Satsuma Ware Grand Revival

Lowry refers to 7 times to signs for Satsuma Ware. Grand Revival in Chapter 3 of Ultramarine as Dana walks around Tsjang Tsjang (Dairen). (Pgs.85/99/104/109,116 and 118).

Satsuma ware sometimes referred to as "Satsuma porcelain," is a type of Japanese earthenware pottery. It originated in the late 16th century, during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, and is still produced today. Although the term can be used to describe a variety of types of pottery, the best known type of Satsuma ware has a soft, ivory-colored, crackled glaze with elaborate polychrome and gold decorations

Satsuma ware originated when the Shimazu prince of the Satsuma domain in southern Kyūshū abducted skilled Korean potters after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Japanese Invasions of Korea to establish a local pottery industry. After display at the international exhibition in Paris in 1867, it proved popular as an export to Europe.

"The Grand Revival" refers to the interest in the art of the village potter was revived in a folk movement of the 1920s by such master potters as Shoji Hamada and Kawai Kajiro. These artists studied traditional glazing techniques to preserve native wares that were in danger of disappearing. Later the Satsuma style was also duplicated by the potters in Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Kanazawa. Stoneware and pure white porcelain were the favored mediums for Satsuma .

Lowry may have seen signs for the sale of Satsuma Wares in Kobe on his 1927 voyage to the Far East. He may have also seen signs for them in Dairen e.g K. Suzuki & Co.

Katayama Silk Store, Dairen

Lowry refers to the above shop in his novel Ultramarine when Dana meets Olga Sologub, a prostitute in Dairen, asking her to speak Japanese to him:

"I can teach you all the Japanese you have to know now. Listen to me. Good morning is Cha-yo. Good day, Konnichiwa. Good evening, Konbanwa. Good-bye, Sayonara. Take me to Katayama store, Katayama e tsure te yu ke. Show me kimono. Kimono wo misete kudasai. How much? Ikura? Show me better one, Motto yoinowo misete. This is very pretty, Korewa taiken kireida-"

"My God, have a heart!"
"Please don't stop me, please!"
"Oh I see!"
"I will take it, Sore ni shimasko. Too expensive, Amari takai. Show me some less expensive. Motto yasuinowo misete. Give me change, Tsuri kudasai. That's all, Shimai-" (Pg. 107)

The Sm Shhshin Katayama Silk Store was located at  I93 Yamagata-dori, DAIREN. Telephone 2-6235 (Manchuria: a semi-monthly publication of the Manchuria Daily News: Volume 1 1936).

The Wearer of KATAYAMA SILK feels well-groomed and well-tailored Custom-made shirts and pyjamas executed by this Dairen firm have won world-wide acclaim from contented residents and around-the- world tourists. (Caravan, Volumes 3-4 1938)

Sudoh and Co.

Lowry refers to an advert by the K. Suzuki & Co. in his novel Ultramarine during Dana's drift around Dairen in Chapter 3 when Dana enters a cinema sees businesses being promoted on the screen. It is not impossible that adverts for the Japanese mainland may have been advertised in Japanese occupied Manchuria. Or it might be Lowry simply transposing Kobe into Dairen:

Sudoh and Co. - manufacturer and exporter of curios and vases, porcelain and satsuma ware, teas sets, screens, bronze wares, pearls.....Cloisonne lacquered wares, tortoiseshell wares. 10, 11, & 12 Chickaramachi 4 chome, Nagoya, P.O. Box No. 2 Akatsuka. Tel. 586 Higashi. Factories: Chikusa-cho, Nagoya, and Mino, Seto, Owari.... We deal Production of our Own and all Round value Call and see them Everything so Lovely we'll give you A1 satisfaction Inspection invited call and see them Now is best chance.

The spelling, punctuation etc are Lowry's. It is possible that he either memorised and noted later hence mistakes, noted at the time hence mistakes or perhaps noted after reading a pamphlet or book. Lowry may have picked up a pamphlet similar to Some Suggestions for Souvenir Seekers produced by the Japanese Government Railway. The pamphlet gives descriptions and photo examples of numerous types of pottery and porcelain, including where they were made, it features a list of Souvenir Dealers. The names are given in English without the Japanese equivalency since the pamphlet was aimed at English-speaking tourists.

K. Suzuki & Co. (Kichigoro Suzuki) was a Japanese manufacturer and dealer in Bishu Porcelain.The head office was No. 10, 11, & 12 Chikaramachi 4 chome, Nagoya.Tel. No. 586 Higashi L. D. They had a branch office at No. 8 Kitanagasa-dori 3 chome, Kobe. Tel. No. 815 Sannomiya L. D. Telegraphic Address: Yamasuboshi, Kobe Codes Used: A, B, C, 5th Edition & Private.

Suzuki Kichigoro was a manufacturer and dealer in Bishu (Owari) (present day Aichi) porcelain ware. Bishu is another name for Owari and Bishu porcelain is Owari porcelain and regarding Bishu (Owari) porcelain, it is of a very white color.

The artist Suzuki Kichigoro was a highly noted sculpturer and carver.  He was a very diverse artist and worked in several mediums and mixed his mediums: ivory, tortoise shell, cloisonne, lacquer, copper, gold, silver, atimony, bronze, zinc, leather, wood, bamboo, and porcelain.  His created art works were: sculptures, vases, trays, tobacco containers, mantel ornaments, card plates, censers, tablets, boxes, match boxes, paper weights, pen plates, dust pans, flower pots, ladies bags, dresser ware, cloisonne ware, and makiye ware.

