Nara Sumi Kinkoen
In recent years, the practice of "polishing sumi" has almost disappeared in Japanese school education. A lot of students come to the studio, but most of them say, "I've seen it but never polished it."
Even in Japan, it is a fairly low-established story about whether a child will become an adult and sharpen ink quickly. Not surprisingly, the demand for Nara sumi is declining year by year, and the production is no more than a fraction of what it was in the past. For this reason, at present, there are less than 10 companies that make sumi in-house at their own company in Nara.
In response to the current situation and the decrease in demand for sumi, Naki's remaining Sumi company is being tested and tested every day. Each company is making great efforts. Naturally, while keeping traditional ink making, each company is facing various forms of ink, including domestic and overseas development.
And we are Kinkoen
We are doing ink making while asking ourselves daily what we can do and what our role is in response to the current situation of the production area. One thing is certain is that Nara, a traditional local industry, will continue to make Nara ink. I think it is my mission to continue making ink that can only be done in Kinkoen and to pass it on to as many people as possible. I hope that through Kinkoen, you can become a gateway that gives you a little information about sumi, making Nara sumi, the place of production and the craftsmen there.
As an aside, I would like you to know a little about the craftsmen and related people at the division of labor related to Nara Sumi, which I mentioned above, on the official website of Kinkoen `` Nara Sumi no Hito ", And we have posted special articles on those people, so please take a look.
The first special issue is a craftsman who makes a special wooden mold that is indispensable for making sumi. This is a special article by Masaho Nakamura, who currently has only one professional in Japan. Over the course of 60 years, elaborate characters and paintings that color the surface of the sumi have been carved on the wooden surface of the sumi, and the work has already reached the artistic level.
Kinkoen WEB site "Nara Sumino no Hito"
"Nara Sumino no Hito" will be updated on a regular basis, so please check it out. I would be glad if you read this article and get interested in nara sumi.
