【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji and kana calligraphy, and equally at home as a decorative object. A Kinkoen original made from rapeseed-oil soot, shaped in a traditional confectionery mould. Set it in an entrance hall or a room and the distinctive natural fragrance of sumi will quietly fill the space. 【Recommended For】 Gift & Display (Japanese Sweets) · Professional & Master Grade Its auspicious form makes it a piece to display in an entrance hall or a room, where the natural scent of sumi lingers. 【Design & Story】 Nara is said to be the birthplace of Japanese sweets, and sweet-mould ink sticks have been a staple of our decorative sumi for many years. The crane is a symbol of longevity and of harmony between people, making this a deeply auspicious piece — ideal as a gift or for display. 【Specifications】 Weight: 23g 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, 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 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 and kana calligraphy, and equally at home as a decorative object. A Kinkoen original made from rapeseed-oil soot. Made by a special process, the stick itself carries a soft fragrance, so you can enjoy it by scent and by sight as much as by writing. 【Recommended For】 Gift & Display (Asuka Inks) · Professional & Master Grade The fragrance worked into the stick makes it as much a piece to keep on a desk as a material to write with. 【Design & Story】 Shaped after the gigaku masks that are among Nara's greatest treasures. Gojo has long been an auspicious figure presiding over feminine beauty. Set it down, admire it, and breathe in its scent — an ideal gift. 【Specifications】 Weight: 24g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji and kana calligraphy, and equally at home as a decorative object. A Kinkoen original made from rapeseed-oil soot. Made by a special process, the stick itself carries a soft fragrance, so you can enjoy it by scent and by sight as much as by writing. 【Recommended For】 Gift & Display (Asuka Inks) · Professional & Master Grade The fragrance worked into the stick makes it as much a piece to keep on a desk as a material to write with. 【Design & Story】 Shaped after the gigaku masks that are among Nara's greatest treasures. Rikishi is a symbol of strong legs and robust bodily health. Set it down, admire it, and breathe in its scent — an ideal gift. 【Specifications】 Weight: 20g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black Made in Nara, Japan

【Product Feature】 Suitable for kanji and kana calligraphy, and equally at home as a decorative object. A Kinkoen original made from rapeseed-oil soot. Made by a special process, the stick itself carries a soft fragrance, so you can enjoy it by scent and by sight as much as by writing. 【Recommended For】 Gift & Display (Asuka Inks) · Professional & Master Grade The fragrance worked into the stick makes it as much a piece to keep on a desk as a material to write with. 【Design & Story】 Shaped after the gigaku masks that are among Nara's greatest treasures. Karura has long been an auspicious guardian, known for warding off evil. Set it down, admire it, and breathe in its scent — an ideal gift. 【Specifications】 Weight: 24g Soot: Rapeseed-oil soot (Natane-yuen) Binder: Animal glue (nikawa) Tone: Deep, intense black 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, 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. 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 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