These are words used to classify the period of gold brocade imported from China, and include kowatari for those imported during the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimasa around Bunmei (1469-87), chuwatari for those imported during Eisho and Taiei (1504-28), chuwatari for those imported during Eiroku and Tensho (1558-1928), chikawatari for those imported during Keicho and Genna (1596-1624), and kowatari for those imported during Keicho Genna (1596-1624). Those imported during the Eiroku and Tensho periods (1558-1928) are called “kowari,” those imported during the Keicho Genna period (1596-1624) are called “chikawari,” those imported during the Tenwa Genroku period (1681-1704) are called “shinawari,” and those imported after the Kyoho period (1716-36) are called “imawari,” but it seems difficult to apply these terms to ceramics as they are. However, it is difficult to use this term for ceramics. The term “kodori” used for ceramics and porcelain is used in a book entitled “The Study of Ceramics” written during the Kaei period (1848-1854), which states, “The term ‘kodori’ for ceramics and porcelain is used to describe only items that are more than 500 years old and less than 340 years old. However, since the period 500 years before Kaei was the Yuan dynasty in China, this terminology is not problematic as far as Song and Yuan old kilns such as Longquan and Tei kilns are concerned, but it is impossible to use this terminology for underglaze blue and red paintings. If you think that so-called ko-sometsuke and ko-akae were produced before 500 years ago around the end of the Edo period, this is clearly a fallacy. Therefore, the name “kowatari” in reference to somezuke and akae corresponds to “tadashi honwo-teung” in the “Pottery Review” mentioned above. The term “since Enshu” in reference to kotowari would include the period of Kobori Enshu, but Enshu lived during the Ming dynasty in China (Enshu was born in 1579, the seventh year of the Tensho period, which is the seventh year of the Manryaku period in China. This is the seventh year of the Manryaku era in China. He died in 1647, the 4th year of Shoho, at the age of 69. Therefore, if we confuse what came to Japan during the Enshu period with those of the early Qing dynasty and call it a later arrival, we must say that there is very little reason to do so. There are, of course, great differences in the quality of ceramics between the Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, if we use the theory of “The Study of Pottery” to refer to ceramics that came to Japan after Enshu’s death as “Later,” and those that came to Japan before that time as “Old,” they would be in agreement with the actual pieces. The interpretation of the term “kotsuke” is almost the same as the above, but recently, with regard to ceramics from China, China’s dynasties, Southeast Asia, and Europe in general, those imported after the Meiji period are often referred to as kotsuke wares, whereas those imported before that period are referred to as kotari wares. (Ozaki Makoto)
