Panel 3: Siebold’s “ Museum” Plan and its “Presenting” Japan

Lacquer in the Siebold Collection

Kaori Hidaka (Translated by Martha J. McClintock)

Introduction There is a relatively large number of lacquer decorative artworks in the collection of Japanese items brought to Europe by Siebold from his two trips to Japan, and the medium occupies an important position within the collection. This has led to the occasional introduction of the lacquer in the Siebold Collection, with most attention paid to the lacquer works in the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, which were collected during Siebold’s first visit to Japan. Conversely, many of the lacquer works collected during Siebold’s second visit to Japan were first introduced to Japanese audiences in the exhibition, Japan as Seen by Siebold Father and Son,1 held at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka and the Edo- Museum in Tokyo in 1996 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Siebold’s birth. This exhibition gave credence to the importance of these works, and yet to this day there remains a great amount of work still to be done on the details of this collection held by the Five Continents Museum in Munich, (former State Museum of Ethnology, Munich). Thus, thanks to the International Collaborative Research on Japan-related Documents and Artifacts Overseas project under the auspices of the National Institutes for the Humanities, I surveyed the entire collection of Siebold lacquer works in the Munich museum. Combined with a reference survey of the lacquers collected by Siebold in the Leiden museum collection, I strove for a grasp of the entire group of lacquer works collected by Siebold. What was his point of view in his collecting of lacquer, and what position had he assigned lacquer in the Japan Museum he envisioned. By looking at the entire collection of lacquer over his two visits we can finally begin to answer these two questions.

1. Regarding Siebold’s Lacquer Collection First, let us simply organize what we know about how Philipp Franz von Siebold collected lacquer and the collection as a whole. Siebold first arrived in Japan as a doctor for Deshima, , and lived there from 1823-1829 (Bunsei 6-12). In a letter to the Dutch Minister of Culture dated March 1831 he wrote, to paraphrase from the Japanese version, “My first two or three years in Japan were spent on assembling my natural sciences collection, and I was focused on researching Japanese literature. Then during my later time in Edo in 1826, I became interested in ethnological items, and began building a comprehensive collection of such items.” Based on this comment, Matthi Forrer considers that Siebold’s collection of ethnological materials, including lacquer, assembled during his first visit to Japan, was carried out between February 1826 when he set off to his audience in Edo with the shogunal government, until around September 1828 when the Siebold Incident made it difficult to continue.2

Lacquer in the Siebold Collection 359 Conversely, during his second stay in Japan, from 1859 (Ansei 6) to 1862 (Bunkyû 2), he resided in Nagasaki as an advisor to the Dutch Trading Company up until the summer of 1861, and then from the summer of 1861, he moved to Edo to act as an advisor to the shogunal government. Siebold, in a later letter thought to be addressed to King Ludwig I, wrote, to paraphrase from the Japanese, “I assembled the majority of this collection between 1859-61 in Edo, the capital of the shogun,”3 and as indicated by Bruno Richtsfeld, the majority of Siebold’s collecting activity took place during his time in Edo, and we thus know that his collection of massive numbers of objects was conducted in a relatively short time period.4 The Japan-related materials collected during these two sojourns in Japan are today housed in the Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, Five Continents Museum, and with the Von Brandenstein-Zeppelin family of Siebold descendants. The Leiden museum houses the collection assembled on his first stay in Japan, and as indicated by Forrer,5 while the majority of the items in the Munich collection were acquired during his second stay, there is the possibility that the Munich collection includes some items from his first sojourn. For example, the Peach-Shaped Small Dish with Makie and Mother-of-Pearl Designs (S1657, fig. 1) in the Munich collection is of the same type as those found in the Leiden collection. Conversely, the collection of the Von Brandenstein-Zeppelin family of Siebold descendants contains what is thought to be a mixture of items collected during both sojourns in Japan, and those added by later generations. These works in the Von Brandenstein-Zeppelin family collection, such as the Stationery Box with Rock and Peony Design in Makie (S328b), or the Cigarette Case with Rock and Peony Design in Aogai Shellwork (fig. 3) are the same as those found in the Munich collection(S452a, fig. 2). However, given that only 30-plus years separate Siebold’s two periods in Japan and there was not that great a change in lacquer styles during that period, it is extremely difficult to distinguish which of the collected works was acquired during which stay only from the evidence provided by the extant works themselves. Thorough research and examination will be necessary to determine when each individual object in the various collections was acquired.

