ABSTRACT
Western art craft productions, except Keramics, never bear the name of the artist or artisan. It may be that this is due to the lack of individuality in the object, or to the fact that the European artist—justly or unjustly—is much less convinced of his artistic ability and talent than his Japanese colleague. The Japanese artists however make use of most of the Chinese word signs to write their names. The artist to be registered under the name Mitsuhide himself wrote his name De-me Fuji-wara, Mitsu-hide. Besides the foregoing real artists names, there is also a kind of additional name, a pseudonym, which is used for special reasons, as for instance in the case of erotic figures and carvings, to conceal the originator. Many artists place upon their original works a special mark which is used by them alone and which is named Kakihan or Kwao.
