and their lids encased his gem4 ,placing it upon the table1 he began to explain how ,i should sell it1 and in order to describe the subtlety of the transaction ,i must give it in ,inchie's own words3 ,big-pockety man come your store in ,england and he say1 ',mr4 ,menpes1 you bought number one curio in ,japan8' ,you say1 ',no buy curio in ,japan1' but you talk much to him of all the beautiful things you see in ,japan4 ,after a time you look on the ground and think--much you show you think4 ,big-pockety man look at you and he no talk4 ,you look up quick and you say1 ',oh1 number one curio ,i buy ,japan1 ,i remember6' ,he say1 ',please show me curio4' ',never ,i show curio1' you tell him4 ',i buy number one curio1 but ,i no want to show4' ,then you talk to him about ,japan1 all the streets and the theatres you see in ,japan2 but all the time he talk of curio--',i ber-ry much want to see1' he say4 ,you say1 ',you friend1 you number one friend8 ,very well1 ,i show4' ,after having thus given way you must go upstairs and look for the curio1 and--,inchie laid a stress upon this last statement--you must be a long time finding it4 ,when you come back you place the large lacquer box containing the five smaller boxes and the ,buddha's eye--the ,holy of ,holies--upon the table1 and much you begin to talk about ,japan1 berry like ,american lady talk ,i think2 you no talk to him then about porcelain4 ,after much talk about beautiful blossom you take out one box2 then you talk more and take out another box--gentleman he ber-ry much want to see4 ,when you come to final piecee box he berry much excited1 and when you take out the porcelain and yellow silk you berry berry quiet--no artistic to talk now4 ,then you drop the corners of the silk and look at the porcelain4 ,you no talk1 big-pockety man no talk2 he no understand this--berry funny4 ,somebody must talk1 all quiet2 you rest long time no talk1 and big-pockety man say1 ',berry much number one curio that ,i think--how much you sell8' ,you say1 ',i no sell4 ,berry much money that costee me ,japan1 much ricksha1 much hotel4 ,number one ,chinese porcelain that4 ,number one glaze4 ,i no sell1' ,and to cut the story short ,i must explain that the big-pockety man--that is the millionaire--is by this time in a perfect fever to possess my priceless blue porcelain1 and1 ,inchie says1 here ,i must weaken1 and after asking him if he is daimio gentleman number one1 ,i must allow him to buy my two-cent vase for two hundred dollars4 ,in giving me this important lesson in the art of selling1 ,inchie considered that he had shown me the truest mark of friendship1 and that he had given me the most valuable present in his power1 and far more useful than any jewel could be4 ,towards the end of the work1 when the house was nearly completed1 and ,i had entertained mentally almost every friend ,i knew1 and had missed nothing from the door-mat to the red lacquer soup-bowls on the dining-room table1 ,i suddenly remembered the door-knocker4 ,there was no door-knocker6 ,i immediately interviewed ,inchie and asked him to help me to design a door-knocker4 ,seeing that the only doors they have in ,japan are sliding ones made of tissue paper1 it was some time before ,inchie could comprehend my meaning4 ,i no understand why you want to knock at the door4 ,very funny that6 he said4 ,i explained that in ,england it was necessary to have very strong doors which one could not leave open lest people should come in and steal4 ,he blinked his little eyes and looked up at me intelligently3 ,i understand6 he exclaimed1 berry number one bad ,chinaman come and steal4 ,no1 ,i said1 not ,chinaman1 but ,englishman4 ,i no understand1 he repeated4 ,after much pantomime and talk ,i at last conveyed to him a fairly good idea of what was needed in the way of a door-knocker1 and sent him home to work out some suitable design4 ,three days after he came back carrying under his arm a huge roll of drawings1 which he proceeded to unfold on the floor4 ,a glance was enough to show me that the little fellow had not got hold of the kind of door-knocker ,i required1 and ,i watched him with a limp and hopeless feeling4 ,go on1 ,inchie3 explain it1 ,i said4 ,he was in very good condition this morning--pleased with himself and the world in general1 and more especially with his door-knocker design4 ,drawing in his breath with a little satisfied hiss1 he began3 ,now1 you see1 you first put on the door a large chrysanthemum in bronze1 and ,inchie went through the performance in pantomime4 ,in the centre of this chrysanthemum a rod of steel must be fixed five inches in length4 ,suspended from the rod of steel must be a silk cord about five inches in length1 and attached to the cord a marble about the size of a child's playing marble4 ,underneath the large chrysanthemum1 and in line with the marble1 should be placed another chrysanthemum with a miniature gong in the centre three-quarters of an inch in diameter4 ,wait a bit1 ,inchie1 ,i cried1 for this description was too much for me--,i must digest it more slowly4 ,i pictured to myself the strings of children that pass and repass my house in ,cadogan ,gardens on their way to and from school1 and their feelings concerning this small metal ball waving in the soft wind of a summer's afternoon on its apple-green cord4 ,it would