BackNo.90
JUNE 1939
STUDY OF "LI-TAl-MING-HUA-CHI"
BY KENYU DOTANI
"Li-Tai-Ming-Hua-Chi" was compiled by Chang Yen-yuan in T'ang Dynasty (in 847 A.D.). Not only for its antiquity but for its rich contents and their construction as a book, it may safely be called the best book among historical studies on Chinese paintings, and was treated as the model by all successive writers.
However, it is very regrettable that of this important book we have neither original manuscripts nor any printed edition earlier than late Ming Dynasty. It is not difficult to imagine that there are wrong words, disorders, and omissions as well as later insertions in the existing edition of "Li-Tai-Ming-Hua-Chi." The writer of this article who has studied this book for several years here takes up the question of the arrangement of chapters.
Of course such a study requires detailed discussions on words, phrases, and also on the logical construction of sentences as a whole. But as it is difficul to follow such discussions in this summary, we mention only the conclusions arrived at by the writer.
The first question is about the preface of the book: though there is no preface in the existing edition, we may consider that the original book must have had it. Comparing the "Li-Tai-Ming-Hua-Chi" with the preface of another book "Fa-Shu-Shua-Lu" also written by the same writer, we are inclined to take that the latter part of the chapter "On Rise and Fall of Paintings," found in the first volume of the existing "Li-Tai-Ming-Hua-Chi," comes first as the preface to the whole book, being followed next by "Index of Painters" which is also included in the same volume.
Secondly, on the question of the construction of the book as a whole, the writer comes to the following conclusion: Comparing the "Li-Tai-Ming-Hua-Chi" with those later histories of Chinese paintings, "T's-Hua-Chien-Wen-Chih" by Kuo Jo-hsu and "Hua-Chi" by Teng Ch'un--both were written in Sung Dynasty on the model of the famous T'ang book--and also taking into consideration the much-discussed book "Ming-Hua-Lieh-Ching" which might be another edition of the same "Li-Tai-Ming-Hua-Chi," the writer of the article maintains that the seven volumes from the fourth to the tenth in the book on the biographies of painters should precede the three volumes from the first to the third containing theoretical arguments on painting. In a word, the book in its original state is supposed to open with the preface now contained in the first volume, and is thereafter successively followed by "Index of Painters" and "Biographies of Painters," finally ending with the theoretical part with "Origins of Paintings" and other chapters.
The writer's idea of the original construction of the book is summarized as above. But he feels the necessity to come to the next problem, which is still contained in the theoretical part even after such reajustments and requires further studies and rearrangements. The writer promises them for the future.
TWO UNUSUAL STATUETTES OF KOREA
BY PROF. YUKIO YASHIRO
Nowadays many Korean statuettes are acquired by museums and collectors both home and foreign. They are interesting works aesthetically but they are also important materials for the study of the contemporary Japanese sculpture of the Suiko period, which were surely modelled after Korean originals. But so far they have never been studied systematically. Recently some statues have been excavated in the site of ancient capitals of the Sangoku period (6-7th century) and they give us reliable grounds to classify or to date ancient art of Korea. At the same time it is necessary to obtain a general survey of the statues in public or private possessions and classify them systematically. With this idea Prof. Yashiro introduces here two interesting statuettes of unusual type from Korea.
The first is a gilt-bronze statuette of bodhisattva of fifteen cm. high. We find green patina here and there on the surface of the statuette but the pedestal still shines. Although the right hand of the bodhisattva is lost, the statuette is comparatively well preserved as a whole, and even the brownish black gem inlaid in the crown remains. From the rather soft modelling of the body, the date of its production may be attributed to the latter part of the Sangoku period. As for the place where it was made, the writer considers it to be Kudara, owing to the following reasons: slender proportion and mild expression apparent in this statuette are two general characteristics of Kudara statuettes and the writer interprets these as influences from the South China; secondly this statuette shows a similar technique to that of contemporary Japanese statuettes, which surely must have had close relationship with Kudara, Japan importing several kinds of culture from that country at the time.
The second is a standing Buddha. The date of its production seems to be at the period when Shiragi predominated Korea (the late 7th century). At the back of the head and of the body we find large holes which are indeed common in Korean statuettes, but they have different points which seem to suggest a different method of casting. However, the most remarkable characteristics of this statuette are following two points. First, it shows an obvious Indian style in garments whose folds run down from shoulder to feet in paralell lines. The second point is the material of the statuette. Although it looks gilt, it is really brass which was called "Chujaku" in old denomination in China and Japan. The ancient people of the East admired very highly this metal produced naturally in Persia and India, considering it as precious metal next to gold, and used it for making buddhistic statues, implements or ornaments of sanctuaries, and sometimes even small buildings. In the Imperial Repository of Shosoin there is kept an incense-burner made of this metal but we come across none in China or Korea till this day, which is clearly proved to be of this metal. Thus from the material and also from the type of the clothes, we notice that the Indian influence reached such a distant country as Korea.
