【Product Feature】 Suitable for manga and anime illustration, and equally at home as a decorative object. Made by Kinkoen from rapeseed-oil soot and scented with natural fragrance, each of the three sticks carries the kumadori of a celebrated kabuki role and a scent drawn from the play it belongs to. Grind it and write with it, of course — but please also enjoy the beauty of its form and its fragrance. 【Recommended For】 Set · Gift & Display · Manga & Anime Illustration Three faces and three fragrances, each in its own paulownia box 【Design & Story】 Kumadori is the bold painted makeup of kabuki. Kuma means the boundary between light and shadow, and the lines exaggerate the blood vessels and muscles beneath the skin; red kumadori stands for justice, courage and hot-blooded youth. The designs are provided and supervised by Shochiku, and the moulds were carved by Nakamura Gaho (b. 1932). Sakura (Cherry Blossom) — from Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, "Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees". Cherry blossom, soft and sweet, taken straight from the play's name. Ume (Plum) — from Kotobuki Soga no Taimen, whose stage is hung with red and white plum branches. Plum, green and sweet at once. Jinko (Agarwood) — from Meiboku Sendai Hagi, whose title names kyara, a prized grade of agarwood. Agarwood, refined and deep. 【Specifications】 Contents: 3 ink sticks — Sakura (40g), Ume (40g), Jinko (40g) Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Mould carving: Nakamura Gaho, sumi-mould sculptor Design supervision: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Presentation: Each ink stick in its own paulownia box 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 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 drawing and sketching, and for Western calligraphy and lettering. Though the stick is thin, it has genuine three-dimensional presence, and the expression on the face carries a deep, quiet character. A piece you can enjoy as an object as much as an ink, in a size that is just right for everyday use. 【Recommended For】 Drawing & Sketching · Western Calligraphy & Lettering A thin stick that grinds easily and gives a clearly defined black — well suited to detail work with a pen or fine brush. 【Design & Story】 It depicts Gojo, a mask from gigaku — Japan's ancient masked theatre — a figure long regarded as an auspicious symbol presiding over feminine beauty. The mould was carved by Nakamura Gaho, a sumi-mould sculptor. 【Specifications】 Weight: 23g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Mould carving: Nakamura Gaho, sumi-mould sculptor Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, and large characters. Works as both dark ink and light wash. Comfortable to grind, with a black of slightly clouded texture. Its generous size suits anyone who grinds large quantities of ink. 【Recommended For】 Manga & Anime Illustration · Western Calligraphy & Lettering Grinds comfortably and covers both fine linework and dense black, and its generous size suits anyone who needs a lot of ink at once. 【Design & Story】 The face carries a line from a poem by Qian Qi, the Tang-dynasty poet. Kigan — geese returning north — has long appeared in Japanese waka poetry and is a season word for spring; because geese fly in formation, they also stand as a symbol of the bonds between people. The boldly modelled goose gives the stick real volume. 【Specifications】 Weight: 55g Soot: Mineral-oil soot (Kobutsusei-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji, mixed kanji and kana, and large characters. A black with an excellent bleed; dark ink in particular feels fresh and vivid. 【Recommended For】 Western Calligraphy & Lettering An excellent bleed with a fresh, vivid dark ink — a good match for pen and flat-brush lettering. 【Design & Story】 Its striking form recalls an ancient bronze bell (dotaku), making it one of the most distinctive shapes in our range. 【Specifications】 Weight: 45g Soot: Mineral-oil soot (Kobutsusei-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) 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