My short trip to Nara was very good and comfortable because fabulous weather and the brilliant green leaves on the trees made me feel good.
I’d visited to almost of famous temples in Nara city, but the last one I’ve never visited before was Shin-Yakushiji, which is famous for several Buddha statues designated National Treasures such as Yakushi-Nyorai and Juni-Shinsho: The twelve divine generals, So I’d been looking forward to seeing them.
At the JR Nara station, when I looked for a map for tourists to Nara, I happened to get a free sightseeing guidebook of Nara city. I found an interesting photo on an ink stick, which was called Sumi in Japan, and I decided to go to the shop before visiting to Shin-Yakushiji. The shop’s name was Shoujudo “松寿堂” located in an old town. It took about ten minutes to go there from the station by foot.
I hesitated to enter the shop for a while because its facade seemed to be an old-established and really high-toned, but the owner was very happy and welcomed to enter the shop. The inside of the shop was very beautiful and traditional Japanese style, there were many Japanese-traditional furnitures such as wooden step-like chest of drawers.
The master showed me some products, which were the same ones on the guidebook, and explained how to make them. According to the master, the Sumi made in Nara is called Nara Sumi, which has been for more than 600 years since Muromachi period to provide for demand from the temples, mainly Kofuku-ji temple, in Nara area. Shojudo has been making Nara Sumi scince 1865, Edo period, and designated as a royal warrant shop. There were a few Sumi makers in this district a few years ago, but now, Shojudo is the only shop around there. And then, he showed me a Sumigata, the decorative wooden molds made from Asian Nashi, Asian pear, used to form ink sticks.
As I remembered that Prof. Hermann Zapf used a Japanese ink stick in the movie “The Art of Hermann Zapf”, I told him that I’ve heard some of Calligraphers not only East-Asian style but also European style used a Japanese Sumi as a black ink. Then I proposed him that he would introduce Sumi to Calligraphers who lives in Europe area. The master was very interested in this topic.
I bought two pieces of Sumi that shaped lovely Japanese deer, which lived in Nara Park and was considered sacred of Kasuga Taisha shrine, in a small box of paulownia wood.
It was a pity that I didn’t have much time left to get until the Shin-yakushiji temple would be closed. I hoped I would like to visit again so that I could get enough time to chat with the master.
(Above) The wooden shop signages and “Noren: 暖簾”, which is a store curtain hanged on the shop entrance, read “古梅園: Kobaien”on another shop that I found out during return to the Nara station from Shin-Yakushuji temple. (Lower right) The letter “墨: Sumi”, which means ink stick.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:15 am
i am interested in ink sticks, and have been collecting , and using them for more than 30 years. i an a calligrapher in maryland, usa. can you please e mail the address to the ink stick makers in Nara. thankyou
michael gilbert
July 4th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Thanks for your comment to this blog.
I’m afraid that Shojudo doesn’t seem to have any email address and their web site, so I’ll send you the address to the shops by email.
Kunihiko Okano Shotype.com
July 4th, 2008 at 2:32 am
I sent you the info on ink stick shops in Nara to your address, but your address didn’t work to reach you. So could you post your comment again with your proper address or email me to the below address?
info(at)shotype.com
Best regards.
Kunihiko Okano Shotype.com
October 25th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I`m looking for Kobaien ink stick all over web, but couldnt find anything…
Could you plese send me some address of shops.
TNX
October 25th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Hi Giovanelli,
I’ll send you the info about Kobaien soon.
Kunihiko Okano Shotype.com
July 6th, 2009 at 2:27 am
I found your site as a result of a search I did for Kobaien ink sticks. I am currently learning Gendai (Contemporary) style Shodo. I see you’ve already been asked for information about shops that sell them. Could you send me the information too, please? Thanks.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Dear Giordano,
Thanks for your comment.
I’m afraid that Kobaien doesn’t seem to have any English page.
And I couldn’t find any web shop available to buy from outside Japan.
I can tell you Kobaien’s address or a web shop deal with Kobaien’s sumi sticks, but both of them are Japanese only.
Kunihiko Okano Shotype.com
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 am
In the movie “The Art of Hermann Zapf” the mixed audio quality makes it touch to determine exactly what Zapf is saying about the ink he is using. I do recall though from his RIT classes that he favors the dense Chinese ink stokes over the thinner tints he gets from Japanese ink tints. I think I’ve used Japanese ink that was the equal of Chinese stick ink but I don’t know what that grade is called.
Inkknife.org
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 am
Thanks for the comment.
It is helpful info.
In the movie, as he mentioned Sumi so I thought he used Japanese ink stick.
He seemed to talk about Chinese ink sticks, but I couldn’t catch that part clearly.
Let me make sure what the Japanese ink tints is. Liquid or solid?
Japanese liquid ink is known as Bokuju.
Kunihiko Okano Shotype.com
August 26th, 2009 at 12:35 am
Hi, it seems i find your website exactly as other people says looking for japan ink sticks and kobaien, 2 weeks ago some japan people come to mexico city and i get lucky and they “irezumi” with foo lion in my leg, now im looking for that type of ink, hope you can send me the info too, and if you able to help me and grab a complete kit thanks
GP
August 26th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Thanks for posting comment.
As Kobaien deals with an ink stick for Calligraphy, not for Irezumi. I don’t know the detail on Irezumi, I’m afraid I don’t know how to get an ink for a tattoo(Irezumi) in Japan.
Kunihiko Okano Shotype.com