Fig. 1 Peach-Shaped Small Dish with Makie and Mother- of-Pearl Designs (Five Continents Museum, S1657) Fig. 2 Cigarette Case with Rock Fig. 3 Cigarette Case with and Peony Design in Rock and Peony Design Aogai Shellwork in Aogai Shellwork (von (Five Continents Museum Brandenstein-Zeppelin S452a) family collection)

360 International Symposium Proceedings — Siebold’s Vision of Japan 2. Overview of the Lacquer Works in Five Continents Museum, Siebold Collection The survey of the Siebold Collection in the present-day Five Continents Museum, that formed the main subject of our study, began in fiscal 2008 and continues today. The survey and photography sessions reveal that out of the massive collecting of more than 7,000 items, there are approximately 600 lacquer items. This is an overwhelmingly large number compared to the number of items in other media within the Munich Siebold collection. It also clearly outnumbers the number of lacquer works in the Leiden collection, suggesting that on his second sojourn in Japan Siebold was interested in lacquer and took the opportunity to buy large numbers of works in the media. The lacquer works in the collection are of a huge range of types, including inkstone boxes, stationary boxes, letter boxes, tanzaku (poem strip) boxes, pen stands and other desk equipment (figs. 4-5), or the traditional main forms of household furnishings including personal care items like cosmetic equipment. Further, for example, the lacquer ware decorated with a paulownia and scrolling vines design in makie (S1047, fig. 6) is a set of incense ceremony equipment inside a box. Clearly this compactly organized set would have attracted the attention of a foreigner at the time. A large number of the works are food and drink utensils, such as cups, bowls, dishes and sake equipment (fig. 7). From large chests of drawers to small incense containers and inrô (medicine containers) and miniature doll furnishings, the collection boasts a truly diverse range of lacquer items. This diversity also plays out in terms of the quality of the lacquer works, from luxury items sumptuously decorated with makie or mother-of-pearl for the upper classes, to everyday use lacquer items for the middle classes, and cheap souvenir-type lacquer items. The Siebold Collection has previously been highly valued as an ethnographic collection, while conversely some have considered it low in value from an artistic standpoint. This conundrum has also been the case for the lacquer items in the collection. Because most of the collections of Japanese

Fig. 5 Tanzaku Poem Paper Box with Pine Fig. 4 Stationery Box with Pine and and Bamboo Design in Makie (Five Bamboo Design in Makie Continents Museum, S385) (Five Continents Museum, S319a,b)

Fig. 7 Large Flat Bowl and Lid with Fish and Fig. 6 Sanmenban Incense Equipment with Paulownia Waterplants Design in Makie (Five and Scrolling Vines Design in Makie (Five Continents Museum, S537) Continents Museum, S1047)

