4i8 ART INDUSTRY AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS. 



of water, are thoroughly mixed in a porcelain dish, a wearisome 

 labour, as the lampblack does not readily unite with water. When 

 this is finished, the mass, which now may be kneaded and formed 

 like bread dough, is shaped into round balls, which are wrapped in 

 linen, and placed in a stone-ware vase perforated at the bottom, 

 and here subjected to steam for fifteen minutes. Then the material 

 is taken out from its coverings and worked in a mortar with a pestle 

 for at least four hours, till it is entirely homogeneous and plastic. 

 It is now formed into large prismatic bars, which are placed for a 

 moment in a jar having a temperature of about 50°, then stretched 

 into longer sticks, more nearly the size of the India-ink sticks. 

 These are then placed on a kind of anvil, and beaten with wooden 

 hammers, and constantly turned till they have acquired not only 

 the proper form, but also the desired lustre. They are once more 

 kneaded on a smooth table, with an admixture of musk or some 

 other fragrant substance, and then the sticks are formed by hand, and 

 put into a wooden press. For drying of the sticks rice-straw ashes 

 are used, which are first sifted and thoroughly dried in the sun. 

 In the drying box a layer of ashes, three centimeters deep, is 

 followed by a layer of India-ink sticks, then ashes again, and a 

 second layer of ink sticks, and then ashes at the last. The length 

 of the drying process depends on the amount of water they 

 contain and accessory circumstances. When it is satisfactorily 

 finished, the sticks are taken from the ashes, brushed off, laid in a 

 small sieve, and placed for one or two days in a shady place, where 

 the process is completed. They are then polished by rubbing with 

 a brush, and printed with several Chinese characters. They should 

 not be used for several years after making, as their hardness, dark 

 colour, and lustre, in use, increase with age, though apart from 

 this, the quality depends largely on the fineness and lightness of 

 the lampblack, the purity of the glue, and carefulness in manu- 

 facture. The best pieces of Indian ink are recognised not only by 

 the marks already mentioned, but by the sound, and by a tinge of 

 brown colour. 



The Sudzuri or India-ink dishes used by the Chinese and 

 Japanese, are not the poorly adapted porcelain or stone-ware dishes 

 which we use, but are always better suited to the purpose, made of 

 a fine-grained dark stone, chiefly of old slate, serpentine, or coloured 

 marble. In Japan an old, dark blue slate is especially prized for 

 this, and generally used. It is called the Amabata-ishi, known 

 throughout the country and named after a small town, Amabata, 

 in the Province of Kiushiu, in whose neighbourhood it is chiefly 

 found. Many of these Amabata stones are worked up where they 

 are found, but some are brought to Kofu, where I saw them 

 prepared. The outline and hollows of the stone are wrought out 

 with a chisel-like nail, having a long wooden handle. A hollow 

 is made on one side for holding the water, and for collecting the 

 ink afterwards. Rubbing and polishing follow the chiselling, and 



