The Carpenter
Mortimer Menpes
1901
Watercolour
Source: Japan, A Record in Colour, facing p. 164
Japanese carpenters and their unusually refined and sensible (truly fit-for-purpose) tools impressed Menpes greatly. He extols one carpenter in particular — and perhaps this is the one shown working alone, here. [Commentary continues below.]
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This is the description of the master-carpenter who Menpes so greatly admired:
There was a man in Osaka, a perfect genius in wood-carving — the king of carpenters. People journeyed from long distances to pay their respects to him, and he was the most independent person I ever saw in my life. He never dreamt of undertaking service for people unless they appreciated it and understood its value. Very rich Americans have tried to persuade him to engage for them; but, as he always demanded that would-be purchasers should be capable of appreciating his work as that of an accomplished artist, they rarely ever succeeded. Nearly all this man’s work is done for his own people at a very low price, and Japanese wood-carvers are continually taking pilgrimages to see him and to buy specimens of his productions. He always demands to know what is going to become of them, and where they are going to be placed, before consenting to part with them. I had the wit not to ask him to sell anything to me, nor to execute anything for me, but simply admired his work as that of a unique artist. [177-78]
At a time when the Arts and Crafts Movement was in full swing, Menpes could not fail to appreciate the status as well as the skill of such a craftsman. Such people in Japan, who keep alive and practice traditional skill at the highest level, are designated "Living National Treasures," and people do indeed make pilgrimages to see them and their work. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Related Material
Bibliography
Menpes, Dorothy. Japan: A Record in Colour. London: Adam & Charles Black, 1901. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of California Libraries. Web. 4 July 2019.
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Created 5 July 2019