Lacquer in the Siebold Collection 361 items assembled in the latter half of the 19th century saw lacquer as an artistic decorative art, the mixing in of mid to lower class items that are separate from the artwork sphere, may have been one of the aspects that lowered the value of the collection itself. For example, the tray with a pine and crane design in makie (S461c, fig. 8) is made with a cheaper form Fig. 8 Tray with Pine and Crane Design in Makie (Five Continents Museum, of makie and materials known as keshifun makie, and S461c) thus is a typical example of an inexpensive everyday ware or souvenir item. The Siebold Collection contains a large number of such works. And yet, from another perspective, the fact that Siebold collected such less expensive lacquer items means that today we can get a better sense of the overall range of lacquer techniques and uses in late Edo period Japan. In fact, it seems that Siebold was conscious of Fig. 9 Sewing Box with Pine and Eagle such factors in his purchasing of diverse types of lacquer, Design in Makie (Five Continents and in the catalogue of the exhibition of his collection Museum, S450) discussed below, it is noteworthy that he mentions quality in the text “Alle diese Gegenstaende wurden für den fremden Handel gemacht und sind von weniger gutem Lack.” Because most of the lacquer items collected by Siebold were meant to show the everyday culture and lives of the Japanese people, there are few examples of the export style lacquer made for Western tastes. But, as seen in the example of the sewing box with pine and eagle design in makie (S450, fig. 9), the explanation for this item in the catalogue prepared by Siebold’s son Alexander in 1875, “1 viereckiger Kasten bes. für Auslaender als Arbeitskaestchen gemacht,” indicates that he did include samples of the lacquer items of the export industry of the day. On the other hand, the footed cup with clematis and makie designs (S455) and the footed cup with nandina design in makie (S455b), and other examples of lacquer ware in stemware shapes may have been for Japanese domestic consumption, showing the influence of western culture, more so than as export items. The lacquer items in the Siebold Collection also include a large number of works with a 19th century sensibility about them, and because of the considerable number of lacquer items with a known collection date, we must state that they are extremely important as historical reference materials. However, among the lacquer works in the Munich Siebold Collection, there are also a large number of high quality lacquer items for use by daimyô and other ruling class families (PL. 11-12, figs. 10-12, see also color plate frontispiece). The exquisite makie techniques, the accurate expression and refined designs of these lacquer works all suggest that Siebold actively collected them as an introduction to the superb technology and designs of Japanese lacquer, and thus we can understand that the lacquer items in the Munich Siebold Collection are by no means inferior in terms of quality. His collecting of lacquer items was not only from lacquer ware merchants, but also included those items with daimyô family provenance that he received as gifts, and lacquer items he purchased as semi-antiques. The considerable presence of such items in the collection includes the many examples in the collection with family crests. For example, the equipment box (S1066a,

362 International Symposium Proceedings — Siebold’s Vision of Japan Fig. 11 Chest of Drawers with Broken Floral Lozenges Fig. 12 Food Container with Fig. 10 Sageju Picnic Box with and Linked Shippô, and Layered Linked Designs Autumn Grasses Design Chrysanthemum Branch in Makie (Five Continents in Makie (Five Continents Designs in Makie (Five Museum, S497) Museum, S471b) Continents Museum, S424)

PL. 13, fig. 13) with the two Date family crests, “bamboo and sparrow” and “mitsubikiryô,” are described by Alexander in the catalogue as “1 Etui eines fürstlichen Leibarztes mit goldenem Wappen, enthaltend: chirurgische Instrumente,” and they are very important as items whose users are known. In general, the massive export of household items from daimyô families is thought to have not happened until after the collapse of the feudal system at the beginning of the period. But recent research has indicated that it was relatively common for lacquer items to flow into the market place through either dispersal after the death of their previous owner, or their re-use by others in the Fig.13 Equipment Box with family.6 It is possible that the lacquer items bearing family crests Bamboo-Sparrow and Sanbikiryô Crests in the Siebold Collection are examples of works that had suffered (Five Continents Museum, this fate. S1066a) Further, the regional lacquer industries that developed throughout the Edo period, had also by the late Edo period begun to open sales routes outside of their own areas, in such major centers as Nagasaki and Edo. The lacquer in the Siebold Collection also clearly reflects the shipment of lacquer within Japan and the movement of the artisans themselves. The Hidehira-nuri ware (S534w, fig. 14) made in Hiraizumi, Miyagi prefecture, and the Yoshino-nuri (S1675) unique to Nara prefecture, are examples of wares whose production locales are known. Other examples of works with various lacquer techniques developed in regional areas (fig. 15), and lacquer works with marquetry inlay were collected by Siebold as examples of the diverse array of lacquer techniques used in Japan. Further, while few in number, there are also examples of Ryukyu (PL. 14, fig. 16) and Chinese lacquers in the collection that are not Japanese in manufacture, but were items that had a history of being widely dispersed in Japan and used throughout the country, and thus forms of lacquer that had become an indispensible part of Japanese culture. However, while I have stated above that Siebold’s collecting activity was centered on Edo during his second stay in Japan, there are quite a number of lacquer works in the Munich collection that are thought to have been purchased in Nagasaki. Judging from their style, the lacquer wares with aogai zaiku (shell work) were clearly made in Nagasaki, indicating that during the formation

