Kids make sumi ink on Japan's Culture Day - NHKニュース

As Japan celebrated Culture Day on Tuesday, a few children had a special opportunity to learn the traditional method of creating sticks of "sumi" ink used in calligraphy and painting.

Four kids attended a workshop at a sumi manufacturer in Nara City, a major site of sumi production.

The ink is produced by rubbing ink sticks against a stone filled with water.

Staff explained that sumi sticks are made essentially by mixing soot and glue. They said the basics of the method have hardly changed since they were first introduced in Nara 1,400 years ago. The children then got to work softening ink balls on a board until they could be pressed into a mold, and shaping their ink sticks with scissors.

The kids got to take their creations home, but before using them for calligraphy they have to wait three months while the ink sticks dry in a wood box.

A fifth-grader from Shiga Prefecture said she was looking forward to using hers for calligraphy.

A junior high school student from Kyoto said she enjoys ink painting. She said the workshop gave her a chance to see all the tools used in creating ink, and the experience made her want to know more.

Sumi producer Matsuda Eiji said he was happy to see the children working hard at creating ink sticks. He said he hopes workshops like this help more people discover the pleasant smell of sumi ink and the high quality of hand-made ink sticks.