JAPAN
brown obtained from shibu. The clay was that of Shigaraki, which gave coarse, gritty pâte, inferior as a potter's material, but well adapted to rough outline sketches such as those that Kenzan applied to these wares. He marked his pieces with his name, "Kenzan." Even in his manner of making the mark he was true to his style, using no stamp, but scrawling the ideographs Ken-zan in a large, bold hand. At a late period of his career he worked at Iriya, in Yedo (now Tōkyō), but the materials procurable in the neighbourhood of the eastern capital were of such inferior quality that even Kenzan could produce nothing satisfactory with them. Urged rather by love for his craft than desire of gain, he never attempted to manufacture large quantities of faience, so that genuine specimens of his work are exceedingly rare and proportionately valued. His example did not affect the decorative methods of Awata, his style being too essentially individual to be imitated. His son and grandson, however, continued to manufacture pieces of the same character, though inferior in verve and originality. Kenzan died in 1743; his son, Kenzan the second (ni-dai-me Kenzan) about 1775, and his grandson, Kenzan the third (san-dai-me Kenzan) about 1820. The cachet was used by all three, and it is often difficult to distinguish their pieces.
A predecessor, and for a short time contemporary, of Kenzan (Ogata Sansei) was Seibei, whose artist name was Ebisei. This potter did not work at Awata. He belongs to the Kyō-mizu section, where he will be further noticed. He is mentioned here because his principal pupil, Eisen, was the instructor of two men, Mokubei and Dōhachi, whose names stand high in the Awata annals.
192
