IGEZARA IS AN EVERYDAY PLATE WHICH WAS PRODUCED MAINLY IN THE REGIONS OF IMARI AND SETO DURING THE TAISHO ERA (1912 - 1926) OR THEREABOUTS. IGE MEANS "A NOTCH" (OR A THORN) IN THE DIALECT OF THE IMARI REGION. ZARA (OR SARA) GENERALLY MEANS "A PLATE". IGEZARA IS A PLATE WITH A NOTCHED IRON-GLAZED RIM AND HAS A COPPERPLATE ENGRAVING PATTERN. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, A FEW EXCEPTIONS :UNGLAZED NOTCH (SHIRO-IGE); BLUE NOTCH (AO-IGE); TWISTED NOTCH ON THE RIM (NAWA-IGE); HAND-PRINTED (TEGAKI); AND INK-SPRAYED ON THE PATTERN (FUKIZUMI). THERE MAY POSSIBLY BE MORE WHICH HAVE YET TO BE FOUND. IGEZARA MAY NOT BE VERY POPULAR WITH JAPANESE ANTIQUES COLLECTORS BECAUSE MANY SAY THE PLATES REMIND THEM OF JAPAN'S POORER DAYS. THIS IS THE SAME REASON WHY MANY OLD PEOPLE DON'T EAT RICE BOILED WITH WHEAT (MUGI-MESHI). AS A RESULT, MANY FINE COPPERPLATE ENGRAVINGS PRODUCED DURING THE MEIJI (1868 - 1912) AND THE TAISHO ERAS ARE FINDING THEIR WAY INTO THE HANDS OF FOREIGN COLLECTORS. THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAS SHOWN VERY LITTLE INTEREST IN PRESERVING THIS IMPORTANT PART OF JAPANESE CULTURE. THIS IS WITNESSED BY THE FACT THAT THE ONLY BOOK TO BE PUBLISHED ABOUT IGEZARA WAS WRITTEN BY AN ENGLISHMAN. I HAVE ESTABLISHED THIS WEB MUSEUM AS A WAY OF REALIZING A DREAM: TO PUBLISH A RECORD, IN PICTURES, OF IGEZARA AND CREATING A REAL MUSEUM TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND PRESERVE A CULTURAL TREASURE.
KEIGO WATANABE
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