ORIENTAL ART.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 818, 16 May 1910, Page 5

ORIENTAL ART.

FEATURES OF ANGLO - JAPANESE EXHIBITION. MIKADO'S ART TREASURES. SACRED ISLAND REPRODUCTION. By Telceraph-Prcsa Association-CopyrlElit (Rec. May 15, 5 p.m.) London, May 14. The Anglo-Japaneso exhibition was opened without ceremony by Prince Fushimi, the special envoy from Japan. Several hundreds of workmen completed the preparations yesterday. Tho exhibits include extraordinary illustrations of the Japanese Wonderland, including scenery representing the four seasons beautiful. There is a model of tho sacred island of Miyojima. [The island of Miynjima, or Itskushima, lies opposite to tho Japanese town ?. f Hiroshima. It ie the "island of Light, dedicated to the goddess Bentin. Rocky and richly wooded, about 1500 ft. high, Miyajima is one of the San-kei, or three chief sights of Japan. The great templo, being partly built over tho sea on piles, appears at high tide to float on the surfaco of the water.] There are specimens of superb architecturo and carvings covering 25 centuries of national history. Splendid national art treasures have been sent by the Mikado. Among the surprises of the exhibition is the section representing Japanese women's work. The newspapers are enthusiastic over .the unique spectacle, noting every portion of the Japanese section as being wonderfully clever and picturesque. There are 2000 private Japanese exhibitors. A TRIUMPH OF JAPANESE ART, It was predicted with confidence weeks ago that the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition would bo about the only exhibition in the world to start really complete. "With characteristic precision and thoroughness (writes a London paper), the army of Japanese who havo taken possession of the White City aro rapidly pushing to completion their particular sections of the great exhibition. The form of the exhibits will bo extremely varied and interesting. At present few of tho immense packing-cases have been .opened, but the structure of and devices on the stands tell a good deal, and one stand in particular will interest musicians, for it will bear Japanese organs, pianos, and violins. "For tho most part the great white buildings are full of tho din of hammering by swarms of lithe, littlo Japanese workmen in quaint blue costumes, and one can only say that an exhibition is taking shape in what may provo to be record time. But in the great hall near tho Wood Lane entrance a. picco of richlywrought Oriental architecture in an almost finished stato gives an idea of the surroundings in which the visitor will find himself in the summer.

"This is a massive and realistic reproduction of tho famous Temple Gate at Nara, Japan's ancient capital, and its sumptuousness will later have a sombre relief of dark cedars, with stone lanterns set among them. Through this gate visitors will pass to inspect tho twelve life-size tableaux illustrative of Japan's two thousand five hundred years of history.

"The four seasons as they appear in Japan will be represented by four largo natural tableaux, each of which will be a miniature landscape through which visitors will be able to walk. There is a Japanese house in one of tho buildings, with a painting of a tree on one of its walls so realistic that it looks as though its leaves might bo plucked.

"In another building a largo spaco is to be devoted to the native pottery, and such things as punch bowls, linger bowls, (lower vases, teapots and services, and in-cense-burners of Japanese manufacture, and bearing fantastic Oriental designs, will bo oil view, while elsewhere, in the Japanese fair, the potters will be seen at their work."