Minista, an artisan of inspiring suzuri (inkstones). I create inkstones that make writing and painting more enjoyable, and make the time spent grinding ink a pleasure. This is a Ryukei inkstone tuned by Minista (reworking the ink well and ink surface to improve the inkstone's performance). It may have been an unused inkstone with no residual ink or stains, but just in case, I've listed it as having no noticeable scratches or stains. There are no characters carved on the back of the inkstone, but the stone feels like Ryukei stone from Yokokawa Gorge, Tatsuno Town, Nagano Prefecture. The style of the inkstone is similar to that of Shuseki Fukazawa of Seisendo, which was located in Nagano Prefecture. It's a stable and skillful inkstone. Normally, the stone name and the artist's name are carved, but I can't quite imagine why they weren't carved. There are no problems with the inkstone's stone or craftsmanship, so there must have been another reason (perhaps they didn't have time or the right timing to carve it, or something similar). The ink grinds exceptionally well, and the ink's grinding feel and color extension are both excellent. Suitable for Kanji (up to full-size paper), Kana (up to full-size paper), and ink painting. Size: 22.5 x 14.0 x 3.0 cm Weight: Over 1 kg (approx. 1.5 kg) * If you purchase ink with the inkstone, you'll receive a 300 yen discount per ink stick. * All shipments use Mercari shipping, which includes transportation insurance. #Minista Inkstone (Inspiring Inkstone) ↑ Click here for a list of inkstones. Checking "Show only items for sale" will make it easier to view. Inkstone Tuning: Improving the performance of ink grinding, ink color, ink extension, ink repellency, and the feel of grinding ink, to enable better calligraphy and painting. People often say they feel like they've improved their calligraphy and painting skills. Ink consumption will be reduced to about 2/3 to 1/2. Calligraphy Calligraphy tools Suzuri (inkstone) Kana (Japanese syllabary) Kanji (Chinese characters) Kana (Japanese syllabary) Japanese painting Ink painting Sumi-e (ink wash painting) Tankei inkstone Kyoshu inkstone Chinese inkstone Brush, ink, inkstone, paper