Sansui JInbutsu Choju Haien Kyou inkstick ( 山水人物鳥獣背圓鏡 )

A wonderful ink stick made from the smoke of the finest canola oil with ultra-fine particles.

In Japan, there is a building called Shosoin, which was built in the first half of the Nara period (about 700 CE ) to preserve national treasures.

This inkstick was made by imitating an ancient mirror, Sansui JInbutsu Choju Haien Kyou  ( 山水人物鳥獣背圓鏡 ),  housed in this Shosoin.

This mirror is a white-bronze mirror with a " Sansui Moyou ( 山水模様, a landscape pattern )" mirror design on the back depicting a natural landscape with mountains and water. A semicircular handle representing a mountain is placed in the center, and three mountains are depicted on the four edges, with a water surface pattern in between.

Between the mountains, a figure fishing on a boat is depicted. There is also a figure wielding a sword on a boat, a figure riding a boat and wading in the waves, and a figure leaning against one of the mountains.

There are deer in the mountains and waterfowl on the surface of the water. Some waterfowl have deer horns and rabbit ears. Such Sansui Moyou mirrors are called "Kaikikyo" (海磯鏡, a mirror representing the coast ) .

The surface of this sumi inkstick is processed with Kobaien's special technique so that it shines like a mirror.

Width: 80 mm Length: 80 mm Thickness: 12 mm Weight:75 grams ( inkstick only ), 140.9 grams ( inclucing paulownia wood box )

山 ( San: Mountain ) 

水 ( Sui: Water )

人物 ( JInbutsu: human figure ) 

鳥 ( Chou: Bird ) 

獣 ( Ju: Animal ) 

背 ( Hai: Back ) 

圓 ( En: Round, Circle ) 

鏡 ( Kyou: Mirror )