The Four Treasures of Ink Painting and Calligraphy
- Yasa
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
Linguistics and the reality of life
The essential tools of ink painting and calligraphy or “the four treasures of a scholar” include brush, ink, ink stone, and paper. The phrase originated in China, as it referred to the most cherished possessions of a scholar, usually a young man, who studied for an exam to become a government official. The public exam system would enable a smart and persistent man, even from a poor background, to advance in life and move up the social ranks. It is said that such an aspiring scholar would treasure nothing but his study materials, as they were crucial to his successful career and financial future of his entire family.
We don't know what happened to the scholar who coined the phrase, but “the four treasures” survived to modern days. In most countries in Asia, no explanation is necessary when asking for a “four treasures” set of materials in an art supplies store.
Ink – the inevitable invention of a rich civilisation
There is no definite answer to the question “who invented ink”. It is known that inks were already in use around 2500 BC and the invention is attributed to both the Egyptians and the Chinese. Most likely, it's a logical development in the history of human kind – when a civilisation reaches a certain level of sophistication, it produces a brilliant idea, breaking a cycle of stillness. A curious mind somewhere under the orange sun of Egypt or in a foggy mist of Southern China mixed charcoal soot with a binder, played with the dark dough, shaped it into a stick and left to dry. Returned a few days later to find black ink ready to use in writing and drawing.
This simple yet effective method is still in use today, especially in ink-making businesses in Japan. Traditional Japanese ink makers, along with paper, brush, and pigment production businesses, are similar to French wineries. They are usually small family-run houses with carefully preserved recipes and guarded secret ingredients. This approach results in a high-end product with distinct characteristics. The quality is remarkable.
When painting or writing with ink, the artist has to grind the ink stick on an ink stone while adding a bit of water. Ink is later diluted with more water to create an endless variety of shades, leaving it to the viewer to interpret the true colours of the artwork. Calligraphy is written in essentially the same way.
A great example of a Japanese sumi maker is Kobaien. Founded in 1577 in Nara, the production methods have been preserved almost unchanged. Kobaien ink itself has have both warm and cool shades, depending on the type of soot it was made from. Pine soot gives cool bluish hues. Ink made from lampblack has warm, earthy tones. Kobaien is admittedly inefficient, it prides itself on tradition, exceptional quality and fine-tuning to natural materials.
Images: Library of Congress, @Yasa Art Studios
Some essentials available at the studios:: student kit, brushes, ink, paper.
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