【Product Feature】 Suitable for mixed kanji and kana, kana only, and combinations of characters and illustrations. Comfortable to grind, with a pale blue tone and a clear, clean dark ink. A well-balanced, versatile blue-black, and our recommended Sei-boku for beginners. 【Recommended For】 Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Suminagashi (Paper Marbling) · Tattoo Art (Design & Flash), and more — suited to a wide range of uses. A pale blue light wash against a clean dark ink makes the contrast easy to read — useful when the pattern itself has to stay legible. 【Design & Story】 The design is simple, carrying only a turtle and no name — the turtle being, as the name suggests, a symbol of longevity and also of good fortune in wealth. 【Specifications】 Weight: 15g Soot: Oil soot (Yuen-boku) blended with blue dye Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Blue-black with a soft grey cast (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for a variety of uses, including kanji and kana, kana only, and combinations of characters and illustrations. It has a light brown hue, and its thin form makes it easy to grind. With its wide range of uses and moderate size, it is perfect for beginners. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Fine & Detailed Script) · Drawing & Sketching · Practice Grade Its thin form takes little effort to grind, so fine lines stay under control, and the clear black reads well in sketch work. 【Design & Story】 Inspired by Nara, it features a design of a herd of seven deer. 【Specifications】 Weight: 18g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for mixed kanji and kana, kana only, large characters, and combinations of characters and illustrations. Works in both dark ink and light wash, showing a bright blue at either strength. A blue-black ink with outstanding value for money and our most popular Sei-boku. 【Recommended For】 Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Suminagashi (Paper Marbling) · Tattoo Art (Design & Flash), and more — suited to a wide range of uses. Bright blue at both strengths and outstanding value for money — an easy choice for wash work and marbling. 【Design & Story】 Front and back carry auspicious cloud patterns of purple smoke. Purple has long been regarded as a noble colour that calms the mind. 【Specifications】 Weight: 30g Soot: Oil soot (Yuen-boku) blended with blue dye Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Blue-black with a soft grey cast (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, and large characters. The colour carries a soft reddish-purple cast. It grinds smoothly and works as both dark ink and light wash, though the light wash comes out especially pale. A versatile ink stick that handles a wide range of uses. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Bold & Dynamic Stroke) · Drawing & Sketching · Western Calligraphy & Lettering, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. Grinds smoothly and performs at both strengths, and its especially pale light wash gives you room to work in fine detail. 【Design & Story】 On the reverse side is a horse — an animal long close to people and regarded as a bringer of success and prosperity — rendered as a magnificent bronze steed with powerful limbs. 【Specifications】 Weight: 45g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for mixed kanji and kana, kana only, large characters, and combinations of characters and illustrations. A gentle blue that stays soft and quiet across the whole range, in a slim stick. A blue-black ink with an excellent balance between black and blue. 【Recommended For】 Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Suminagashi (Paper Marbling) · Tattoo Art (Design & Flash) A gentle blue that stays soft across the whole range, with an excellent balance between black and blue. 【Design & Story】 On the reverse is Guan Yu, hero of the Three Kingdoms, revered as the god of prosperous business and wealth. 【Specifications】 Weight: 38g Soot: Oil soot (Yuen-boku) blended with blue dye Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Blue-black with a soft grey cast (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for mixed kanji and kana, kana only, large characters, and combinations of characters and illustrations. Comfortable to grind, with an outstanding baseline and a superb bleed. Both dark and light ink carry the flavour of a koboku, an aged ink stick. 【Recommended For】 Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Suminagashi (Paper Marbling) An outstanding baseline and bleed, with the mellow flavour of an aged ink stick in both dark and light ink. 【Design & Story】 The name joins gyokudo, a beautiful palace adorned with jade, and seisho, the coolness that relieves the summer heat. 【Specifications】 Weight: 30g Soot: Oil soot (Yuen-boku) blended with blue dye Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Blue-black with a soft grey cast (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for mixed kanji and kana, kana only, large characters, and combinations of characters and illustrations. Very comfortable to grind, with a beautiful bleed in light ink. A blue-black with a little weight to it overall. 【Recommended For】 Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Suminagashi (Paper Marbling) · Tattoo Art (Design & Flash) Grinds very comfortably and bleeds beautifully in light ink, with a blue-black that carries a little weight. 【Design & Story】 Shaped without a wooden mould, it has the texture of an antique ink stick, and its unique boat-like form makes it a pleasure to hold. 【Specifications】 Weight: 30g Soot: Oil soot (Yuen-boku) blended with blue dye Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Blue-black with a soft grey cast (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, kana, and fine characters. Excellent bleed, with a glossy black and a delicate light tone. Made with precious sesame-oil soot, it gives a deep black with real depth. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Fine & Detailed Script) · Drawing & Sketching Excellent bleed with a glossy black and a delicate light tone — a good match for fine characters and close detail work. 【Design & Story】 The lion is a symbol of protection, long believed to ward off evil. On the reverse it is shown at rest beneath a peony: night dew dripping from the flower cures the parasites within the lion’s body, making the peony its one place of safety. 【Specifications】 Weight: 15g Soot: Sesame-oil soot (Goma-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, and large characters. Dark ink is a light brownish black. It works as both dark ink and light wash, and the light wash bleeds beautifully. A versatile ink stick that handles a wide range of uses. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Bold & Dynamic Stroke) · Drawing & Sketching · Manga & Anime Illustration, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. A light brownish black that works at any strength, with a light wash that bleeds beautifully — an all-rounder for line, wash and pattern alike. 【Design & Story】 The reverse side shows a dragon climbing dynamically above the breaking spray — the “ascending dragon”, one of the most auspicious of all motifs and a symbol of rising fortune. 