be too gorgeous an attraction by far6 ,no child could have the heart to destroy so rare a thing at once1 it would be far too great a joy2 they would save it at least until their return journey from school before even touching it4 ,seeing that the small man was becoming a little offended1 ,i said1 ,fire away1 ,inchie1--what next8 ,well1 when you come home after dinner1 you take the marble and hold it five inches from the gong4 ,you shut one eye and take aim2 then you let go1 and he goes ping6 ping6 and gentleman he come and open the door4 ,no1 he doesn't1 ,inchie1 ,i shouted3 you're wrong there--the gentleman doesn't open the door4 ,i no understand1 said little ,inchie1 his face falling1--why he no open the door8 ,because1 ,i explained1 when you come home late at night after dinner you must have very sure habits of taking aim in order to strike that miniature gong three-quarters of an inch in diameter4 ,inchie looked up at me with bright pathetic little eyes1 and said1 ,berry fine daimio door-knocker this1 and it is not difficult for you to strike4 ,i no understand6 ,then ,i took him on one side1 not wanting to hurt his feelings1 and explained to him how almost impossible it would be for a man coming home after dinner1 having walked hurriedly and all that1 to take aim at his miniature gong4 ,you told me you could shoot a rifle1 was ,inchie's reply4 ,after that there was no more to be said1 for ,i realised that one must necessarily be a rifle shot before you could get home at nights4 ,illustration3 ,,playfellows ,the last ,i ever saw of poor little ,inchie was when he came on board the ,p4 and ,o4 steamer at ,yokohama to see me off on my journey to ,england4 ,the authorities would not allow him to lunch with me in the saloon1 and the poor little fellow1 who was far more refined and certainly had far more intelligence than any one on board1 captain and officers included1 was compelled to eat his luncheon standing up in the steward's pantry1 which hurt his feelings terribly4 ,the only figure that ,i seemed to see in the mist that enwrapped ,yokohama wharf was poor little ,inchie standing there in his blue kimono and quaint bowler hat1 watching me with eager blinking eyes that had a suspicion of moisture about them1 and lips that twitched slightly2 and the last thing ,i heard was1 ,i think when you go to ,england you send me berry many letters--often you send me4 ,and ,i felt as the steamer moved away that ,i had lost a good and a true friend4 ,when the decorations for my house arrived in ,london1 the next and all important question to be considered was how to put them up4 ,everything was finished and ready to fix in its place without nails1 and the only thing left to be completed by the ,british workmen was the slight wooden beams and square framework in which the carved panels were to be fixed4 ,i secured five or six good workmen1 and literally taught them how to handle this material1 but it took them two years to put up what my ,japanese craftsmen had produced in one year4 ,it was all straightforward clean design1 and there was no artistic effort needed for it2 but the obstacle was that they always struggled to make the woodwork a little thicker than necessary4 ,their inclinations were always to strengthen things1 and it took a great deal of perseverance and patience to uproot their fixed ideas4 ,then ,i had a great deal of trouble with the painters4 ,at first they almost refused to put distemper on my walls4 ,strings upon strings of painters ,i was compelled to dismiss because they would persist in putting what they called body into the paint4 ,sometimes they would slip it in behind my back2 but ,i always detected it and dismissed the men on the instant4 ,it was the only way4 ,well1 ,i've been in the trade for thirty years and ,i've always used body--they all said that1 and every workman ,i have ever employed1 or is yet to be employed1 always says the same4 ,no matter how young or how old they may be1 they have always been in the trade for thirty years4 ,one painter ,i educated sufficiently to allow of him going so far against his principles as to leave out body1 but when ,i ordered him to mix oil and water by beating them together in a tub he declined and left4 ,the only men whom ,i was able to persuade to do this for me were my foreman and one of the carpenters4 ,the foreman was a very intelligent little man1 whom ,i had educated to such an extent that his views of life and of workmen in general were entirely changed4 ,he sneered at them1 and was altogether so won over to my ideas that ,i am afraid ,i totally destroyed him for any other work4 ,the painter1 on the other hand1 had no intelligence at all1 but was equally devoted1 and ,i feel quite sure that those two poor operatives are drifting about now doing anything but their respective trades of carpentry and painting4 ,they undertook the beating of the oil and water very energetically1 and kept it up for days1 relieved occasionally by the caretaker4 ,eventually the oil did mix1 and the experiment was a great success4 ,towards the end of their training these men became so accustomed to looking at things1 if not feeling them1 from the decorative standpoint1 that it was no unusual occurrence to overhear such remarks as the following4 ,the foreman would say to his pal as he caught sight of