"HONCHO-GA-SAN"
The reprinting of "Honcho-Ga-San" is here completed, and the writer of the comments of this book gives the indexes of paintings and painters mentioned therein and, in addition to, a supplement to his study which was published in the Bijutsu Kenkyu No. LXXXVI.
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES
Pl. I (Colour) "God of Thunder," by Sotatsu.
Colour on paper. Screens.
Height: 154.5 cm.; width: 169.6 cm.
Collection of Kenninji Temple, Kyoto.
Pl. II "God of Wind," by Sotatsu.
Colour on paper. Screens.
Height: 154.5 cm.; width: 169.6 cm.
Collection of Kenninji Temple, Kyoto.
The present pair of screens describing gods of thunder and wind are famous as masterpieces ot great Sotatsu. Though there is neither signature nor any historical record to assert them definitely as Sotatsu's works, yet we cannot think of any other painter but Sotatsu to produce such wonderful achievements. The fact that Korin and Hoitsu, the two famous followers of Sotatsu, have actually copied these works, proves that both of these masters deeply admired them, taking them to be genuine Sotatsu. The surpassing quality of these pictures lies in the wonderful conception ot Sotatsu, in which the gorgeous decorative treatment of the composition harmonizes with energetic figuration of the gods, who seem to be displaying their superhuman powers. Indeed, Sotatsu gives full play to his genius in this pair of screens.
Pls. III & IV "Arhats."
Colour on silk. Kakemonos.
Height: (each) 106.2 cm.; width: (each) 41.15 cm.
Collection of Mr. Kotaro Nishimura, Tokyo.
The present paintings of arhats are two remaining pieces of a set of sixteen. We can see the painter's masterful hand in fluent lines and in harmonized sober colours. The technique with which they are painted seems apparently to be very Chinese but when we compare them in detail with similar arhats-paintings of a set of sixteen which are Chinese works, and which are in the collection of Ryukoin Monastery in Daitokuji Temple, we find clear differences between them though the subjects and compositions are exactly the same: We conclude that the present two pieces are Japanese works. However, it is interesting to notice that the present pieces are not mere copies of originals in Ryukoin Monastery, but have special technical characteristics which we interpret to be nationalization of Chinese traits.
Pl. V "Landscape."
Slight colour on paper. Kakemono.
Height: 91.8 cm.; width: 38.1 cm.
Collection of Baron Koyata Iwasaki, Tokyo.
The present landscape is a work which we attribute to the so-called Gakuo School flourishing in the middle of the Muromachi period. This school is chiefly characterized in its realistic delineation by means of minute and pointed brushwork, and in this painting we find this style successfully followed. It is very interesting to compare the technique of this school with that of Sesshu's school which also realistic, using, however, thicker and more powerful brushes Surely this charming landscape must have been painted by an unknown master of the former school.
Pls. VI & X "Avalokitesvara."
Gilt-bronze statuette.
Height (not including the pedestal): 26.36 cm.
Collection of Mr. Ziro Ichida, Korea.
This is acknowledged to be the best work among many gilt-bronze statuettes of Korea. It was excavated in 1871 A.D. at the site of Fuyo. the ancient Kudara capital, and is the most reliable standard to classify other statuettes of Kudara Dynasty. Looking at this statuette, we are impressed by the sculptor's marvellous skill of casting in such clear-cut precision and yet of giving such gracefulness to the figure. This statuette is really remarkable for this wonderful harmony of precision and gracefulness which we scarcely find in such perfection in other works. Perhaps the realistic style developed in the southern China preceding to Sui and T'ang ages influenced Korea at the Sangoku period (6-7th century) and produced such a splendid work in Kudara. On this view, it is a very important material for studying the development of buddhistic gilt-bronze statuettes on the continent, the arts of Southern China and Kudara in Korea being little known so far.
Pl. VII (1) "Bodhisattva."
Gilt-bronze statuette.
Height: 15.3 cm.
Anonymous collection.
(2) "Buddha."
Brass statuette.
Height: 21.3 cm.
Under the charge of the Art Institute.
(See the article by Prof. Y. Yashiro.)
Pl. VII "God of Wind," by Hoitsu (Japanese 1761-1828).
Colour on paper. Screens.
Height: 170.7 cm.; width: 170.2 cm.
Collection of Viscount Keizo Shibusawa, Tokyo.
Pl. IX "God of Thunder," by Hoitsu.
Colour on paper. Screens.
Height: 170.7 cm.; width: 170.2 cm.
Collection of Viscount Keizo Shibusawa, Tokyo.
As mentioned before, this pair of screens of thunder and wind gods are what we might call the second reproduction of Sotatsu's works: in another word, Korin copied Sotatsu's originals and Hoitsu again copied Korin's copies. It is very interesting to compare with one another these three similar works by the three great masters. Korin seems to have softened or humanized Sotatsu's gods which had something gorgeously super-human in them. Hoitsu, as a more completely decorative and more modern painter, interpretted the gods in terms easier and more ornamental, but, being a great master worthy of the fame, there is no vulgarity in his interpretation.