[Thanks to UC#1-SU for today’s topic!]
That video was really fun! I loved how he started out by dumping out 1000s of grains of rice on the table. What was he thinking??? And using a felt-tipped pen probably was both an advantage (since he might be used to such writing implements) and a disadvantage, because it wasn’t as fine a stroke.
I think for the traditional rice writing, the artists used tiny paint brushes, a smaller version of the kind they use for regular calligraphy, which is difficult enough in itself. Did you know that they use some special kind of charcoal? I read it in a book about a Chinese girl once, but I remember my grandfather had a block of black “ink” in a box, and he would wet it and rub a piece of rubber-like substance on it, to get the right consistency and blackness, before applying his brush to the ink. And calligraphy differs among artists, the way that handwriting is different for any writer.
Did you notice the book has using for a resting spot, something about nature. It is the same author who wrote The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben, in which he tells us that trees can communicate with each other underground, through their root systems….fascinating!!
[UC#1-SU]
The video [UC#1-SU] is referring to:
Japanese Calligraphy Ink (Sumi)
History
The earliest artifacts of Chinese inks can be dated back to 12th century BC, with charred materials, plant dyes, and animal-based inks being occasionally used, mineral inks being most common. Mineral inks based on materials such as graphite were ground with water and applied with brushes.
Wikipedia
Traditional Japanese calligraphy ink, referred to as sumi ink, comes in a solid form. It takes at least four years of production before these ink sticks can be sold, and even longer for the most expensive ones. A 200-gram high-grade ink stick from a producer like Kobaien costs over $1,000. And at some other retailers, prices can reach almost $2,000. Meanwhile, almost double the amount of commercial India ink can go for as little as $9.
Business Insider
The ink makers produce their own soot using vegetable oil lamps.
The ink sticks are cured using first oak ashes, then air-drying, in a process that takes four years.
95% of Japanese Calligraphy ink is made in the Nara Prefecture, in south-central Japan. It dates back to a technique developed by 7th century monks.
The highest grade ink can sell for as much as $2000 for 200 grams.
The Ancient Craft of Sumi
Kobaien
The Kobaien web site can be found here.
WLBOTT Research Team
Hi, [UC#1-SU]. That’s interesting about the paint brushes and the ink. I guess the ink would have to have special properties of surface tension, viscosity, etc. Your grandfather must have been skilled in making the right ink for the job.
I wasn’t able to find an electron microscope picture of a miniature paint brush, but in true WLBOTT fashion, I found electron microscope pictures of tooth brush tips, used in a study of gingivitis. Incredible how uniform they are.
[WLBOTT Corporate]
Semi-Sequitur: Cool Stuff Under the Microscope
Sugar, salt, coffee, pepper
Velcro
Salt & Pepper
Baseball
Beach Sand (from My Modern Met)
Via Board Panda:
Blueberry: 19x
Banana Skin: 210x
Life Saver: 17x
Pop Tart: 450x
Oreo: 15x
Cake Sprinkles: 65x
One reply on “Japanese Calligraphy Ink”
This was all terribly interesting, and I think the sumi ink making was a reflection of the Japanese culture, just in terms of the dedication to the craft being put above profit! I had to make the comparison to printer ink (the kind used in home printers) that is said to be the most expensive liquid on the planet. It struck me that they are both used to convey language–messages of mind, body, spirit and emotion–and people will pay dearly for that opportunity!