This sumi ink stick, Chikurin-Shichiken ( 竹林七賢 ), is named after seven hermits who are said to have gathered in a bamboo grove in Henan Province, China in the late 3rd century A.D. to play.
This is a top-quality oil-smoke ink made with canola oil. This is one of the products in the "Shitsu boku ( 漆墨, Shitsu boku, Lacquer black )". category, which is considered to be the finest of all sumi inksticks.
The darker the ink, the more shiny and pure black it becomes. Light black ink is brownish black.
竹 ( chiku : bamboo )
林 ( rin : grove )
七 ( shichi : seven )
賢 ( ken: hermits )
Width 70mm, Length 129mm, Thickness 17mm, Weight 200grams
Ms. Junko Azukawa, a contemporary calligrapher and ink painter in Australia, explains how to use stickinks.
!