【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 pine is a symbol of longevity, making this a deeply auspicious piece — ideal as a gift or for display. 【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. 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 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, 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, 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