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Collecting Japanese Antiques. Alistair Seton
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isbn 9781462905881
Автор произведения Alistair Seton
Издательство Ingram
Fig. 20 Medicine grinder (yagen), cast metal and wooden handles, 1900-20. Author's Collection.
Fig. 21 Line marker (sumitsubo), great patina, ca. 1850,3 x 7 x 4 in (8 x 18 x 10 cm) Author's Collection.
Fig. 22 Fly-catcher (hae-toriki) patented as Haetoriku, made by Owari Tokei (Clock) Ltd, ca. 1930. Private Collection.
Fig. 23 Small porcelain plates decorated with military themes. Top left: War with Russia (1904-5). Top right: War with China (1894-5). Below: The Satsuma Rebellion (1877). Author's Collection.
Intrinsic Value
Before lashing out thousands on a purchase, you should bear in mind the truth that it should continue to have value in the future. You are advised not to spend lots on a collection of posters, for example, which can be reprinted in the future and have no value in themselves. This concept of intrinsic value is hard to pin down. The utility of furniture guarantees that people will buy it in future, though a particular piece may become more or less fashionable. The solid wood of older Japanese chests, the skills that have gone into their manufacture, and their patina suggest intrinsic value.
Another sign may be long-term interest by collectors. For centuries people have admired Hirado, Nabeshima, Kakiemon, and fine Imari. It fills museums, many scholarly works are written about it, and it is hard to copy satisfactorily today (though people in Southeast Asia are trying extra hard) because of the hand painting, and for technical reasons. Swords have long been treasured and studied, and extremely arduous training is needed to become a proficient smith. A guild also limits the number of swords he may make. The incredible skills and time needed to make lacquer netsuke and inrō ensure they will not be easily copied. Many in the West come with a pedigree showing from which collections they come, providing security and higher value.
Another area with intrinsic value must be works of art such as signed screens and scrolls, cloisonné, and metalwork. Those artists had a long apprenticeship and aesthetic training. Naturally, their works are dearer, especially with the cost of mounting scrolls or screens, or firing. A danger is that some were signed later. This should remind you to check if an object is aesthetically pleasing. If it is not, then no signature, however famous, should beguile you into buying. If things do not logically fit together, that is also a warning signal. A recent auction I attended offered suits of armor. Close inspection revealed, however, that the shin covers and breastplate did not match, nor did the helmet! Naturally, the final price was lower than the seller had hoped for.
Condition
The condition of an object is vital if important money is to change hands. Chipped or cracked porcelain should be avoided unless the piece completes a set or fattens a collection. Prints which have been cut down, torn, or heavily restored should hoist a signal. No self-respecting Japanese will buy them. Most were adamant about this long before quality control became a business buzzword. Westerners are more forgiving of faults, so be aware that you need strong reasons to overcome this basic advice, especially if you may want to sell it again or your spouse decides to split.
Before buying an item, run your fingers over it, look carefully at the back, check for faint cracks or other flaws. It is acceptable to use a magnifying glass to look closely. It is all right, I believe, to buy flawed things which you like enough if you know they are flawed. Most older furniture has scratches or bumps, for example, but to me that is acceptable. In my half century or so, I have collected the odd flaw and a suspicious bulge around my middle, yet I retain the hope that people will still like me, perhaps for reasons connected with living, like laughter, knowledge, or experience!
Sometimes damage increases value. Helmets or armor with evidence of being shot at may raise the value. I have seen auctioneers count the dents in a helmet, say there were five, and suggest the price should therefore be $200 higher!
Fig. 24 Left to right: Flat brown porcelain hot water bottle (yutampo), ripple effect, 1930s?; bomb-shaped white porcelain hot water bottle, 1920s?; porcelain folding summer pillow (makura) (sweat falls into gaps), patent and auspicious marks, 1930s? Author's Collection.
Trustworthy Confidant
If serious about collecting, find a good advisor. Most great collections resulted from teaming up with specialist scholars/dealers. In Tokyo, New York, London, etc., serious dealers speak your language and can help you learn, though they specialize elsewhere. But do not presume on their time. They need to make a living. They will try much harder if you find something in their store which you like enough to buy!
In many fields, the major players are Japanese, so language may be a problem. If a friend could interpret for you, consider asking his or her help: they may be charmed you are trying to learn about their culture. Dealers are used to non-Japanese speakers and communicate with odd words, body language and signs, drawing or writing-enough for simple requests, but not scholarship. Learn technical words.
If adventurous and you find an under-grazed field of antiques (porcelain toilets, cake molds, or carpentry tools?), get to know each tussock and molehill, then ask dealers who might know more about "your" collectible: the original makers or those in the trade today. Their guild may have files on old products or steer you to other resources.
Caring for Antiques
After experiencing the Kobe earthquake, I urge people in Japan and California to keep breakables in wooden boxes when not displayed: lower is better than higher. Cabinets firmly attached to walls with sliding doors are fine. (Our magnetized doors opened but sliding doors did not.) Rich Japanese kept their valuables in protective boxes for decades in storehouses (kura). Separate from the house and with thick earthen walls to protect against fire, they were opened at New Year to display special dishes or scrolls and then sealed for another twelve months.
Precautions in Collecting
Space, time, and pocket affect collecting. Furniture requires space so remember "less is more." There is an optimum size to fit the wall or corner of a room and not fill a house-unless you are me! Collecting takes time, energy, and luck. If we are not there by a certain time, the dealer may be closed. We may be just too tired to walk the extra mile, and anyway the dealer may have just sold what we badly wanted.
A common problem with serious collecting is money. If single, arguing with yourself is easy. In families, money squabbles can be wearing, so avoid disagreement. If both partners like collecting, it is fine. If not, it is safer to limit spending. If you like similar things, a marriage can be strengthened, but you must talk about what you are doing, and keep on the same wavelength. A successful chase brings couples closer. With cheap items, the next pay check solves all. Other areas need deeper pockets.
A Kobe man collected screens of the Iberians in Japan in 1550-1600. These rare things were always dear but he was determined to build his collection which became Kobe City Museum's centerpiece. He spent all his and his friends' money to build the collection. His poor wife had no money for everyday necessities, the house was sold, and the family evicted. It was the best screen collection ever accumulated but at tremendous human cost.
Reasons for Collecting
Collections may be made for ideological reasons and provide a cultural focus, as with a Kyoto collection of Korean art. The curator saw how little the locals respect the Koreans living in Japan, which in turn gives Koreans a poor self-opinion. He built attractive premises and stocked it with art showcasing Korean civilization. A Korean nationalist persuaded an old