asian art – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Sumi-e / Ink Painting Books, ii

Motoi Oi, i

Today, I am going to begin a brief series on a rather lovely set of books, published by Motoi Oi (1910-2004) shortly after his arrival in the U.S. Initially paperback books, self-published and handbound by his wife using traditional Japanese binding, much of his work was consolidated into hardback by the Japan Publication Trading Co. in Tokyo.

The Sumi-e Society of America writes about itself and Mr. Oi:

The Society was created in New York in 1963 by Professor Motoi Oi to foster and encourage an appreciation of East Asian brush painting. For the initial fifteen years (1963-1978) its annual exhibitions were held in New York City. Over the years, the Society has grown and there are many chapters in the United States and a sister organization in Canada.When asked why he had started the Sumi-e Society, Mr. Oi answered, in part, “In the East, paintings reflect the great joy of culture. They are a reflection of an intense personal idiom. My idea was to provide a means through which the fresh, new spirit of American culture could be viewed in Sumi-e.”

Professor Oi was born in Japan and in 1958 he emigrated to the U.S.A. where he worked as a printmaker, painted, wrote books on Sumi-e painting and taught art at Queens College , New York City and the Brooklyn Institute of Art and Science.

In 1981, Mr. Oi was awarded the 6^th class of the Order of the Rising Sun for his work in US-Japan cultural relations.

Oi himself writes on the inside cover flap of this book:

What is sumi-e? Is is so simple an art form that a novice can literally pick up a brush and start painting right away. Yet, it intrigues even those whoc spend their lifetimes studying it. In this book, Mr. Oi introduces to the beginners the fundamental techniques of sumi-e and describes its spirit, which plays the most important part, in terms of … Zen Buddhism … a mystic religion of extreme self-discipline and concentration. The importance of its [sumi’e’s] spirit is, however, too often ignored, and the craze for this art is usually based on a complete misunderstanding, the result being a mere imitation of its superficial features.

Given this, I am not even going to approach the spirit behind Mr. Oi’s books; rather, that is up to the individual artist and reader to explore. Instead, I think it is interesting to read the book and consider what is said. For instance, in the above edition, concerning rough sketches, he writes, “in following a rough sketch, painting becomes a matter of technique and hence loses the fresh, spontaneous feeling. Therefore I do not recommend it.” What does this mean? To me, it says it is best to look at each subject as something totally new and unexperienced. It also says to consider the subject in advance – light, dark – and to consider the approach to the painting in terms of brush stroke, ink gradation, how the brush will be loaded. This, of course, comes through practice of lines, circles, and other techniques, such as illustrated below.

Mastery in any art or craft means mastery of its tools. Here, ink, brush, paper, water. It also means mastery of the self, in whatever way it means to you, the painter, the artist, the craftsman. I rather like these paragraphs from his “Notes on Sumi-e” found at the end of the book:

The ability to think is what produces a good Sumi-e. A dexterous hand may turn out a mechanically excellent picture but not a true Sumi-e in spirit.

Pick up a Fude with a deep sense of humility. Free your mind of arrogance and hostility. You are not out to conquer Sumi-e. Rather, you want to be one with it. There should be neither a victory nor a defeat. Complete union is the ultimate goal.

Sumi-e is a mirror to your mind. It, however, surpasses mere reflection by rendering an image free of frills and pretense. Only the bare truth is reproduced on a sheet of paper.

I wonder, myself, just how this might be judged by others. For me, I know when I have accomplished this, free of the monkey mind; I can look at my painting and know it is well done. But do others see it? I think we are all prejudiced by our moods, likes, dislikes, current preferences. Certainly what appears good today may seem like a horror the next. As we are not static, perhaps this undulation of appreciation – this seeming fickleness – is actually a very, very good thing.

The Four Treasures: Inkstone / Suzuri, iii

Akama Inkstones

The website www.kougei.or.jp is particularly informative about various trades and crafts in Japan. This is what they have to say about the Akama suzuri:

Records exist showing that an Akama inkstone was offered at the Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura at the beginning of the Kamakura period (1185-1333). By the middle of the Edo period (1600-1868) these inkstones were being sold up and down the country. By the time that Mori was leading the local clan, unauthorized people were prohibited from mining the stone from which these inkstones were made and should one be needed as a gift at such times at the Sankin Kotai, when feudal lords travelled to live in Edo, permission to mine the stone had to be given by the head of the clan. This made it quite difficult to obtain one of these much prized inkstones from the Choshu clan.