the reflection of his grimy face in a mirror3 ,i say1 ,bill1 my flesh tone looks well against this lemon yellow1 don't it8 or ,i suppose ,i must start and wash off this toney--toney meaning dirt1 but to call it dirt would be to their enlightened minds vulgar in the extreme4 ,everything with them was tone4 ,a few days before they left for good ,i overheard a conversation between ,bill and his mate1 who had begun to feel the hopelessness of attempting work of a different nature4 ,what shall we do1 ,bill1 when this blooming job's over8 said the foreman4 ,i suppose we shall go a-'opping6 replied ,bill4 ,it was then just about the hopping season4 ,,characteristics ,,chapter ,,xi ,,characteristics ,perhaps one of the most admirable features in the character of the ,japanese is their great power of self-control4 ,the superficial observer on his first visit to ,japan1 because of this very quality of theirs1 is at first liable to imagine that the ,japanese have no emotion4 ,this is a mistake4 ,i have lived with them2 ,i know them through and through2 and ,i know that they are a people of great emotions1 emotions that are perhaps all the deeper and stronger because they are unexpressed4 ,self-control is almost a religion with the ,japanese4 ,in their opinion it is wrong and selfish to the last degree to inflict one's sorrows and one's cares upon other people4 ,the world is sad enough1 they argue1 without being made sadder by the petty emotions of one's neighbour3 so the people of ,japan all contrive to present a gay and happy appearance to the outside world4 ,you may express your feelings in the solitude of your own room1 and there is no doubt that the ,japanese suffer terribly among themselves1 although a stranger1 and especially a ,european1 will never detect a trace of it4 ,i once went to call1 with a resident of ,japan1 on an old ,japanese lady1 to condole with her on the loss of her husband and her only son1 who had both been swept away1 with thousands of others1 in a great tidal wave only a few days previously4 ,as we neared the house we saw1 through the partially-opened sliding door1 the old woman rocking herself to and fro in an agony of sorrow1 literally contending with emotion1 and suffering as ,i have never seen a human being suffer before4 ,i was terribly shocked1 and we naturally hesitated for some time before announcing ourselves2 but by the time the mourner appeared at the door to greet us1 she was all smiles4 ,it was difficult to believe that she was the same woman4 ,her face shone with radiant happiness1 and all traces of sorrow had disappeared4 ,in the course of the conversation she did not avoid the sore subject1 but rather chose it1 and talked of the death of her husband and her son with a smiling face and an expression by which one might very pardonably have judged that she had no feelings whatever4 ,this was self-control indeed1 and it is only in ,japan that one encounters such striking illustrations of superb pluck and endurance4 ,illustration3 ,,youth ,,and ,,age ,in my opinion1 this great self-control is an evidence of the very high standard of civilisation of the ,japanese4 ,if one is at all observant and really in sympathy with the people1 one is continually catching glimpses of their real natures and instances of their magnificent self-command4 ,once ,i was talking to a little ,japanese merchant1 along with some friends whom ,i had taken round to his store to buy curios4 ,i had made quite a friend of this man1 and knew him well4 ,we were all chaffing him about getting married1 and one of my friends said to him1 ,well1 why don't you get married8 ,but perhaps you have already got a wife6 ,the little man looked up quickly with a smile on his face1 and said--,me married already2 me wife die two years past2 two children die two years past2 all die1 ,i think4 ,the voice was perfectly steady1 and the face smiling1 as he uttered this amazingly sad statement2 but some one chanced to look up and saw two great tears standing in his little monkey-like eyes4 ,of course he was no class1 and1 not being an actual workman1 but only a merchant1 he was considered to be of rather a low grade4 ,still1 for this slight show of emotion1 he had utterly disgraced himself in his own eyes1 and would afterwards1 no doubt1 atone for it by torturing himself in private4 ,i saw many remarkable instances of the self-control of the ,japanese people when ,i visited the scenes of desolation caused from that great tidal wave which destroyed nearly three thousand people4 ,village after village ,i visited1 some of them with only three or four living inhabitants left2 but in no case1 with men1 women1 or children1 did ,i see the slightest trace of emotion4 ,here and there1 indeed1 you passed a woman huddled up in a corner muttering and screaming1 but only because her mind had become unhinged by the loss of her home1 or probably village1 and every relation she possessed4 ,no ,japanese in his senses would amid the same circumstances be guilty of so much as a murmur or a tear4 ,the ,japanese are a brave people--not only the men1 but the women too4 ,in fact1 the women more especially are brave4 ,many women destroyed themselves during the ,china-,japanese war1 because their husbands had been killed in battle4 ,there was one ,japanese woman in ,tokio who felt so deeply the