鈴木長吉

Born on September 12, 1848 (15th day of 8th month of Kaei 1), in Ishii-mura, Iruma-gun, Musashi province (present-day Sakado city, Saitama prefecture). “Gō” (art name): Kakō/Yoshiyuki. He studied lost-wax casting techniques under Okano Tōryūsai, a founder in Hiki-gun, Musashi province (present-day Higashi-Matsuyama city, Saitama prefecture). At the end of the 1850s his teacher started making works in front of Shiba Shinmei shrine for foreign customers and it is thought that Chōkichi accompanied him to Tokyo. In 1864 (Genji 1) Chōkichi established his own company in that area (there is also one theory that he started his business “at the age of 18”). With great foresight he discerned that the way forward was to work on export crafts. With the aim of exporting such goods, in 1874 he became the casting department chief upon the founding of Kiryū Kōshō Kaisha (The First Japanese Manufacturing and Trading Company, 1874–1891). He produced metalwork for export, and from 1876–1883 (Meiji 9–15), he supervised casting at that company. In 1876 (Meiji 9), he received the highest award at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia for his “Incense Burner” (National Museum of Scotland). The preparatory drawings for this work were published in the “Onchi Catalogue — Decorative Art Designs for Expositions” (a decorative arts design compilation published by the Meiji government as part of their efforts to foster industry and encourage commerce). During his early period he seems to have considered domestic and overseas needs as he both created designs under government direction and supervised the Kiryū Kōshō Kaisha casting department. He entered “Incense Burner” (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) in the Exposition Universelle of 1878 (Meiji 11) in Paris, where it received a Gold Medal. “Bronze Lantern” (cast 1879, Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo), thought to have been made at the Kiryū Kōshō Kaisha factory, bears the signature “Cast by Suzuki Kakō/Yoshiyuki.” In 1881 (Meiji 14) he entered his “Hanging Lantern with a Pair of Crane Spouts” 双鶴噴水器吊局燈 (whereabouts unknown) in the Second National Industrial Exposition, where it was awarded a Shinposhō Second Class Prize. In 1885 (Meiji 18) he entered his “Incense Burner” (George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, Springfield, Massachusetts) in the International Exhibition of the Metalwork in Nuremberg where it received a Gold Medal. In 1890 (Meiji 23) he entered “Hawk” 銅製鷹置物 in the Third National Industrial Exposition, where it received a Myōgishō Second Class Prize. In 1893 (Meiji 26) he entered his “Eagle” (Important Cultural Property, Tokyo National Museum) and “Twelve Bronze Falcons” (Important Cultural Property, National Crafts Museum, Kanazawa) in the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, where they garnered much attention. Given the presence of the preparatory drawings for both works in the Kiryū Kōshō Kaisha Archives (Tokyo University of the Arts), they are thought to have been produced in the late period of that company’s operations. Chōkichi received a Memorial Prize at that exposition. That same year he began work on a large number of presentation items, including “Pair of vases with design of myriad ‘kotobuki’ (congratulations) characters” (The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, Tokyo), for use at the following year’s celebrations of the twenty-fifth anniversary of emperor and empress Meiji. He was named an Imperial Artist on March 10, 1896 (Meiji 29) in recognition of his superior skills. He produced “Large Flower Vase, Landscape Design” (whereabouts unknown) and “Two Tigers on Rock” (Tokyo National Museum) for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle and received an Honorary Grand Prize. He entered bear and tiger decorative objects in the 1904 (Meiji 37) Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, where they were awarded a top prize. In his late years he is said to have operated a trading company called Tōtosha, but the details of such are not known. On January 29, 1919 (Taishō 8), he died at his home in Tabata, Takinogawa-machi, Kita-Toshima-gun, Tokyo (present-day Kita-ku, Tokyo). He was 72 years old in the traditional Japanese age system. According to the “Tōkyō Meikō Kagami” (Famous Craftsmen of Tokyo Almanac) (1879, Yūrindō), Chōkichi excelled at the creation of bird and insect works based on sketching from life. Among his works entered in national and international expositions, he used lost wax casting methods to create particularly realistic birds of prey, such as eagles and hawks, and he often topped his works with an eagle or hawk image. These images have often been seen as personifications of the rise of nationalist spirit that characterized that period. On the one hand he was particularly adept at the intricate depiction of flowing water, waves, and on other hard-to-grasp visual forms, while on the other hand, the name Chōkichi became widely known for his “creative production of large lost cast works on an unprecedented scale” (“Daigokai Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai Shinsakan Retsuden”, 1903). His exhibited works increased in size as the years passed, from an approximately 90 cm tall work for the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair, followed by the approximately 180 cm tall work for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and the “Incense Burner”, approximately 240 cm in height, for the Paris Exposition Universelle. The “Twelve Bronze Falcons” displayed in the Columbian Exposition were produced on the basis of ideas from the art dealer Hayashi Tadamasa (1853–1906), and their skillful execution can be seen as a response to Hayashi’s expectations for the works. Along with his actual production work, Chōkichi was a leading figure in Meiji metalwork circles, not only acting as a judge for National Industrial Expositions and industry shows, but also playing an advisory role in Nihon Bijutsu Kyōkai (The Japan Art Association), Tokyo Chōkōkai (Tokyo Carvers’ Association), and Tokyo Metal Casting Association. Various issues which should be examined from multiple angles remain regarding Chōkichi’s works produced in this period when the fine arts, decorative arts, and industry were not yet differentiated in Japan. Around the time of the Columbian Exposition, Chōkichi set up a foundry in Irifune-chō, Tsukiji, Kyōbashi-ku, Tokyo (present-day Akashi-chō, Chūō-ku, Tokyo). That choice of location near the foreign compound in Tsukiji indicates that Chōkichi anticipated work coming from overseas clients. The July 12, 1896 morning edition of “Yomiuri Shimbun” newspaper stated, “35 workers were employed at this factory, including 18 founders, five sculptors, five metal beaters, five wax mold makers, and two painters.” Thus Chōkichi can be thought to have established a full production system at his factory around that time, encompassing the preparatory drawing production, casting, and the addition of carved decoration to cast works. However, the Art Nouveau style flourished overseas around the turn of the century and Japanese decorative arts began to reflect such influences. Similarly Japan began to clearly differentiate between “fine arts” and “decorative arts,” resulting in a rapid change in how decorative arts were viewed. Traces of Chōkichi’s efforts disappeared amidst these changes. (Kitamura Hitomi / Translated by Martha J. McClintock) (Published online: 2024-03-06)