Patina: a surface appearance of something grown beautiful, especially with age or use.
Provenance: origin, source. the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature.
Keshiki: . . . (Japanese) after you use [something] and make some stain, it is natural thing and we call it “keshiki” (“a scenery naturally made”) that makes the item valuable.
The Veleveteen Rabbit: a children’s novel written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit and his quest to become real through the love of his owner.
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We buy things to use, to admire, to give pleasure to our lives, to make our lives more efficient, to wear, to eat, to provide shelter, to take us from one place to another. Sometimes we hoard, from fear, necessity, greed. There are things we all have hiding in a cupboard or drawer or under the bed, saved for the rainy day that never comes, for that yet-to-be-determined special occasion.
And then we die. All that was valuable to us, as individuals, is gone. Now it is junk for others to cart away.
I have decided to ink my only un-used suzuri, using a highly prized ink stick. The experience will be mine alone.
This really is my home-made video debut. For my birthday, I got a Kodak Zi8. I’ve never shot a video in my life. It’s been in the back of my mind for some time to try to create videos on various subjects, in particular those related to sumi ink painting. I’ve long admired a number of ink artists, and have learned a lot from watching their videos. So, I decided to make a video today, just to see what I can do. Already, I know that what I have done is incredibly amateur, but for a first try, I decided to go ahead and post what I’ve done. Just making the videos gave such a greater appreciation for the thought which goes into a good one, as well as having good editing software. The Kodak Zi8 comes with MediaImpression for Kodak, by ArcSoft. I’ve managed to add a title and an ending to the file, but nothing else. What you see is really unedited footage!
The Art of Grinding an Ink Stick
Many authors of Japanese and Chinese ink-painting books will tell you that while you grind the ink on the stone, with gentle motions, it is a good time to collect oneself. I agree. I like to take my time, listen to calming music, and relax. Focusing on breathing helps – in, out, in, out – slowing down. Given the permanency of every ink stroke in sumi, it makes sense to calm down, to control one’s energy, and to take time to become centered. Breathing helps. I know that if I start out feeling stressed, my painting is stressed, tight and unhappy. Grinding ink is a period of transition.
Making the Video
Well, making the video was a pain! At first the camera was too low, and the field of vision too narrow. I had to build up the height of the camera, and retrain its focus. Looking at the video, certainly lighting needs to be improved, and the camera should be coming over my left shoulder, and lighting needs to be less yellow (maybe use the no-light setting!?!). Shadows need to disappear.
Purpose of the Video
Show the ink stone, with water
Demonstrate the ink stick
Demonstrate the upright position of the ink stick, and the motion on the top of the stone, as well as pulling the water up from the well of the stone, to continue the grinding process
Show the creation of dark ink, show the creation of medium ink, and the creation of light ink
Show through the time of the video that grinding ink for sumi does take time – it’s not something poured out of a bottle.
The Video
Let me know what you think! Try it in HD and full screen, too.
Ink sticks – sumi sticks – are made in China and Japan, and most likely in Korea as well. Bottled ink is also available, but lacks many of the qualities preferred by traditional painters and calligraphers. Pouring ink from a bottle is not the same as being able to take the time grind a fine stick on a lovely stone, to enjoy the task, and focus one’s energy. Most ink is also poorly made, and contains chemicals which can damage a fine brush or stone. It is very important that if you do use bottled ink that you wash your brush thoroughly afterward, blot it, and reshape the point prior to hanging it to dry.
In this video, the artist Hirokazu Kosaka discusses ink sticks. While he does not go into great detail about their production, he does show some interesting elements of their construction and packaging. Opening a pawlonia wood box, he shows a “color” chart for the sumi stick. The light and dark capabilities of the ink are demonstrated on a piece of paper inside the box lid. He also shows the mold used to create the ink stick. Many ink sticks are embossed with symbols or pictures, which are later colored with gold or silver or colored paint.
The quality of a sumi stick varies, from very poor (as is most sold in the U.S.) to student grade, to professional. They also vary in size and shape, from very small to very large and colored. There is some argument as to which is better, the Japanese or Chinese; I have both and will say that the professional quality Japanese sumi is one I prefer. I also have some Chinese ink sticks, and their quality tends to fluctuate. Also, the Japanese ink tends to be a bluer-black color, while the Chinese ink is more brown-black. Both have their beauty.
According to Wikipedia:
Inksticks (Chinese: 墨 pinyin: mò; Japanese: 墨 sumi), sometimes known as sumi (Japanese transliteration), are a type of solid ink used traditionally in several East Asian cultures for calligraphy and brush painting. Inksticks are made mainly of soot and animal glue, sometimes with incense or medicinal scents added. To make ink from the inkstick, it has to be continuouly ground against an inkstone with a small quantity of water to produce a dark liquid which is then applied with an ink brush. Artists and calligraphists may vary the thickness of the resulting ink according to their preferences by reducing or increasing the intensity and time of ink grinding.m Sumi sticks after it has been used), and delivered.
Ink sticks need to age, just as wine. A well-made sumi stick may be very old and very valuable. Commercially, such ink sticks are available, but not readily in the U.S. or Europe. There are various importers, but as the market is limited, they are unlikely to carry the variety available in China or Japan.
Most ink sticks sold in the U.S. are inexpensive ones, whether originating from Japan or China. If you cannot grind a dark ink in a moderate amount of time, if there are grainy particles which scratch your stone, you do not have an ink stick worth using as far as I am concerned.
This video from Yang Hai Ying (“yanghaiying” on YouTube) gives a few more details about the manufacture of ink sticks:
And finally, another one by Yang Hai Ying showing both bottled and stick ink:
For us ink stick lovers, it would be sheer heaven to walk into a shop filled with ones to choose!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 