Banko-Yaki, at first, was an unglazed raku ware made, end of the 18th century, by a wealthy amateur, Gozaemon. Patronized by the Shogun, he imitated contemporary Chien-lung (see CHINESE CestAmics), also Delft faience (see DELFT FAIENCE), besides some original effects in brilliantly glazed floral decoration. His mark was Banko (enduring). This is Ko-Banko-yaki, distinguishing it from the later imitations by Yusetsu marked with the same stamp.
Kioto-Yaki first came to favorable notice in the 17th century and were more or less crude pieces in red unglazed pottery; a coarse raku yaki in white, black and yellow glazes; faience in fine pate and yellowish brown glaze; un glazed fine pite buff pottery with black decora tion and gold lacquer; faience with crackle glaze and blue or brown underglaze the last a highly refined artistic ware. Ninsei and his followers made remarkable pieces for the court.
Awata-Yaki.— Japan's great ceramic expert patron, Ninsei. made the wares of this place famous. The representative ware is a brownish hard, close faience of grayish, semi-transparent glaze, profuse enamel decoration in bright green and opaque blue, chiefly, with gold and silver enrichments. Red, purple and yellow are found. Clever designs (detached subjects such as sparrows on bamboo, a plum branch, etc.) were done by Kinzan (Sansei) who died 1743, and was succeeded 'by a son and grandson. Kinko zan introduced a conventional decorative style, instead of the former naturalistic. Dohachie started a kiln here middle of the 18th century, and his artist, Shofutei Kuehn, acquired fame, as well as his son. Hozan did clever land scapes and floral scrolls in underglaze blue on faience; his grandson's (Bunzo) imitation Delft flourished with his white floral decoration on rich blue background, and his Warabi-de (fern scroll) style. Taizan Yohei established a raku kiln in 1711, and his ninth successive generation is now making wares here. Awata pieces are of ten sold as Satsuma, though much less dense of body than the latter.
Bizen-Yaki kilns existed from late 14th cen tury, making coarse red stoneware. Paste im proved end of 16th century, and then the ware (ritual pottery) became known as Ko-Bizen or Imbe-yaki. It had accidental patches of glaze, later full glaze. In 17th appeared
bluish-brown faience (Ao-Bizen) in figures, mythological beings, birds, fishes, etc. In the 18th century came a red body; Hi-dasuki Bizen (16th to 19th centuries) shows the mark of the rope of straw left on the clay. Shira-Bizen is of grayish white paste and is called also Kan koku from the location where made.
Of the many other old kilns held in high esteem by the Japanese we will mention only the following: Akahadi-yaki, dating far back, had little of merit till Nomura Ninsei started improvements here, as in other places. In 1761 its faience was of "buff-colored lustreless glaze') with minutely executed vitreous enamel decora tion (red favored) ; monochromatic glazes as well as variegated appear in olive, green, brown, gray, white. A raku type of ware was made with dull gold background for floral and diaper decoration. Asahi-yaki started by the 5th century, chiefly unglazed. But, middle of the 17th century, Josaku copied Korean Go-hon and produced cups, bowls, etc., in dull-red or gray coarse paste, glaze coarsely crackled in patches of variously toned red. They are valued by tea clubs.
Japanese Porcelains.— In discussing Jap anese porcelain it is necessary to remember that the Japanese, unlike the Westerners, admire and even venerate their old (Ko) earthenware, however crude if ancient, and prefer a less pretentious appearance in their ceramic criterion than is displayed by the bright white sheen of porcelain. Therefore the very great industrial progress in porcelain manufacture made by the natives of Nipon was produced under the stimulus of a European demand; the style of decoration, though the motifs and methods of treatment are great in the merit of artistic cre ative talent, leans largely toward the desire to please and satisfy Occidental desires. Japanese clays, apparently, forbid the one-process firing of the Chinese kilns; they first bake to a "biscuit" state. (See CERAMICS). Colors re quiring the grand feu (intense) heat, also the glaze, are next subjected to the high tempera ture kiln. Lastly, the enamel-color andgold decoration are baked in the muffle oven. The provinces which produce porcelain are Hizen, Kaga, Kioto and Owari, and the ware of ter. receives its name from the province.