Sumi

The traditional ink used in Japanese penmanship is called Sumi (also Sumi-e 墨).

It S `acts, as in China and Korea, of a Indian ink made starting from soot (susu) and adhesive (Nikawa 膠) animal this presenting in solid form, in general in the form of stick, which one rubs on a Pierre with ink with a little water.

The Chinese ink made with old is condensed and to tend more that Japanese ink.

Japanese ink resists the stretching of the layouts better.

Traditionally soot can be soot of pine (shôen-boku) or plant oil soot (yuen-boku).

Nowadays the pure soot of pine is rare, it is generally mélée with other matters chemical, such as anthracene, offering practically identical nuances.

Industrial inks do not offer the same smoothness and they are generally less resistant to water, time and the Marouflage.

Traditional ink continues to live after its period of manufacture. The best stores preserve it several years before selling it; with the age it develops more subtle nuances.

Inks known as “old” (KB-boku 古墨) have from 50 to 60 years; beyond 100 years they become objects of collection.

However, once fixed on paper, they escape the influence from time.

Use and maintenance

To pour a little water on the hill of the stone with ink, to hold the stick inclined towards oneself or right and to gently rub it on the hill by using a circular motion until ink reaches a certain thickness. To pour this ink thickened in the sea of the stone with ink. The make-ready time of ink will take at least fifteen minutes for an initiation and more for drawings of more important size. Ink reaches an optimal quality one hour after being prepared.

The stick must be arranged and especially does not have to be to rest on the stone when it is not useful; it would risk to stick and damage, see to break, the stone.

For use of a stick of ink, it is necessary to wipe it and arrange it in its paper and its box of origin in Paulownia with the shelter of the sun and moisture. It is not necessary that it is wrapped in a plastic packaging.

See too

References

Initiation with Japanese penmanship by Yuuko Suzuki (ISBN: 2.215.07477.9)

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