med
among foreigners, of Japanese porcelain. Its soft, cream-like colour
is now known in every part of the world, while the delicate colour
decorations imposed upon the cream-like background, certainly give a
most effective appearance. I question however whether, from a purely
artistic standpoint, Satsuma is worthy of being compared with many of
the other porcelains in Japan. Much of it as seen in Europe was
specially made for Europe, and having been so is, I suggest, not in
the true sense artistic. As a matter of fact Satsuma ware was
introduced from Korea, and was made in the first instance solely for
the use of the Prince of Satsuma and his friends. The kilns were
originally built on Korean models, and the potters in Satsuma remained
a class apart, not being allowed to marry with the outside world.

Kaga ware is well known to all art connoisseurs. This porcelain is
rare. The masters of the art of Kaga ware, with its exquisite
colouring and elaborate ornamentation in gold and silver, have left no
successors, while their output was small. The ware is of course still
made, and as the clay of the district is of a dark red colour, the
ware has a uniform tint.

Bizen ware reached the apotheosis of its perfection just before the
Revolution. It is made in the province of Bizen. The better kind is
made of a white or light bluish clay, and well baked in order to
receive the red-brown colour, whereas the commoner kind is of a red
clay.

The various Kyoto wares are remarkable for their quaint forms, and
some of them are highly prized.

It would, of course, be impossible for me to attempt in detail a
description of the other very numerous ceramic wares of Japan.
Undoubtedly, as I have said, Satsuma is the most popular with
Europeans, but it is not, and I do not think it deserves to be, the
most highly prized by art connoisseurs. The ceramic wares of Japan may
be classified under three headings: (1) Pottery, ornamented by
scoring and glazing; (2) A cream-coloured faience with a glaze often
crackled and delicately painted; (3) Hard porcelain. Under the first
of these classifications may be included Bizen, Seto, Raku, and some
other wares. Under the second I place Satsuma and some less important
similar products. Among the porcelains the most famous are those of
Kutania, Hizen, and Kyoto. In regard to decorations, the Japanese have
utilised the seven gods of good fortune, many landscapes, a few of the
domestic animals--the dra