Part 3 (1/2)

The artists of the Tosa school used a paper various kinds called _tori no ko,_ into the co-shells entered This paper was a special product of Ichi Zen

The Kano artists used both _tori no ko_ and a paper made from the mulberry plant, also a product of Ichi Zen, and known as _hosho_ For ordinary tracing a paper called TENGU JO is used In Okyo's tiue It is e sheets and is called TOshi+ It is a light straw color, and is very responsive to the brush stroke, except when it ”catches cold,” as the japanese say It should be kept in a dry place

The Tosa artists used paper alely es Okyo also usually painted on silk

japanese artists seldoh sketch in _suuidance

Outlining on paper is done with straight igs of charcoal, called _yaki su with a feather

There are strict, and when once understood, reasonable and helpful laws for the use of the brush (YOHITSU), the use of _sumi_ (YOBOKU) and the use of water-colors (SESSHOKU) These laws reach frohest ethics of japanese art

The law of YO HITSU requires a free and skilful handling of the brush, alith strict attention to the stroke, whether dot, line or mass is to be made; the brush must not touch the silk or paper before reflection has deterence nor indifference is tolerated

An artist, be he ever so skilful, is cautioned not to feel entirely satisfied with his use of the brush, as it is never perfect and is always susceptible of improvement The brush is the handmaid of the artist's soul and must be responsive to his inspiration The student is warned to be asthe brush as if he were a swords ready to attack his enemy or to defend his own life; and this is the reason: Everything in art conspires to prevent success The softness of the brush requires the stroke to be light and rapid and the touch delicate The brush, when dipped first into the water, h, and the _sumi_ or ink taken on the brush may blot or refuse to spread or flow upon thedirection The Chinese paper (TOshi+) which is employed in ordinary art work may be so affected by the atmosphere as to refuse to respond, and the brush stroke ly

All suchused, and if the spirit of the artist be not alert, the result is failure (IT TEN ICHI BOKU _ni_ CHIU _o su beki)_

Vehicle of the subtle sentiment to be expressed in form, the brush must be so fashi+oned as to receive and transmit the vibrations of the artist's inner self Much care, ht and skill have been expended in thepreceded painting, and the first brushesdeveloped into a wonderful art, thethe writing brush Such brushes were originally made with rabbit hair, round which rapped the hair of deer and sheep, and the handles were mulberry stems Later on, as Chinese characters beca more scientific, the brushes were most carefully made of fox and rabbit hair, with handles of ivory, and they were kept in gold and jeweled boxes

Officials were enjoined to write all public docu a positive or reatest of the Chinese writers, used for his brushes the feelers from around the rat's nose and hairs taken frofisher

In japan, hair of the deer, badger, rabbit, sheep, squirrel, and wild horse all enter into the manufacture of the artist's brush, which is , stiff or pliable For laying on color, the hair of the badger is preferred The sizes and shapes of brushes used differ according to the subject to be painted There are brushes for flowers and birds, huar, et cetera

A distinguishi+ng feature in japanese painting is the strength of the brush stroke, technically called _fude no chikara_ or _fude no ikioi_ When representing an object suggesting strength, such, for instance, as a rocky cliff, the beak or talons of a bird, the tiger's claws, or the limbs and branches of a tree, the th hout the artist's systeh his arm and hand to the brush, and so transmitted into the object painted; and this nervous current must be continuous and of equal intensity while the work proceeds If the tree's li by a Kano artist be examined, it will astonish any one to perceive the vital force that has been infused into therowth-all the result of _fude no chikara_ Indeed, when this principle is understood, and in the light of it the trees of many of the Italian and French artists are critically viewed, they appear flabby, lifeless, and as though they had been done with a feather They lack that vigor which is attained only by _fude no chikara,_ or brush strength

In writing Chinese characters in the REI SHO manner this same principle is carefully inculcated The characterscarved on stone or engraved on steel-such h the ars seeth

It is related of Chinanpin, the great Chinese painter, that an art student having applied to him for instruction, he painted an orchid plant and told the student to copy it The student did so to his own satisfaction, but the master told hiain, during several months, the orchid was reproduced, each ti with the master's approval Finally Chinanpin explained as follows: The long, blade-like leaves of the orchidto point to the sky, and this tendency is called cloud-longing (BO UN) in art

When, therefore, the tip of the long slender leaf is reached by the brush the artistto point to the clouds

Thus painted, the true spirit and living force _(kokoromochi)_ of the plant are preserved

Kubota recommended to art students and artists to a practice with lines which is excellent for acquiring and retaining firmness and freedoth in the stroke With a brush held strictly perpendicular to the paper horizontal lines are painted, first froht to left, the entire width of the TOshi+ or other paper, each line with equal thickness and unwavering intensity of power throughout its entire length The thickness of the line will depend upon the amount of hair in the brush that is allowed to touch the paper; if only the tip of the brush be used, the line will be slender or thin; but, whether a broad band or a delicate tracing, itforce Next, the lines are painted froht in the same way and with the same close attention to uniforth froly difficult task is to paint them from top to bottom of the TOshi+, and finally, most difficult and most important of all these exercises, the parallel lines are traced from bottom to top of the paper The thinner the line the more difficult it is to execute, because of the tendency of the hand to tremble Indeed, the difficulty is supreme Let any one who is interested try this; it is an exercise for the most expert Such lines resemble the _sons files_ on the violin, where a continuous sustained tone of equal intensity is produced by drawing the bow fros that it hardly ives steadiness and strength, qualities in demand at every instant in japanese art Observe a japanese artist paint the young branch of a plu, it may be, from the bottom of the TOshi+ will be projected to the top

Examine it carefully and it will be found to conform to that principle of _jude no chikara_ which transfers a living force into the branch I have seen European artists in japan vainly try offhand to produce such effects; but these depend on long and patient practice

A japanese artist will frequently ignore the boundaries of the paper upon which he paints by beginning his stroke upon the MOSEN and continuing it upon the paper-or beginning it upon the paper and projecting it upon the MOSEN This produces the sentith of stroke It ani, if drops of _su they are regarded as giving additional energy to it Similarly, if the stroke on the trunk or branch of a tree shows many thin hair lines where the intention was that the line should be solid, this also is regarded as an additional evidence of stroke energy and is always highly prized

The sa; but this effect must not be the result of calculation-itspontaneous

In painting the hair of monkeys, bears and the like, the pointed brush is flattened and spread out _(wari fude)_ so that each stroke of the sa to the hairs of the animal Sosen thus painted In modern times Kimpo _(Plate V)_ is justly renowned for such work

Many artists become wonderfully expert in the use of the flat brush, from one to four inches wide, called _hake,_ by means of which instantaneous effects such as rain, rocks, mountain chains and snow scenes are secured