Akama inkstones possess all the right qualities of a good inkstone. The stone is hard and it has a close grain. It is beautifully patterned and is soft enough to work. The hobo on which the ink stick is ground has a close grain helping to produce ink quickly and of the best quality in terms of color and luster. These inkstones are now being produced by 7 firms employing 15 people, 2 of whom are government recognized Master Craftsmen.

The Akama suzuri is characterized by a deep red brick color. It is a hard stone which lends itself well to detailed carving. The Akama stone I own measures about 5 x 7.5 inches (12.5 x 20 cm), is quite heavy, and has a large area for grinding ink, and depressions on either side of it which lead to the well. The carving is clean and crisp, as well as rather cleverly executed with the grapes hiding in the well itself.

Recalling the “breath test” of yesterday’s entry, I breathed on the grinding surface a couple of times. It was absorbed very quickly when compared to the She stone. This stone takes more effort to create ink than does the gourd-shaped stone, and perhaps this is the reason why. When I tilt in the sun, there are few sparkles of pyrites, which are found in a good stone – there is something about pyrites and the ink stick interacting…. Anyhow, this is still a lovely stone, but admittedly, not my favorite for grinding ink.

There are some design elements in this stone which I really like. I like having a “moat” on either side of the grinding surface, as it allows me to create little areas of greyer tones once the darker ink is on the central plain. The plain itself has a shall indentation in the center, which rises a bit before curving steeply into the well beneath the grape leaves. This allows for a puddling of ink without it flowing into the well.

These next two pictures show the carving a bit more in detail, taken at different angles.

Finally, there is some writing on the back which I should get translated. You can see it on the reverse image at the top. These are the images, enlarged, from top to bottom.

This link will bring you to a page with a number of Akama inkstones, along with some rather hefty prices! Click on each inkstone image to see it enlarge – here you will really see the art of the carved suzuri.

The Four Treasures: Inkstone / Suzuri, ii

She Inkstones

I bought this stone with the understanding that it is a She inkstone, from Anhui in China. The box, as you can see, is custom-made to the shape of the stone, which is carved into the shape of a gourd. Measurements of the stone are about 8 x 3 inches (20 x 7.5 cm), with the inside of the well about 4 x 2.5 inches (10 x 6.3 cm). This stone is smooth and hard, and easily grinds ink into very fine particles. The back of the stone is a bit lopsided, so it wobbles when ink is being ground. I solved this problem by placing a small piece of folded felt under the wobbly area.

According to Cao Jieming, vice manager of She Ink Stone Factory, She inkstones have some distinctive characteristics:

The She ink stone is hard but smooth, with a clear and dense texture. While touching it, it feels like the skin of a baby. Good She ink stones do not absorb water. On cold days, if you breathe on it, the water may form on the ink stone and it can be used to grind ink.

Other people make the same claim – that by breathing on an inkstone, if the moisture from your breath is quickly absorbed, the stone is too porous. I tried this, and the moisture from my breath remained visible on the stone for over a minute. When I wiped my finger across the area I breathed on, a small puddle of water appeared.

If you do a web search about She inkstones, you will learn a lot about them. They are prized for the quality of the stone, as well as the minerals which are embedded into the stones. These markings are given a variety of names, such as Gold Star, Small Water Wave, Fish Egg. A skilled craftsman will work to bring out the beauty of these markings while making an excellent inkstone.

She inkstones vary in color, from green, to grey, to black.

My Gourd-Shaped Inkstone

My stone is a deep grey-black, and is quite hard. There are swirls darker grey throughout the stone. The upper part of this stone is carved into leaves, with the lower end containing the well representing a gourd. (Or maybe a squash?) The carving is very smooth and clean, as you can see from the picture, moving gracefully from the leaves into the gourd and well of the stone.

The stone is also very thin, measuring no more than 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. When tapped, the stone gives a pleasant, metallic sound.

The reverse side of this stone shows some greenish streaks, as well as bits of gold color. Pyrites, if I remember correctly, are necessary in good inkstones. The image below is on the reverse of the stone, beneath the well. Notice the colors, spots, and striations in the stone.

This next image is from the reverse, upper part of the stone, beneath the carved leaves.

Even closer, you can see the stone’s characteristics.

For me, learning about the tools I use is important as it gives me a greater appreciation for it in so many ways: respect for the artisan and his/her skills, respect for the history of the tool, respect for the beauty within the tool itself. To care properly for the inkstone is to honor it, its history, and its place in my own creative endeavors.