【Specifications】 Weight: 45g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, and large characters. An elegant, composed black. Light ink feels crisp and refreshing, and the bleed on paper is beautiful. Its generous size makes it best suited to intermediate and advanced users. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Bold & Dynamic Stroke) · Drawing & Sketching An elegant, composed black with a beautiful bleed. Its generous size holds up through large-scale work. 【Design & Story】 A three-dimensional pine tree and a pair of cranes are carved on the reverse side. 【Specifications】 Weight: 75g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, large characters, combinations of characters and illustrations, and sutra copying. The deep black that only pure pine soot can give, with real depth in the light wash as well. It offers a wide range of expression between dark ink and light wash. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Bold & Dynamic Stroke) · Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Manga & Anime Illustration, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. Pure pine soot gives a deep black with real depth in the light wash, and a wide tonal range that rewards experienced hands. 【Design & Story】 Its hexagonal form is unusual for an ink stick, and a dragon coils around it as it rises towards heaven — a design as striking as the ink itself. Like all pine-soot ink, its tone shifts gradually towards grey as the stick ages — a change that unfolds over years. 【Specifications】 Weight: 23g Soot: Pine soot (Shoen-boku) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Matte bluish black (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, kana, and fine characters. Dark ink is a reddish black carrying a slightly muted depth, paired with a delicate light wash. Made with precious sesame-oil soot, it gives a deep black with real dimension. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Fine & Detailed Script) · Drawing & Sketching · Manga & Anime Illustration, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. Sesame-oil soot gives a reddish black with real depth, and the delicate light wash keeps fine lines and tones under control. 【Design & Story】 Gyokuryu, child of the dragon god, is carved coiling around all four faces of the stick. 【Specifications】 Weight: 23g Soot: Sesame-oil soot (Goma-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, large characters, and combinations of characters and illustrations. It takes a little effort to grind, but rewards you with a fine black carrying a distinctly blue cast. The baseline stays clear and the bleed is excellent. It offers a wide range of expression between dark ink and light wash. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Bold & Dynamic Stroke) · Japanese Calligraphy (Fine & Detailed Script) · Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. A fine black with a distinctly blue cast, a clear baseline and an excellent bleed — strong across both thick and thin brushwork. 【Design & Story】 A slightly slender stick bearing the ho-o, the bird held in China to be a sign of good fortune. Like all pine-soot ink, its tone shifts gradually towards grey as the stick ages — a change that unfolds over years. 【Specifications】 Weight: 23g Soot: Pine soot (Shoen-boku), red pine Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Matte bluish black (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, large characters, and combinations of characters and illustrations. Dark ink is a jet black and light ink stays delicate, though the range of tone between the two is somewhat narrow. Recommended for intermediate and advanced users. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Bold & Dynamic Stroke) · Japanese Calligraphy (Fine & Detailed Script) · Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. Jet-black dark ink and a delicate light wash, with a clear baseline. Recommended for those who want a controlled, refined tone. 【Design & Story】 On the reverse, a thousand-year pine — a symbol of longevity — is carved with great force. Like all pine-soot ink, its tone shifts gradually towards grey as the stick ages — a change that unfolds over years. 【Specifications】 Weight: 30g Soot: Pine soot (Shoen-boku) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Matte bluish black (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, large characters, and combinations of characters and illustrations. Comfortable to grind. Both dark and light ink perform well; the light wash carries a faint blue, though the tone still feels young. Made from red-pine soot, it is the most fundamental of our pine-soot ink sticks. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Bold & Dynamic Stroke) · Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Textile Dyeing, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. Red-pine soot gives a faintly blue light wash and a clean gradation, the qualities that ink wash painting and dyeing rely on. 【Design & Story】 A simple, unadorned form that lets the quality of the pine soot speak for itself. Like all pine-soot ink, its tone shifts gradually towards grey as the stick ages — a change that unfolds over years. 【Specifications】 Weight: 15g Soot: Pine soot (Shoen-boku), red pine Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Matte bluish black (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, large characters, combinations of characters and illustrations, and sutra copying. Comfortable to grind, with the deep black characteristic of pure pine soot. It offers a wide range of expression between dark ink and light wash, and is recommended for intermediate and advanced users. 【Recommended For】 Japanese Calligraphy (Fine & Detailed Script) · Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Textile Dyeing, and more — suited to a wide range of uses. Pure pine soot gives a deep black and a wide tonal range, comfortable to grind even over long sessions. 【Design & Story】 A lively scene of nine children at play is deeply carved into the surface. Like all pine-soot ink, its tone shifts gradually towards grey as the stick ages — a change that unfolds over years. 【Specifications】 Weight: 45g Soot: Pine soot (Shoen-boku) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Matte bluish black (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for mixed kanji and kana, kana only, and combinations of characters and illustrations. An elegant blue that is especially attractive in light ink, with a beautiful bleed. Easy to handle and comfortable to grind. 【Recommended For】 Sumi-e / Ink Wash Painting · Suminagashi (Paper Marbling) · Tattoo Art (Design & Flash) An elegant blue that is especially attractive in light ink, with a beautiful bleed and an easy grind. 【Design & Story】 A blue-black ink distinguished by its refined colour, in a plain form that keeps the focus on the ink. 【Specifications】 Weight: 23g Soot: Oil soot (Yuen-boku) blended with blue dye Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Blue-black with a soft grey cast (Sei-boku) Made in Nara, Japan