Kobe, Japan

Kobe is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately 30 km (19 mi) west of Osaka. Kobe did not exist in its current form until its founding in 1889. Its name comes from "kanbe" an archaic title for supporters of the city's Ikuta Shrine. Hyōgo-ku or Ōwada Anchorage or Hyōgo Port is an area is the historical heart of the city. Shinkaichi in Hyogo-ku was once the commercial centre of Kobe, but was heavily damaged during World War II, and since Hyogo-ku has lost much of its former prominence.

Kobe Port was first opened to foreign trade in 1868. At that time it had no wharfs to serve large vessels so loading and offloading had to take place offshore. This situation persisted for a long time.

Finally in 1907, due to dramatic increases in trade, plans were made for extensive new port facilities. During the so-called First Stage Kobe Port Development Plan the Shinko (New Harbor) piers No. 1 through No. 4 were constructed (1907-1922). In 1919, work began on the Second Stage, which included the construction of Shinko piers No.4 (East) through No.6, Naka Pier and Hyogo Piers (No.1, No.2 Piers). This was completed in 1939. Kobe had now the largest berth in Japan, with a depth of 12m.

Lowry visited the port between 28th June and 1st July 1927 on his voyage to the Far East. He had obscure reference to the port in the 1927 poem 'The Glory of the Sea':

'Where's Chang tonight? he asked the Third;
'It's past the time he came off watch:
Half-hour ago eight bells I heard;
I've got a cake of Kobe trout,
Tinned, by crimes! I bed your Scotch-'
'Chang? Chang's dead: his heart came out.'

1914  Map of Kobe: 1. Sannomiya Station (currently Motomachi Station); 2. Motomachidori; 3. Sakaemachidori; 4. Higashi Yuenchi Park; 5. Oriental Hotel; 6. Kaigandori; 7. Customs House; 8. American Hatoba.

Lowry also refers to the old port of Kobe during Dana'a drift around the red light district of Dairen in his novel Ultramarine - while Dana is waiting for a film to start adverts appear on the screen; "The American Hatoba, the Oriental Hotel, and the Kyo-Bashi...Oh these infernal advertisments on the screen!" ( Pg.98). It is not impossible that adverts for the Japanese mainland may have been advertised in Japanese occupied Manchuria. Or it might be Lowry simply transposing Kobe into Dairen.

It is possible that Lowry experienced the incident with the Japanese prostitute in Kobe as described by Joseph Ward in a letter to the Liverpool Daily Post dated 14/4/1962. Ward  says:

....he seemed a lost soul and his reproductive organ was certainly in the back row, it was a teeny-weeny object that disgusted a Japanese geisha girl to such an extent as to frustrate her into impolite abuse.

Stan Hugill describes Kobe in Sailortown as follows:

With some seamen Kobe was Number One, and although, perhaps, it did not have the variety of sailor entertainment offered in Yokohama, still had plenty of girls and bordels. Perhaps the reason why some seamen preferred Kobe to Yokohama was the fact that most girls here wore Western dress. 

The main street, the Motomachi, was lined on both sides with small and large bars, cafes and dancehalls, the numbers of "garus" or girls found in them being legion. Down the alleyways, too, more dives were to be found, and as well as dives, Kobe was famous for its so-called Sex Stores.....

The bars and dives best known to seamen were the Honey Drop, Union Bar, Kimi Bar, Golden Bat, the Frisco, Fuji Bar, Hana Bar, Havana Bar, Academy Bar, Rose Bar, Young Bar, Yokohamate, and Boston Bar. 

The native kuruwa, called Fukuwara or"Lucky Moor", was to be found in Hyogo the older port adjacent to Kobe - near to Theatre Street of Shinkaiichi. It was a replica of the one in Yokohama, but a bit livelier perhaps, since it was situated in a busy market and theatre district. The biggest houses were the Fukanariro and the Daikichiro. In these more modern times, however, what with the competition of the Western-dressed dance hostesses and the more Western-styled bars, these old fashioned native brothel areas were not patronised as much by seamen as they were olden times. 

Even if one wanted to go to such a place and said tho the Japanese taxi-driver, "Yoshiwara", it was usual for the driver, who had probably driven hundreds of sailors to bars and brothels, and who believed than that the latter did himself, to take his customer to a Western-styled dive. The girls in this district charged 2.5 yen a "short time", 5 yen an hour, and 8 yen "all night", the yen at this time being worth 1s. 2d." (Pgs. 334-335).

Miki Bar

An unidentified bar/club in the fictional Tsjang Tsjang (Dairen) of Lowry's first novel Ultramarine; "There's the Miki Bar!" (Pg. 30); "And the Miki or the Baikine; you'll probably find plenty of bobbed head tigers in this dump." (Pg.81); "Miki Bar. Dancing." (Pg. 85); Dana is told by a waiter after asking about dancing; "Miki Bar is your place. All sam firm, sir". (Pg.85); "We'll go the Miki Bar some time tonight,' I said." (Pg. 85); "Miki Bar. Dancing" (Pgs 96, 104 and 118); "Well, talking of niggers, there was two whacking bull niggers in the Miki too, last night; firemen they were, and when I told Olga-" (Pg. 130); "Andy fumbling for his entrance ticket to the Miki dancing saloon.." (Pg. 133).

The name probably reflects the Japanese influence on Dairen. The name is a Japanese female name Miki which may be written with the characters for "beauty; beautiful" (mi) and "chronicle; narrative; account" (ki). Other possibilities include "truth; reality" (mi) and "hope; pray" (ki), as well as "beautiful" (mi) and "timber trees; wood" (ki). Not to be confused with the port of Miike.