Chiyomi Tanaka Brushes for advanced practitioners in sumi-e

In sumi-e, there is no correcting a stroke once it's made — the brush must be trusted completely before the ink ever touches paper.

These four brushes are built for that certainty: long tips, dense wool blends, and rare hair chosen to hold a line exactly where the hand intends it to go.

Rokujou

The maker's own words: made for "those who have sufficient experience in calligraphy and ink painting… suitable for drawing exhibition works." A long-tipped wool blend built for confident, expressive strokes — one reviewer simply called it "Excellent."

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Hakusui

Wool, white horse-belly hair, and tanuki combine into a brush the maker calls "very easy to paint and write." Versatile enough for demanding ink-wash work, it holds detail and wash alike without hesitation.

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Hiryu Daii

Its name means "very strong flow" — and at full size, this wool-horse-tanuki blend delivers exactly that. Built for bold, gestural strokes across large paper, where confidence and control must move together.

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Sanbafude

Made from Sanba deer hair, a "precious raw material… difficult to obtain," this brush carries exceptional body — stiff enough to write, versatile enough to paint. A rare find for the serious collector.

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