{"product_id":"kin-takasago-ink-stick-dolls-in-gold-leaf","title":"Kin Takasago gold leaf doll inkstick ( 金高砂 )","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eKin Takasago — 金 (Kin, gold), 高砂 (Takasago, an elderly couple, symbol of a long and happy marriage) — is a wonderful inkstick finished in gold leaf, made from the smoke of the finest canola oil with ultra-fine particles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSold as a pair of two doll-shaped inksticks, together forming the elderly couple the name evokes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eShaped as traditional \"Nara Itto-bori\" dolls, a craft handed down for generations in Nara Prefecture, where Kobaien itself is rooted, they carry the region's own folk-art tradition into something meant to be ground and used.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eKobaien applies gold leaf for three reasons: for beauty, for preservation since gold resists chemical change over long years, and for practice — calligraphers have long said gold particles smooth the brush's glide, making it especially suited to Kuzushiji, Japanese cursive script.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA gilded emblem of Nara itself, doubling as a keepsake and a working ink.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japanese inkstick shop by Ichi Inc. The authorized dealer of Kobaien, Japan.","offers":[{"title":"1 (W:31.9 mm L: 49.7 mm T:17.2 mm Wgt:85gram)","offer_id":43722787913920,"sku":"usi08","price":130.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0582\/0740\/4224\/files\/IMG_6810.jpg?v=1688178376","url":"https:\/\/the-worlds-oldest-inkstick.jp\/products\/kin-takasago-ink-stick-dolls-in-gold-leaf","provider":"★Kobaien Sumi Ink Stick Shop by Ichi Inc., Japan","version":"1.0","type":"link"}