Part 1 (1/2)
On the Laws of japanese Painting
by Henry P Bowie
INTRODUCTION BY IWAYA SAZANAMI
_ First of all, I should state that in the year 1909 I accompanied the Honorable japanese Commercial Commissioners in their visit to the various American capitals and other cities of the United states, where ere met with the heartiest welcoratitude 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 japanese-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 byof that same day ere invited by our host to a reception extended to us in San Francisob the japan Society of A a short address on japanese folk-lore In adjoining halls was exhibited a large collection of japanese writings and paintings, the latter chiefly the work of the artist, Kubota Beisen, while the writings were from the brush of my deceased father, bethom and Mr Bowie there existed the relations of the warmest friendshi+p and mutual esteem _
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_ Two years or more have passed and I am now in receipt of information from Mr shi+mada Sekko that Mr Bowie is about to publish a work upon the laws of japanese painting and I am requested to write a preface to the sa, 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 japanese art have appeared in several foreign languages; but I have been privately alarreat many such books contain either superficial observationssojourns 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 hly understands our institutions and national life; he is accustoe 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 atht and is in harmony with japanese ideals
And it is he who is the author of the present volureat; 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, ill 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 shores Now that I learn that Mr Bowie has written this book the happiness of two years ago is again renewed, and froratulations, with the confident hope that his ill prove fruitfully effective _
_ _ _ _ _ Iwaya Sho Ha, _ _ _ _ Tokyo, japan,_ _August 17, 1911 _ _ _ _ _
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_INTRODUCTION BY HIRAI KINZA_(_2_)_ _
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_ Seventeen years ago, at a ti swords, Mr Henry P Bowie ca that I instruct hie 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 japanese As for the Chinese written characters, we learn the and are not accustonificance; but Mr Boent so thoroughly into the analysis of their fore of the same often astounded and silencedundertaken to study japanese painting, he placed himself under one of ourwith unabated zeal, in a coress in that art At one of our public art expositions he exhibited a painting of pigeons flying across a bareatly 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 arded a diplo his , 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 ed in painting remarkable pictures in the japanese manner, would exhibit them at the various art exhibitions of japan, 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 quantities that to comply his time was occupied continuously _
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_ Now he is about to publish a work on japanese painting to enlighten and instruct the people of Western nations upon our art As I believe such a booksenti the __ feelings of our people and the conditions of our national life to be widely known, I venture to offer a feords concerning the circumstances under which I first became acquainted with the author _