REFINEMENTS AND PASTIMES
any of these collections raised an object at once to a pinnacle of esteem. Kobori Masakazu com- piled a catalogue, called the Meihyō-ki (celebrated utensils), in which he entered a detailed account of all the Cha-no-Yu apparatus regarded in his era as the acme of classical taste. For the originals of any of the objects thus catalogued a Cha-jin has always been willing to pay a fabulous price. An illustration was afforded at a public sale which took place in Tōkyō in April, 1899, when certain specimens which were identified as having been described in the O-kura-chō (honourable store-room register of Yoshimasa's collection) were thus disposed of:—
- A cup of stone-ware covered with lustrous black glaze having ash-coloured spots. (A specimen of Chinese Chien-yao of the Sung dynasty, known in Japan as Haikatsugi Temmoku (ash-coloured Temmoku). The most ardent Occidental lover of "antiques" would probably think five sovereigns a very high price for such a cup). Sold for 3,000 yen.
- A bamboo flower-vase (of the kind known as Hitoye-giri; without decoration of any kind). 507 yen.
- A bronze vase; body undecorated; cloud-shaped handles; nine inches high. 1,680 yen.
- An iron water-boiler (kama) of peculiar shape. 251 yen.
- A charcoal-holder made of woven bamboo. 211 yen.
- An incense-box (diam. two and a half inches; depth one inch) of black lacquer carved in layers ; with a deal case marked by Kobori Yenshiu no Kami. 466 yen.
- An incense-box (smaller than the last) of blue and white porcelain, the decoration a roughly painted water-ox. 158 yen.
- An iron water-boiler (the style known as arari gama; i. e. the surface granulated in hail-stone diaper. 356 yen.
- A similar boiler with handles. 250 yen.
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