Sansuiboku ink stick ( 山水墨 )

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

When you make this sumi ink darker, it will be a deep black color with a glossy sheen. And when you make it lighter, it becomes brownish black. It is suitable for sutra copying, calligraphy, ink painting, and all other uses.

This inkstick depicts a single Japanese plum blosom. Plum blossoms are the symbol of the Kobaien. It is also popular as a substitute for Baika boku.

SIZE: 1.5 ( Width: 24 mm Length: 91.5 mm Thickness: 8.7 mm Weight:24.7 grams ( inkstick only ), 33 grams ( inclucing paulownia wood box )

山 ( San: Mountain ) 

水 ( Sui: Water )

墨 ( Boku : Ink ) 

In Japanese traditional painting, "Sansui" (山水) literally translates to "mountains and water." Rather than a simple landscape, it represents a conceptual genre known as Sansuiga, which depicts an idealized vision of nature. Unlike Western landscape art that often prioritizes realistic depiction (shajitsu), Sansui is a reflection of the artist’s spiritual and philosophical inner world.

This genre is deeply connected to Zen Buddhism and Taoist philosophy, highlighting the harmony between people and the natural world. Mountains symbolize stability and the core of the universe, while water signifies life's constantly changing flow. A significant concept is "Gayu" (臥遊), or "journeying while lying down," which suggests that looking at a Sansui painting allows for a spiritual journey through nature from one's own home.

During the Muromachi period, artists like Sesshu Toyo perfected this style using monochrome ink (suiboku). They employed empty spaces to represent elements like mist and the "spiritual void". Sansui concepts are also applied in Karesansui (dry rock gardens), where rocks and raked gravel are used in place of mountains and water to facilitate meditation. 

This inkstick surface depicts such a scene.