Lacquer in the Siebold Collection 363 Fig.15 Large Flat Bowl with Kawanuri Design Fig.14 Cup with Lid, Hidehiranuri (Five Continents Ware (Five Continents Museum, S538) Museum, S534w)

Fig.16 Bucket with Butterfly and Peony Design in Chinkin Incised Lacquer (Five Continents Museum, S459a)

period of the Siebold Collection, there was a flourishing production of not only works for domestic use, but also those intended for overseas export. The aogai zaiku technique is a unique form of mother-of-pearl technique whereby bright pigments are applied beneath thin layers of shell. This technique is often used in tandem with makie techniques. Further, the Munich collection includes a number of works that combine aogai zaiku with extremely distinctive style of makie (fig. 17). This group of Fig.17 Tiered Box with Chrysanthemums works with these two styles is thought to have been made and Small Birds Design in Mother- in the same workshop, and since not a single example of of-Pearl and Makie (Five Continents Museum, S491b) this type of lacquer can be found in the Leiden collection, this is an extremely important set of materials for our consideration of the chronological development of Nagasaki aogai zaiku around the mid 19th century.

3. Lacquer Works Recorded in the 1875 Catalogue of the Siebold Japan Exhibition The majority of the lacquer works in Munich were recorded in the catalogue compiled in 1875 by Siebold’s oldest son and his Japanese secretary Saito Kenshirô, in preparation for their display in the Siebold “Japan Museum” exhibition. According to the catalogue, most of the lacquer works were displayed in 16 cases arranged in the 2nd gallery. Each of the cases included approximately 15 medium-sized works, or 20-40 smaller works. The catalogue text also indicates that these cases had large-scale display shelves, with either two upper and lower shelves or three, upper, middle and lower shelves. Further, the catalogue numbers accord with the acquisition numbers of the works today in Five Continents Museum, and thus it is helpful that we can simply correlate the extant works with their catalogue entries and comments. The catalogue text mainly comments on the external forms Fig.18 Chabako Tea Box with and decoration of the lacquer works, or simply explains Scattered Folding Fans Design their usage. In a few cases, however, there are fascinating in Makie (Five Continents explanations included. Museum, S351)

