JAPAN
The family of Fukami, founded by Fukami Obasen, one of the Koreans who came to Japan in the train of Hideyoshi's generals.—Obasen's descendants have been engaged as potters at Arita ever since the close of the sixteenth century, but they employed no marks by which their productions can be identified until the time of Fukami Sumi-no-suke, one of the founders of the Seiji-sha. Sumi-no-suke developed great skill in the manufacture of porcelain decorated with blue sous couverte. Excellent pieces made by him are to be found. They bear the mark "Made by Toshi-kian Kiso" (vide Marks and Seals). He died in 1886, and was succeeded by his younger brother, Fukami Takeji.
The Iwayo family, founded by one of the Koreans who worked with Risampei.—The artists of this name appear to have engaged chiefly in the manufacture of middle-class porcelain. The present representative is Iwao Kanetaro.
The Tashiro family, founded by an expert of that name, about 1780.—Its fame depends chiefly on the present representative, Tashiro Sukesaku, a man of great enterprise. He established a porcelain warehouse at Nagasaki in the Ansei era (1854–1859); and in 1860 he obtained from the local authorities a monopoly of the sale of Arita wares to foreign dealers. In 1867 Sukesaku opened a store in Shanghai, and another in Yokohama in 1871. A branch of the same family, represented by Tashiro Yasukichi, is also engaged in the production of porcelain.
The Iwamatsu family, founded by Iwamatsu Samuro (about 1750).—Samuro acquired such a high repute that purchasers came to acquire complete confidence in his wares, and it is related that porcelain dealers did not think it necessary to open bales stamped with his trademark, the ideograph Iwa within a square. His factory was specially commissioned to manufacture porcelain for the use of the Court in Yedo. The present representative is Iwamatsu Heizo, an expert of such skill that his pieces may easily be mistaken for old Imari-yaki. On choice specimens he generally writes the ideograph Hei in gold.
The Setoguchi family, founded by an artist of that name, about 1680.—This family has long been noted for the114