disgrace placed upon her country by the attempt on the life of the present ,emperor of ,russia some years ago by a common coolie1 that she committed suicide4 ,she felt that this great ,european prince had visited her country as a guest1 and that before ,japan could raise its head once more the nation must make some great sacrifice4 ,day after day she visited the ,legation1 and begged to be allowed admission to some of the high officials--in vain3 they were too busy to see her4 ,at last1 after some weeks of fruitless effort1 she went home in despair and killed herself1 leaving a pathetic little letter to the ,minister stating that she hoped that the sacrifice of her life might in some way help to cleanse her country from its disgrace4 ,illustration3 ,,lookers-,,on ,patriotism is a strong trait in the character of the ,japanese2 but perhaps their imagination and their love of ,nature are even stronger1 and at all events will cause them to bound forward and become a first-rate power4 ,this universal force of the imagination is a quality that no other nation possesses1 and it is a quality that will cause her1 not so very many years hence1 to dominate the world4 ,all the ,japanese possess imagination1 from the highest to the lowest2 it is shown in every action and detail of their daily life4 ,there is no one of them1 even to the poorest coolie1 who has not some little collection of exquisite works of the art that he loves4 ,your jinricksha man1 if you were ever allowed the privilege of visiting his house1 would in all probability be able to show you one or two choice specimens1 either in china or in bronze1 of his household gods4 ,and so strongly is the love of ,nature impressed within him that he cannot pass a beautiful scene--a hillside of blossom1 or a sunset--without stopping his ricksha to allow you also the privilege of enjoying it4 ,often when taking a drive in the country he will suddenly stop in front of some delightful scene1 put down your ricksha1 and1 taking from his kimono sleeve a little roll of rice1 wrapped in a dainty bamboo leaf1 will sit down and begin to eat it with his chopsticks1 continuing to gaze at the scene1 every now and then looking up at you for sympathy4 ,if you are an artist1 and will look at the scene intelligently and appreciatively1 this little ricksha man will be your slave for life and will do anything for you4 ,men are esteemed in ,japan in proportion to their artistic capabilities1 and not for their banking accounts4 ,it is in this quality of imagination that we ,britishers are deficient4 ,our lack of imagination will be the cause of the decline of our ,empire1 if it does decline4 ,then1 the ,japanese are a polite people4 ,if you give a present to some little child1 a mite strapped to the back of a sister that is scarcely bigger than itself1 you are almost sure to find that little child waiting for you on your return to your hotel with some small trifle to offer you2 and this little one will bow to you from its rather awkward position with all the grace imaginable4 ,two coolies sweeping the roads1 when meeting for the first time in the day1 will lay down their brooms and salute each other before passing on their way to work4 ,i have had many experiences1 when sketching the streets of ,japan1 of the people's politeness4 ,a policeman becoming interested in my work would help to keep clear a space in the road1 and never dream of overlooking my work or of embarrassing me in any way4 ,in one street of a village he actually had the traffic turned down another way1 so as not to interfere with my sketching4 ,fancy a policeman in ,england diverting the traffic simply because an artist wanted to sketch a meat shop6 ,one of the most remarkable illustrations of the native politeness that ,i have ever witnessed was in ,tokio4 ,a man pulling along a cart loaded high up with boughs of trees chanced to catch the roof of a coolie's house in one of his pieces of timber1 tearing away a large portion of it 7for a roof is a very slim affair in ,japan74 ,the owner of the house rushed out thoroughly upset1 and began to expostulate1 and to explain how very distressing it was to have one's roof torn off in this manner4 ,no doubt if he had been a ,britisher he would have used quaint language2 but there are no swear words in the ,japanese language--they are too polite a people4 ,the abused one stood calmly1 with arms folded1 listening to the harangue1 and saying nothing4 ,only1 when the enraged man had finished1 he pointed to the towel which in his haste the coolie had forgotten to take off his head4 ,at once the coolie realised the enormity of his offence4 ,both hands flew to the towel1 and tore it off in confusion1 the coolie bowing to the ground and offering humble apologies for having presumed to appear without uncovering his head4 ,for in ,japan one must always uncover1 whether to a sweep or to a ,mikado4 ,the two parted the best of friends4 ,one had been impolite enough to forget to uncover2 the other had torn away a roof4 ,the rudeness of the one balanced the injury of the other4 ,thus are offences weighed in ,japan4 ,,the ,,end ,the illustrations in this impression were engraved and printed by the ,carl ,hentschel ,colourtype ,process4 ,the letterpress was printed by ,messrs4 ,r4 ,r4 ,clark1 ,limited1 ,edinburgh4 ,illustration