364 International Symposium Proceedings — Siebold’s Vision of Japan For example, the makie box (S351, fig. 18) thought to be a tea box decorated with scattered folding fans and military fans against a nashiji ground has a catalogue entry that uses the phrase “1 viereckige Dose von altem Goldlack mit Faechern.” Conversely, the previously mentioned stationary box (S330) which is thought to be in a style of Nagasaki manufacture only found in the Munich collection, is described as “7 Dosen, viereckig, von neuem Lack, theils zum Bewahren Fig.19 Mayutsukuri Cosmetics von Papier, theils für Schreibgeräthschaften bestimmt.” Then, Box with Sakuragawa the sumptuously decorated Mayutsukuri-bako cosmetic box Design in Makie (Five Continents Museum, with makie design of cherry blossoms (S366, fig. 19), likely part S366) of a bridal trousseau, is thought to date back to the ca. 18th century, prior to the period when Siebold was assembling his collection, and the catalogue gives the valuation of “1 Praesentirteller mit 3 lackirten Eßschüsselchen.” These comments about old, new and extremely old, are all rare examples of comments about the production date of the collected materials, and indicate one aspect of what Siebold understood about Japanese lacquer and what he sought to convey about the medium. The large and small trays (S518), one with plum and eagle makie design and the other with bamboo and makie tortoise design, were items presented to Siebold by the shogunal government, as indicated in the catalogue. What is strange, judging from our contemporary viewpoint, is that these were less than superb examples of lacquer. However, they are important materials for our understanding of the general standard of lacquer decorative arts in the late Edo period and the shogunate’s opinion of the foreign individual Siebold. The National Institutes for the Humanities project is in the process of creating a database of the information about the entire Munich Siebold Collection, including all material types. Based on those results, plans are being made to hold an exhibition in Japan in the summer of 2016 that will re-create the Japan exhibition that Siebold himself held in Munich, and represent his ideas about an ethnographic museum. As we plan that display, we are addressing such issues as what is the relationship between the works that Alexander catalogued and assigned numbers up to S1566, as well as those materials that were not included in the catalogue. These and other subjects remain for further study. For example, the four items that Alexander described in his catalogue as “1 Praesentirteller mit 3 lackirten Eßschüsselchen” are the S541a which is an aogai-decorated cup with lid, and S541b, S541c and S541d which when combined with their lid form a jar shape. It is fascinating to note that Alexander grouped these works of different types with different appearances as a single set. Unfortunately our survey has revealed that S1685b, which should Fig. 20 Set of Three Cups also be included in that set, was not mentioned in Alexander’s and Cupwasher with catalogue (fig. 20). Originally there would have been a set of four Seasonal Festivals cups decorated with seasonal festival motifs. One of those was seen Designs in Makie (Five Continents as unrelated and grouped with another work, and assigned the Museum, S541b, number S1685b. Since there are frequent occurrences of this type S541c, S541d, S1685b) of simple mistake in the S numbering system, it has been difficult to

Lacquer in the Siebold Collection 365 organize the Munich Siebold collection in an orderly fashion. However, the Siebold collection of lacquer works assembled over the course of his two sojourns in Japan provide a basic set of materials for an understanding of late Edo period lacquer decorative arts, and good information for an understanding of the true state of late Edo period Japanese domestic lacquer production and distribution, and we can hope that they will be widely used for such studies in the future.

Notes 1 200 Jahre Siebold die Japansammlungen Philipp Franz und , Exh. Cat., National Museum of Ethnology and the Edo-Tokyo Museum, 1996. 2 Matthi Forrer, “Die Siebold-Sammlung des Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden,” ibid., pp. 178-184. 3 Letter from Siebold to the Bavarian King, Wurzburg, November 1, 1864, Siebold Archivs Mittelbiberach/ ausBurg Brandenstein Nr. V. 127. 4 Udo Beireis, “Die zweite japanische Sammlung des Philipp Franz von Siebold,” Translated into Japanese by Masahide Miyasaka, Narutaki Kiyô No. 4, 1994, Siebold Memorial Museum, Nagasaki, pp. 68-83. 5 Bruno J. Richtsfeld, “Philipp Franz von Siebolds Japansammlung im Staatlichen Museum für Völkerkunde München,” in 200 Jahre Siebold die Japansammlungen Philipp Franz und Heinrich von Siebold, note 1, pp. 184-189. 6 Matthi Forrer, “Siebold Collection of Straw Decorative Arts in Leiden (1820s) and Munich (1860s),” Keynote Address (in Japanese), Fifth International Siebold Symposium, Otsu Civic Hall, October 28-29, 2011. 7 Akemi Takahashi, “Daimyô-ke no konrei ni tsuite” [Wedding Rituals in Clan Lord Families] and “Daimyô Weddings–Bridal Trousseaux for Daimyô Princesses,” in Daimyô-ke no konrei, Exh. Cat., Sendai City Museum, 2000. Kaori Ueno, “Daimyô dôgu” [Clan Lord Utensils] in Zusetsu Tachibana-ka ki [Illustrated Record of the Tachibana Family, extra issue of the History of Yanagawa City], Yanagawa Municipal History Compilation Committee, 2010.

(National Museum of Japanese History)

366 International Symposium Proceedings — Siebold’s Vision of Japan