Cao Guojiu (Sō Kokkyū) This is a gold-leaf-wrapped sesame oil soot ink. It is a high-grade ink, the highest quality among the sesame oil soot inks I offer. The Eight Immortals are eight particularly famous immortals in China. They lived during the Song Dynasty (around 960-1279). They are like the Seven Lucky Gods in Japan. Among them, Cao Guojiu is the younger brother of Empress Cao. "Guojiu" is a title for the relatives of the Empress. The illustration on the back of the ink shows Cao Guojiu as a nobleman, wearing the most luxurious attire among the Eight Immortals. Cao Guojiu is a motif in art, often used as a subject in auspicious paintings on hanging scrolls and ceramics. As the highest-grade sesame oil soot ink, the particles are very fine, making it a super-grade oil soot ink that penetrates deep into the paper. The characters formed by the fine soot and glue are robust, resistant to sunlight and temperature changes, and also prevent the erosion of bacteria and insects. The ink color of Cao Guojiu is a mysterious pure black with an elegant tone. The characteristics of this ink are its excellent spreadability, producing a deep pure black when used thickly and a clear reddish-brown color when used thinly. The glossy pure black from thick ink to medium-thick ink is particularly outstanding. The glossy ink color is ideal for kana, kanji, and ink wash painting works. It is a high-grade sesame oil soot ink with a list price of 15,000 yen (excluding tax). Size: 134 x 33 x 15mm Weight: Approximately 82g * New and unused, comes in a paulownia wood box. The photos are of the actual product.