Abstract

Japanese Pottery

This article comments on the book "Japanese Pottery," by James L. Bowes. A glance at the opening pages of Bowes's sumptuous book shows that the author claims to have brought together a collection of Japanese pottery so complete, as representing provinces, makers, and marks, that he ventures to imply that the Japanese themselves will in the future be obliged to appeal to it to learn about their own pottery. Bowes's numerous mistakes in confounding the name of the kiln with that of the potter, the marks which have been wrongly read, and, above all, the erroneous dates assigned to so many specimens, and come at once to the vital question as to whether the attribution of many of his pieces is correct or not. If correct, then his book may be taken as a guide, as far as it goes.