Song Dynasty Green Duan Inkstone, Nantoyōsō Collection, Japan

She Inkstone Gold/Silver Markings from Song Dynasty, China, Nantoyōsō Collection, Japan

An inkstone (traditional Chinese: 硯; simplified Chinese: 砚; pinyin: yàn or traditional Chinese: 硯臺; simplified Chinese: 砚台; pinyin: yàn tái; Japanese: 硯 suzuri) is literally a stone mortar for the grinding and containment of ink. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities An ink is a Liquid containing various Pigments and/or Dyes used for coloring a surface to produce an Image, text, or Traditional Chinese ink was usually solidified into sticks for easier transport and preservation. Even a small amount of water could be applied to the end of a stick of ink, and that end would be ground with the flat surface of the ink stone. A larger quantity of ink could be ground from a small pool of water placed on the inkstone. Water could be stored in a water-holding cavity on the inkstone itself, as was the case for many Song Dynasty (960-1279) inkstones. The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms The water-holding cavity or water reservoir in time became an ink reservoir for later inkstones. Water was usually kept in a ceramic container and sprinkled on the inkstone.

The inkstone, together with the ink brush, ink (stick) and paper, are the four writing implements traditionally known as the Four Treasures of the Study. Ink brushes ( in Japanese fude) are used in Chinese calligraphy. An ink is a Liquid containing various Pigments and/or Dyes used for coloring a surface to produce an Image, text, or Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon printing upon or packaging Four Treasures of the Study (Traditional Chinese 文房四寶 Simplified Chinese 文房四宝 wén fáng sì bǎo, Japanese 文房四宝 Bunbō shihō) is an expression

History

The inkstone is Chinese in origin and is used in East Asian calligraphy and painting, and other forms of brush painting. The art of Calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian Civilizations that use or used Chinese characters. The art of brush painting using brush and ink is of Chinese origin but has developed extensively throughout the region Extant inkstones date from antiquity in China. However, the true age of inkstones began in the Tang Dynasty (618-905) and reached its height in the Song period. The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by Extant Song period inkstones can be of great size and often display a delicacy of carving. Song inkstones can also exhibit a roughness in their finishing. Dragon designs in the Song period often reveal an almost humorous rendition. The dragons often seem to smile. From the subsequent Yuan period dragons display a ferocious appearance. A second great age of inkstone manufacture was during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong (Ch'ien-lung) (1736-1796). Emperor Qianlong (Chinese 乾隆 Qiánlóng, Wade-Giles' Ch'ien-Lung', Mongolian Tengeriig Tetgesen Khaan, born Hongli (弘历 September The Emperor Qianlong had his own imperial collection of inkstones catalogued into a twenty-four chapter compendium entitled Xiqing yanpu (Hsi-ch'ing yen-p'u). Many of these inkstones are still extant in the Palace Museum collection in Taiwan. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Books and scholarship on Chinese inkstones exists chiefly in Japan where a long bibliography on the subject exists. Inkstones should be appreciated in the context of the traditional scholar's studio culture and the appreciation of furnishings, antiques, paper, seals and all other associated objects. Members of the Chinese literati, such as the Song period's Ouyang Xiu, contributed greatly to this new culture. Early life He was born in Mingyang, Sichuan where his father was a judge though his family comes from present day Jishui (then known as Luling

Four Famous Varieties

Tao River Inkstone Song Dynasty, Ming Period Inscription, Nantoyōsō Collection, Japan

For serious calligraphers and painters, a good inkstone is as important as the quality of the ink. An inkstone will affect the quality and texture of the ink that is ground upon it. Four kinds of inkstones are especially noted in inkstone art history and are popularly known as the "Four Famous Inkstones. "

• The first is Duanshi stone (Japanese: Tankei) (端石砚) from Duanxi, Guangdong (pictured at top). Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the Duan stone is a volcanic tuff, commonly of a purple to a purple-red color. Tuff (from the Italian "tufo" is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption There are various distinctive markings such as eyes that were traditionally valued in the stone. A green variety of the stone was mined in the Song period. Duan inkstones are carefully categorized by the mines (k'eng) from which the raw stone was excavated. Particular mines were open only for discrete periods in history. For example, the Ma-tz'u k'eng mine was originally opened in the Qianlong period (1736-1795),　although reopened in modern times.
• She stone (Japanese: Kyū) (歙砚) from She County, Anhui. Anhui (in Chinese: 安徽 Ānhuī) is a province of the People's Republic of China. This stone is a variety of slate and like Duan stone is categorized by the various mines from which the stone was obtained historically. It is a black color and displays a variety of celebrated gold-like markings. These inkstones likewise date from the late Tang period.
• Of great rarity is Tao River stone (洮河砚) from South Gansu. ( is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. This stone is no longer found today and was gathered from a river bottom in the Song period. The stone is crystalline and like jade. The stone bears distinct markings such as bands of varying shades. This stone can be easily confused with Duan stone of the green variety, but can be distinguished by a careful observation of its crystalline nature.
• Chengni ceramic stone (澄泥砚) is a ceramic-manufactured inkstone. This process was begun in the Tang period and is said to have originated in Luoyang, Henan. Luoyang ( is a Prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People's Republic of China. Henan ( is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country

References

• T. C. Lai, Treasures of a Chinese Studio, Hong Kong, 1976.
• Kitabatake Sōji and Kitabatake Gotei, Chūgoku kenzai shūsei (A Compendium on Chinese Inkstones), Tokyo, 1980.
• Kitabatake Sōji and Kitabatake Gotei, Suzuri-ishi gaku (An Inkstone Encyclopedia), Tokyo, 1977.
• Yin-ting hsi-ch'ing yen-p'u (An Imperial Catalogue of the Western Brightness Collection of Inkstones), 24 chapters, preface 1778.