JAPAN
old Kutani-yaki, though in this respect it still fell considerably short of the miniature painting of the modern school.
Hachiroemon died in 1849. Nine years later (1858), the two sons of the celebrated Kyōtō keramist Zengoro Hōzen—commonly called Eiraku—together with another Kyōtō artist, Ohashi Rakusen, were invited to Kaga by Maeda, chief of the fief. Of the two brothers one, Zengoro Wazen, remained six years at Kutani, and assisted in developing the decorative fashion—gold designs on a red ground—for which his father had been so famous. The difference between Wazen's style and Hachiroemon's was that in the former the whole piece—except, perhaps, the inner surface, where designs in blue sous couverte occasionally appear—was covered with red, serving as a ground for conventional patterns in gold; whereas in Hachiroemon's ware red was used for purposes of delineation quite as much as for a ground colour. Further, Wazen's red may be distinguished from Hachiroemon's by its greater body, yet lighter, coral-like tone. Pieces manufactured by Wazen, or under his directions, at Kutani are generally marked Kutani ni oite Eiraku tsukuru, which signifies, "Made by Eiraku at Kutani."
During the troublous years immediately preceding and following the abolition of the feudal system, that is to say, from about 1863 to 1869, the keramic industry of Kaga did not escape the general commercial depression. The factories in both the Enuma and Nōmi districts were either closed or kept open for the production of common utensils only. At this juncture an amateur of considerable means, Abe Omi, set himself resolutely to work to revive the decaying
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