On the Laws of Japanese Painting Part 1

On the Laws of j.a.panese Painting.

by Henry P. Bowie.

INTRODUCTION BY IWAYA SAZANAMI

_ First of all, I should state that in the year 1909 I accompanied the Honorable j.a.panese Commercial Commissioners in their visit to the various American capitals and other cities of the United states, where we were met with the heartiest welcome, and for which we all felt the most profound grat.i.tude. We were all so happy, but I was especially so; indeed, it would be impossible to be more happy than I felt, and particularly was this true of one day, namely, the twenty-seventh of November of the year named, when Henry P. Bowie, Esq., invited us to his residence in San Mateo, where we found erected by him a Memorial Gate to commemorate our victories in the j.a.panese-Russian War; and its dedication had been reserved for this day of our visit. Suspended above the portals was a bronze tablet inscribed with letters written by my late father, Ichi Roku.

The evening of that same day we were invited by our host to a reception extended to us in San Francis...o...b.. the j.a.pan Society of America, where I had the honor of delivering a short address on j.a.panese folk-lore. In adjoining halls was exhibited a large collection of j.a.panese writings and paintings, the latter chiefly the work of the artist, Kubota Beisen, while the writings were from the brush of my deceased father, between whom and Mr. Bowie there existed the relations of the warmest friendship and mutual esteem. _

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_ Two years or more have pa.s.sed and I am now in receipt of information from Mr. Shimada Sekko that Mr. Bowie is about to publish a work upon the laws of j.a.panese painting and I am requested to write a preface to the same. I am well aware how unfitted I am for such an undertaking, but in view of all I have here related I feel I am not permitted to refuse. _

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_ Indeed, it seems to me that the art of our country has for many years past been introduced to the public of Europe and America in all sorts of ways, and hundreds of books about j.a.panese art have appeared in several foreign languages; but I have been privately alarmed for the reason that a great many such books contain either superficial observations made during sightseeing sojourns of six months or a year in our country or are but hasty commentaries, compilations, extracts or references, chosen here and there from other __ volumes. All work of this kind must be considered extremely superficial. But Mr. Bowie has resided many years in j.a.pan. He thoroughly understands our inst.i.tutions and national life; he is accustomed to our ways, and is fully conversant with our language and literature, and he understands both our arts of writing and painting.

Indeed, I feel he knows about such matters more than many of my own countrymen; added to this, his taste is instinctively well adapted to the Oriental atmosphere of thought and is in harmony with j.a.panese ideals.

And it is he who is the author of the present volume. To others a labor of the kind would be very great; to Mr. Bowie it is a work of no such difficulty, and it must surely prove a source of priceless instruction not only to Europeans and Americans, but to my own countrymen, who will learn not a little from it. Ah, how fortunate do we feel it to be that such a book will appear in lands so far removed from our native sh.o.r.es. Now that I learn that Mr. Bowie has written this book the happiness of two years ago is again renewed, and from this far-off country I offer him my warmest congratulations, with the confident hope that his work will prove fruitfully effective. _

_ _ _ _ _ Iwaya Sho Ha, _ _ _ _ Tokyo, j.a.pan,_ _August 17, 1911 _ _ _ _ _

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_INTRODUCTION BY HIRAI KINZA_(_2_)_ _

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_ Seventeen years ago, at a time when China and j.a.pan were crossing swords, Mr. Henry P. Bowie came to me in Kyoto requesting that I instruct him in the j.a.panese language and in the Chinese written characters. I consented and began his instruction. I was soon astonished by his extraordinary progress and could hardly believe his language and writing were not those of a native j.a.panese. As for the Chinese written characters, we learn them only to know their meaning and are not accustomed to investigate their hidden significance; but Mr. Bowie went so thoroughly into the a.n.a.lysis of their forms, strokes and pictorial values that his knowledge of the same often astounded and silenced my own countrymen. In addition to this, having undertaken to study j.a.panese painting, he placed himself under one of our most celebrated artists and, daily working with unabated zeal, in a comparatively short time made marvelous progress in that art. At one of our public art expositions he exhibited a painting of pigeons flying across a bamboo grove which was greatly admired and praised by everyone, but no one could believe that this was the work of a foreigner. At the conclusion of the exposition he was awarded a diploma attesting his merit. Many were the persons who coveted the painting, but as it had been originally offered to me, I still possess it. From time to time I refresh my eyes with the work and with much pleasure exhibit it to my friends. Frequently after this Mr. Bowie, always engaged in painting remarkable pictures in the j.a.panese manner, would exhibit them at the various art exhibitions of j.a.pan, and was on two occasions specially honored by our Emperor and Empress, both of whom expressed the wish to possess his work, and Mr. Bowie had the honor of offering the same to our Imperial Majesties. _

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_ His reputation soon spread far and wide and requests for his paintings came in such numerous quant.i.ties that to comply his time was occupied continuously. _

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_ Now he is about to publish a work on j.a.panese painting to enlighten and instruct the people of Western nations upon our art. As I believe such a book must have great influence in promoting sentiments of kindliness between j.a.pan and America, by causing the __ feelings of our people and the conditions of our national life to be widely known, I venture to offer a few words concerning the circ.u.mstances under which I first became acquainted with the author. _

_ _ _ _ _ Hirai Kinza, _ _ _ _ NIHON AZUMA NO MIYAKO,_ _ Meiji-Yosa Amari Yotose-Hazuke. _ _ _ _ _

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_PREFACE_

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_ This volume contains the substance of lectures on on the laws and canons of j.a.panese painting delivered before the j.a.pan Society of America, the Sketch Club of San Francisco, the Art students of stanford University, the Sat.u.r.day Afternoon Club of Santa Cruz, the Arts and Crafts Guild of San Francisco, and the Art Inst.i.tute of the University of California. _

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_ The interest the subject awakened encourages the belief that a wider acquaintance with essential principles underlying the art of painting in j.a.pan will result in a sound appreciation of the artist work of that country. _

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_ j.a.panese art terms and other words deemed important have been purposely retained and translated for the benefit of students who may desire to seriously pursue j.a.panese painting under native masters. Those terms printed in small capitals are Chinese in origin; all others in italics are j.a.panese. _

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_ All of the drawings ill.u.s.trative of the text have been specially prepared by Mr. Shimada Sekko, an artist of research and ability, who, under David starr Jordan, has long been engaged on scientific ill.u.s.trations in connection with the Smithsonian Inst.i.tution. _

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_ The author apologizes for all references herein to personal experiences, which he certainly would have omitted could he regard the following pages as anything more than an informal introduction of the reader to the study of j.a.panese painting. _

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_KEN WAN CHOKU HITSU_

A firm arm and a perpendicular brush

[Chapter 1 Head-Band: The flower and leaves of the peony (Botan), as conventionalized on ancient armor (yoroi)]

CHAPTER ONE. PERSONAL EXPERIENCES