and the Japanese
artisan of to-day would be more than human did he not respond to the
demand of the West for "Old Satsuma" and other specimens of the
artistic treasures in pottery and porcelain of Japan. The spirit of
commercialism is, as I have said before, fatal to art. If the artist
is forced to work quickly and cheaply he quite evidently cannot bring
his individuality into play. He must transform his studio into a
workshop, and ponder only, or chiefly, upon the possibility of his
output. I have been much struck in this connection with the remarks of
a writer in regard to orders for art work sent from New York to Japan.
"I can remember," he said, "one of our great New York dealers
marking on his samples the colours that pleased most of his buyers,
who themselves were to place the goods. All other colours or patterns
were tabooed in his instructions to the makers in Japan. This was the
rude mechanism of the change, the coming down to the worst public
taste, which must be that of the greatest number at any time."

[Illustration: KUTANI EARTHENWARE, DECORATED WITH POLYCHROME ENAMELS
EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY]

[Illustration: INCENSE BURNER
AWATA FAYENCE. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY]

As regards the modern porcelain of Japan I need say but little.
Originality is apparently dead, and the makers of to-day are content
to copy the past. No doubt the purely mechanical processes of
manufacture have been greatly improved, and much, if not most, of the
modern ceramic ware of Japan is extremely beautiful. At the same time
some of it, especially that which is made solely for the foreign
market, is to my mind neither artistic nor beautiful. It is decorated,
if I may use such a term, in most of the colours of the rainbow, and
rendered more gaudy still by a plethora of very poor gilding.

There is in Japan a certain school of progressive ideas in reference
to the art of the country. This school is of opinion that Japanese art
should not, so to speak, remain stereotyped, but that it should
assimilate and adapt and apply all that is good and beautiful in
Western art. The objects that this school has in view are no doubt
laudable, but I confess I hope with all my heart that those objects
will fail of accomplishment. There has been already far too much
Europeanising of Japanese art, and the result, so far as I have been
able to judge, is not encouraging in respect of any further advance or
development in that direction. Japan